USDA Announces Major Program Improvements, Progress, and Investments to Benefit American Farmers, Ranchers, and Producers

Contact:
FPAC.BC.Press@usda.gov

SAN JUAN, P.R., January 9, 2023 — Today, at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual convention, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced several major developments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will benefit farmers, ranchers and producers across the nation.  

Thirty-Seven Kentucky Counties Declared a Natural Disaster Area Brown and Clermont Counties in Ohio are Eligible as Contiguous Counties

Kentucky agricultural producers in Anderson, Bath, Bourbon, Boyle, Bracken, Bullitt, Carroll, Clark, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Franklin, Garrard, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Larue, Madison, Marion, Mason, Mercer, Montgomery, Nelson, Nicholas, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Powell, Robertson, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble, Washington and Woodford Counties and Brown and Clermont County, Ohio, who lost property due to recent natural disasters are eligible for physical loss loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

USDA Seeks Members for Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for four positions on the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production.  USDA will accept nominations from May 7, 2024, to July 7, 2024. The 12-member Committee, which first convened in March 2022, is part of USDA’s efforts to increase support for urban agriculture and innovative production.

USDA Offers New Forest Management Incentive for Conservation Reserve Program

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making available $12 million for use in making payments to forest landowners with land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in exchange for their implementing healthy forest management practices. Existing CRP participants can now sign up for the Forest Management Incentive (FMI), which provides financial incentives to landowners with land in CRP to encourage proper tree thinning and other practices.