Category: Agriculture

Deputy Secretary Torres Small visited Augusta, Georgia, on Tuesday, where she participated in a roundtable discussion at Golden Harvest Food Bank.

“I remember my grandfather as a hard worker and most comfortable when he was around farmworkers.”

On Thursday, Deputy Secretary Torres Small announced in Somerset, Pennsylvania, that USDA is investing $104 million in loans and grants to support over 300 clean energy projects in 34 states through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

While on her trip the Deputy highlighted that the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County is receiving a $14 million loan under the Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants, which will be used to improve the City of Jeannette’s combined sewer system and eliminate the sanitary sewer overflows for the community.

This represents a first of its kind effort to restart an American nuclear power plant—generating carbon pollution-free energy and saving and expanding a union workforce in Michigan, while also helping strengthen America’s nuclear energy sector and advance core climate and domestic energy goals.

The report focuses on seasonal snowpack, precipitation, temperature, and drought conditions in the U.S.

Meet Michelle Wheeler of River Bend Blooms in Scottsville, Kentucky. What started as a small business has blossomed into a beautiful, sustainable farm spanning 227 acres. The farm’s natural beauty and vibrant ecosystems make it a haven for nature lovers, photographers, and anyone seeking a peaceful connection with the outdoors. Source: USDA Farmers.govBy Justin Pius,…

The center will host its annual field day Oct. 9, featuring the latest in research on chile and other crops, and the new home of NMSU’s Chile Pepper Institute, which will be open during the field day.

A study by Auburn University in collaboration with USDA assessed the wildflower preferences of native bees in the southeastern United States and revealed three key favorites.

The Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University has a new home. 

A New Mexico State University researcher recently published a study that examined the impacts of invasive plant species.

These studies point to clear indicators of an urgent need for diligent and consistent conservation efforts to protect bee diversity, which is crucial for our ecosystem health, human health and agricultural productivity

With a modern, high density growing style, the Rosarios are planting new varieties with thinner trunks that can be grown closer together, producing more fruit.

Unlike the cellulose and hemicellulose found in plants, lignin is challenging to upgrade into biofuels or high-value bioproducts.

The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) requires foreign investors who buy, sell or hold an interest in U.S. agricultural land to report their holdings and transactions to the USDA.

The Wage and Hour Division enforces federal laws that protect the health and safety of agricultural workers while they are transported and housed, and while they are working in the fields.

Looking for ways to do business with USDA that saves you time? Look no further than farmers.gov.  

Deputy Secretary Torres Small traveled to Chapada dos Guimarães, Brazil, this week, to take part in the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting and engage with fellow agricultural leaders from other G20 members, which is 19 countries as well as the African Union and the European Union.

New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service will host a Jujube Fruit Tasting Workshop Saturday, Sept. 21, where attendees can taste various jujube fruits, see their field performance and learn about planting.

Deputy Secretary Torres Small spent the week visiting with producers, stakeholders and schoolchildren in the West.

On Thursday, Deputy Secretary Torres Small visited the site of a future solar power facility in Pahrump, Nevada, where she announced more than $140 million for clean energy projects in Nevada and Kentucky as part of the Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program.

Within New Mexico the county of Doña Ana is quarantined to stop spreading imported fire ants.  Shipments of nursery stock, sod, soil, baled hay and straw must be certified. Soil moving equipment originating in Doña Ana County must also be certified free of the pest. In the case of nursery stock this is verified by…

With their wide variety of inventory, they utilize the local farmers markets year-round, run a storefront on their farm, and an online store to sell their products. Their farm motto is, Healthy Soil and Happy Plants – Living in Harmony.

Throughout the fall months, they have a variety of events around the farm, including U-pick apples at their orchard and grapes from their vineyard.  

They discussed how USDA’s historic Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative is helping more producers access climate-smart agricultural practices to create new markets for their products and generate more income.

Having “the kids” come home to preserve the family farm may be an old story, but the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is helping sisters Nita and Neva Mensia write a new version.

Research Director for New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center at Farmington Kevin Lombard is a co-principal investigator on a collaborative project focused on developing and accessing modern controlled environment agricultural practices to assist tribal communities.

To begin the week, Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small was in Houston, where she joined U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) welcomed students and educators back to school and highlighted efforts by USDA, under the Biden-Harris Administration, to ensure that schools in Texas and nationwide have access to healthy, nutritious meals for students.

Deputy Secretary Torres Small was in Pennsylvania and North Dakota this week to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to help farmers build more, new, and better markets and strengthen farming operations and businesses.

The technique will allow repopulation of the species in the event of a rapid extinction

New Mexico State University Regents professor Cynthia Bejarano was among 32 faculty and staff that the United States Department of Agriculture welcomed to Washington, D. C. earlier this month in the 2024 class of E. Kika De la Garza Fellows.

On Wednesday, Deputy Secretary Torres Small was in Morgan, Minnesota, to attend Farmfest, an event held every other year in Minnesota on 50 acres of land to showcase products, services and technologies from over 500 exhibitors and vendors.