|
USDA Announces Assistance for On-Farm Food Safety Expenses for Specialty Crop Growers
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA plans to provide up to $200 million in assistance for specialty crop producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses to obtain or renew a food safety certification in calendar years 2022 or 2023. USDA’s new Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops program will help to offset costs for specialty crop producers to comply with regulatory requirements and market-driven food safety certification requirements, which is part of USDA’s broader effort to transform the food system to create a more level playing field for small and medium producers and a more balanced, equitable economy for everyone working in food and agriculture. Specialty crop operations can apply for assistance for eligible expenses related to a 2022 food safety certificate issued on or after June 21, 2022, beginning June 27, 2022. USDA is delivering FSCSC to provide critical assistance for specialty crop operations, with an emphasis on equity in program delivery while building on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions. Vilsack made the announcement from Hollis, N.H., where he toured a local, family-owned farm and highlighted USDA’s efforts to help reduce costs for farmers and support local economies by providing significant funding to cut regulatory costs and increase market opportunities for farmers in New Hampshire and across the nation.
FSA Accepting Nominations for Farmers to Serve on Local County Committees The USDA’s Farm Service Agency is now accepting nominations for county committee members. Elections will occur in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for members. LAAs are elective areas for FSA committees in a single county or multi-county jurisdiction. This may include LAAs that are focused on an urban or suburban area.
Webinar: Farmworker Tax Issues NCAE is pleased to announce the next installment in its educational webinar series! NCAE will be hosting a webinar focusing on farmworker tax issues led by Bob Wunderle, Director of the La Posada Tax Clinic. The webinar is scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm ET/11:00 am PT on Thursday, July 14th, 2022.
New Cucurbit Disease Continues To Spread Across U.S.
Although cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV) arrived in the U.S. only a few years ago, it is spreading rapidly. Lab tests confirmed the first reported case in the Imperial Valley in California in 2019, an most recently in fields in Florida. Genetic analysis lead USDA ARS scientists to believe CCYV actually arrived in the Imperial Valley in 2014, but it remained undetected due to how closely it resembles another crinivirus, cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV).
Congress asked to suspend gas tax for three months
|
