United States Department of Agriculture News

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., will introduce an amendment that would repeal the Farmer Assurance Provision,which allows farmers who use biotech seeds to keep planting them even as courts reassess whether the USDA followed protocol when it approved the use of the seeds.

Jay Ackley is a crop and dairy farmer who works about 2,700 acres of corn, beans, hay, and wheat each year in the eastern half of the county.

Stop Animal Exploitation Now says a fine issued by the USDA against Mattawan-based MPI Research is not enough to force the company to change what SAEN considers improper animal-handling. MATTAWAN, MI - Scientific testing company MPI Research was fined $6,911 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday for violations of the U.S. Animal Welfare ... (more)

Perpetual vegetables-these are the vegetables that, although they don't automatically come up each year, will provide you with what you need to continue to harvest season after season without having to buy anything new.

AG SEC'Y VILSACK ISSUES COMMENT ON PASSAGE OF A FOOD, FARM AND JOBS BILL May 20, 2013 Source: USDA news release Today, Secretary Vilsack made the following statement on congressional progress toward passage of a Food, Farm and Jobs Bill: "I am encouraged that Congress took action this week toward passage of a five-year, comprehensive Food, Farm and ... (more)

With the U.S. spring planting season off to a historically slow start, an increasing number of farmers are counting on powerful tools to catch up: Monster machines that sow 36 rows of corn at once and feature high-tech innovations like computer-guided directional equipment.

Farmers and ranchers are encouraged to sign up for the Average Crop Revenue Election program.

6, 2010 file photo, people on a tour of Plum Island, N.Y., off the coast of Long Island, watch seals relaxing on the rocky shore.

You can expect another bid by a bipartisan coalition of senators to amend the upcoming farm bill to get the Agriculture Department out of the business of inspecting catfish.

A combine hitched with a Cob Caddy gathers corn and cobs while blowing stover back into the field on a farm near Hurley, S.D. in this October 2007 file photo.

Ernie Flint, an agronomist at the Mississippi State University Extension Service, says many of the state's farmers are running about month behind but still have time to catch up before it's too late to plant crops.

"The key here is that you don't have to sacrifice flavor, sacrifice culture, to make food that is still actually good for you." Washington, D.C. - infoZine - To promote healthy eating among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford and Chef Ming Tsai have teamed up to film a cooking demonstration in the ... (more)

Val, a small Asian Elephant, performs during a previous show of the Cole Brothers Circus of the Stars Monday evening at the Phillipsburg Mall.

Tensions between conventional and organic agriculture boiled over this week during a late-night House Agriculture Committee debate on farm legislation that for decades has propped up traditional crops and largely ignored organics.

Use a microwave-safe bowl or mug to scramble eggs for a quick, convenient breakfast or snack.

While the Washington Department of Social and Health Services is tracking people who misuse their benefits, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is going after stores that illegally redeem benefits in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

The bright green alfalfa fields appear like a surreal oasis tucked into the rolling hills of desert shrubbery that extend south as far as the eye can see.

USDA RELEASES 2012 CHEMICAL USAGE DATA FOR SOYBEANS AND WHEAT May 17, 2013 Source: USDA news release The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service today published the 2012 Agricultural Chemical Use Survey data for soybeans and wheat.

A Somerset County-based medical device manufacturer is creating about 20 local jobs by moving operations from China back to the county thanks to a $1.8 million business and industry loan guarantee announced Friday.

A Friday ground breaking kicked off "the best thing that could possibly happen" to Richlands, according to Mayor McKinley Smith.