USDA to invest $10M to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $10 million to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry through voluntary conservation practices . . .  in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin can apply for this funding opportunity. Each state will determine its own signup period, with signups expected to begin on or around June 24 in most states.

MiFarmLink Project enews 06.28.2021

Land access. Mentors. Resources. Capital. These are some of the primary needs that are common among beginning farmers. In Ottawa County in West Michigan, only 8% of farmers are under 35 years old and 30% are over the age of 65. The MiFarmLink Project, funded in part by the USDA, brings service providers together to collaboratively to address beginning farmer needs. 

MiFarmLink aims to help new farmers find land and resources

Michigan agriculture is in transition, considering nearly a third of the state’s farmers are aged 65 and over while new and beginning farmers currently make up a quarter of the farming population.

The gender and racial demographics of this new crop of farmers are also more diverse than the state’s farming population as a whole.

USDA announces additional aid for ag producers, businesses

WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today additional aid to agricultural producers and businesses as part of the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Earlier this year, Secretary Vilsack announced plans to use available pandemic assistance funds to address a number of gaps and disparities in previous rounds of aid. 

Texas A&M study confirms devastating impact of Inheritance Tax Code changes on family farms

A newly released Texas A&M’s Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) study of U.S. Senate legislation calling for changes to the Capital Gains and Estate Tax would take a heavy toll on family farms.

USDA to Invest $1 Billion to Purchase Healthy Food for Food Insecure Americans and Build Food Bank C

First Investment of the New ‘Build Back Better’ Initiative Will Serve as a Bridge from Pandemic Assistance to Food System Transformation

Female entrepreneurs develop Farmmee, an app that helps farmers

Every farmer knows what it’s like to see a storm on the horizon with acres of crop to harvest before it hits. They also know the time-robbing impacts of breakdowns. Finding help quickly can be hard.

 

'Rules for the Road' for Carbon Markets

An ag economist is calling the Growing Climate Solutions Act a set of ‘rules for the road’ when it comes to carbon markets.

Funding Your Farm Through Alternative Lending

Many small and beginning farmers are unsure of how to fund their farm, which loan and grant programs apply to them, and where to go when they don’t qualify for traditional loans. Many innovative funding strategies, like mutual aid, were developed by Black and Brown communities. 

Insurance Options for Vegetable Growers

Vegetable farmers face many challenges. In 2017 and 2018, excessive rain rotted the last few pickings of melons, watermelons, peppers, and tomatoes.