In case you missed it, here's what happened this week at USDA

U.S. Department of Agriculture sent this email to their subscribers on August 9, 2024.

In Case You Missed It. Here's what happened this week at USDA. usda.gov Here's what happened this week at USDA

Deputy Secretary Visits Minnesota to Underscore USDA’s Efforts to Strengthen Opportunities for Farmers

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.

While there, she delivered remarks at a forum on the investments that the Biden-Harris Administration has made to help farmers build more, new, and better markets to strengthen farming operations and businesses across the nation.

Later in the day, she attended a Young Farmer Conversation at a Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council event with Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Petersen to highlight the support USDA provides to new and beginning farmers.

USDA Announces Additional Funding to Expand, Diversify Export Markets

To begin the week, USDA announced it will make an additional $300 million available this year through the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) to help grow export markets for American farm and food products around the world.

In October 2023, Secretary Vilsack first announced that USDA would use $1.2 billion from the Commodity Credit Corporation to establish RAPP to help U.S. exporters expand their customer base beyond established markets such as China, Mexico and Canada, which collectively account for nearly half of all current export sales.

In May, USDA allocated the first $300 million in RAPP funding to 66 U.S. organizations to implement hundreds of market development projects focusing on a wide range of products and markets.

Forest Service Seeks to Reduce Wildfire Risk, Support Local Businesses with $25 Million in Funding

The Forest Service announced on Tuesday that it is aiming to reduce wildfire risk, expand and create market opportunities, and support local jobs through the hazardous fuels transportation assistance program. This program is making $25 million available to local businesses and partners that remove hazardous fuels from national forests and transport the material to be processed for wood products or services.

Made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, the grants support wood utilization facilities across the country and the rural economies that depend on them. In 2023 these grants helped remove almost 59,000 tons of hazardous fuels from nine national forests to facilities that produced peeled poles, firewood and animal bedding.

USDA Updates Farm Loan Programs to Increase Financial Freedom, Resilience and Profitability for Producers

On Wednesday, USDA announced changes to the Farm Service Agency’s Farm Loan Programs, effective September 25, 2024, that are intended to increase opportunities for farmers and ranchers to be financially viable.

These improvements, part of the Enhancing Program Access and Delivery for Farm Loans rule, demonstrate USDA’s commitment to improving farm profitability through farm loans designed to provide important financing options used by producers to cover operating expenses and purchase land and equipment.

Biden-Harris Administration Partners with Rural Utility to Bring Affordable Clean Energy to Nebraska

USDA’s Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program continues to help rural Americans access clean energy infrastructure. USDA announced on Thursday that SE Municipal Solar LLC in Nebraska has been selected to move forward with a nearly $30 million project to build eight solar photovoltaic generation facilities that will produce enough electricity to power more than 1,700 residential homes throughout the state.

The funding for USDA’s PACE program comes from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which is the largest investment in rural electrification since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act into law in 1936. To date, USDA has selected 13 projects in six states totaling $495 million to move forward in the PACE application process.

USDA Invests $22 Million in 29 Projects to Expand Conservation for Livestock Producers

To expand access to conservation technical assistance for livestock producers and increase the use of conservation practices on grazing lands, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that it has awarded $22 million for 29 selected projects in 36 states to do this work.

Through its Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, NRCS is funding cooperative agreements to leverage the knowledge and expertise of partners to advance climate-smart agriculture and serve producers who choose voluntary, private land conservation.

Celebrating Farmworkers

This week, USDA showed gratitude to our nation's farmworkers with Farmworker Appreciation Day on Tuesday. With every seed planted, every crop nurtured, and every harvest gathered, farmworkers invaluably contribute to our communities. Thank you for ensuring our tables are filled with nourishing food.

National Farmers Market Week!

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Secretary Vilsack proclaimed the week of August 4-10, 2024, as National Farmers Market Week to recognize the vital role farmers markets across the United States have in providing access to fresh, locally grown produce to millions of Americans. Farmers markets also support USDA's Food System Transformation framework by helping build a fairer food system that works better for farmers, their families, and their communities.

Be sure to stop by your local farmers market this week!

Photo of the Week

Smokey Bear's 80th birthday celebration was held at USDA's headquarters in Washington, DC, on Friday during an award ceremony and event to increase public recognition and awareness of wildfire prevention efforts.

Check out all of USDA’s photos on our Flickr account.

Looking for USDA information?

The AskUSDA site makes it easy to find information from across our organization all in one place, or connects you with someone who can.

AskUSDA

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

Text-only version of this email

View as Webpage In Case You Missed It. Here's what happened this week at USDA. usda.gov Here's what happened this week at USDA 1 Deputy Secretary Visits Minnesota to Underscore USDA’s Efforts to Strengthen Opportunities for Farmers 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. While there, she delivered remarks at a forum on the investments that the Biden-Harris Administration has made to help farmers build more, new, and better markets to strengthen farming operations and businesses across the nation. Later in the day, she attended a Young Farmer Conversation at a Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council event with Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Petersen to highlight the support USDA provides to new and beginning farmers. USDA Announces Additional Funding to Expand, Diversify Export Markets To begin the week, USDA announced it will make an additional $300 million available this year through the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) to help grow export markets for American farm and food products around the world. In October 2023, Secretary Vilsack first announced that USDA would use $1.2 billion from the Commodity Credit Corporation to establish RAPP to help U.S. exporters expand their customer base beyond established markets such as China, Mexico and Canada, which collectively account for nearly half of all current export sales. In May, USDA allocated the first $300 million in RAPP funding to 66 U.S. organizations to implement hundreds of market development projects focusing on a wide range of products and markets. 3 Forest Service Seeks to Reduce Wildfire Risk, Support Local Businesses with $25 Million in Funding The Forest Service announced on Tuesday that it is aiming to reduce wildfire risk, expand and create market opportunities, and support local jobs through the hazardous fuels transportation assistance program. This program is making $25 million available to local businesses and partners that remove hazardous fuels from national forests and transport the material to be processed for wood products or services. Made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, the grants support wood utilization facilities across the country and the rural economies that depend on them. In 2023 these grants helped remove almost 59,000 tons of hazardous fuels from nine national forests to facilities that produced peeled poles, firewood and animal bedding. 4 USDA Updates Farm Loan Programs to Increase Financial Freedom, Resilience and Profitability for Producers On Wednesday, USDA announced changes to the Farm Service Agency’s Farm Loan Programs, effective September 25, 2024, that are intended to increase opportunities for farmers and ranchers to be financially viable. These improvements, part of the Enhancing Program Access and Delivery for Farm Loans rule, demonstrate USDA’s commitment to improving farm profitability through farm loans designed to provide important financing options used by producers to cover operating expenses and purchase land and equipment. Biden-Harris Administration Partners with Rural Utility to Bring Affordable Clean Energy to Nebraska USDA’s Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program continues to help rural Americans access clean energy infrastructure. USDA announced on Thursday that SE Municipal Solar LLC in Nebraska has been selected to move forward with a nearly $30 million project to build eight solar photovoltaic generation facilities that will produce enough electricity to power more than 1,700 residential homes throughout the state. The funding for USDA’s PACE program comes from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which is the largest investment in rural electrification since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act into law in 1936. To date, USDA has selected 13 projects in six states totaling $495 million to move forward in the PACE application process. USDA Invests $22 Million in 29 Projects to Expand Conservation for Livestock Producers To expand access to conservation technical assistance for livestock producers and increase the use of conservation practices on grazing lands, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that it has awarded $22 million for 29 selected projects in 36 states to do this work. Through its Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, NRCS is funding cooperative agreements to leverage the knowledge and expertise of partners to advance climate-smart agriculture and serve producers who choose voluntary, private land conservation. Celebrating Farmworkers This week, USDA showed gratitude to our nation's farmworkers with Farmworker Appreciation Day on Tuesday. With every seed planted, every crop nurtured, and every harvest gathered, farmworkers invaluably contribute to our communities. Thank you for ensuring our tables are filled with nourishing food. 8 National Farmers Market Week! ((lll\\\\ a0 Secretary Vilsack proclaimed the week of August 4-10, 2024, as National Farmers Market Week to recognize the vital role farmers markets across the United States have in providing access to fresh, locally grown produce to millions of Americans. Farmers markets also support USDA's Food System Transformation framework by helping build a fairer food system that works better for farmers, their families, and their communities. Be sure to stop by your local farmers market this week! 9 Photo of the Week Smokey Bear's 80th birthday celebration was held at USDA's headquarters in Washington, DC, on Friday during an award ceremony and event to increase public recognition and awareness of wildfire prevention efforts. Check out all of USDA’s photos on our Flickr account. LOOKING FOR USDA INFORMATION? The AskUSDA site makes it easy to find information from across our organization all in one place, or connects you with someone who can. AskUSDA USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users). Facebook Twitter Instagram Department of Agriculture | 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. | Washington, DC 20250 US | | Constant Contact Data Notice

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