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

View as Webpage In Case You Missed It. Here's what happened this week at USDA. 1 Biden-Harris Administration Issues Financial Assistance to More than 43,000 Farmers, Ranchers, and Forest Landowners  The Biden-Harris Administration announced on Wednesday that USDA has issued payments to eligible applicants under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP), which aims to provide financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination prior to January 2021. More information about the awards, including geographic distribution, can be found on the program website, 22007apply.gov. Read what stakeholders said about the news here. Key Headlines: * Reuters: US farm agency to provide discrimination payments to 43,000 farmers * Spectrum News: USDA distributes $2.2B to farmers, ranchers who experienced discrimination Administration Invests $400 Million to Address Drought, Conserve Water through Production of Water-Saving Commodities An investment of $400 million with at least 18 irrigation districts will help farmers continue commodity production, while also conserving water across the West. This funding, announced on Thursday, will support irrigation districts and producers in using innovative water savings technologies and farming practices in the face of continued drought. The investment is expected to conserve up to 50,000 acre-feet in water use across 250,000 acres of irrigated land in production, while expanding and creating new, sustainable market opportunities. This historic funding builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to conserve water, increase the efficiency of water use, upgrade existing infrastructure, and overall strengthen water security in the West. 3 USDA Proposes New Policy to Reduce Salmonella in Raw Poultry Products After a three-year effort to reevaluate its strategy to more effectively reduce Salmonella contamination and illnesses associated with raw poultry products, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on Monday a comprehensive proposed rule and determination to protect American consumers from foodborne illness linked to consumption of poultry products. Salmonella bacteria cause over 1 million human infections in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FSIS estimates that there are 125,000 chicken-associated and almost 43,000 turkey-associated foodborne Salmonella illnesses per year. Key Headlines: * Associated Press: USDA Moves to Limit Salmonella in Raw Poultry Products * Food & Wine: Here's How the USDA Is Hoping to Make Chicken and Turkey Way Safer to Eat Hear more on USDA Radio. 4 Deputy Secretary Travels to California Sites to Highlight USDA Support in the West At her first stop of the day this morning, Deputy Secretary Torres Small was in Carpinteria, California, to tour Hollandia Produce Group, which recently received a Rural Energy for America Program grant to implement energy efficiency systems. During the tour, she highlighted investments made in California by the Biden-Harris Administration to help small business owners and producers generate new income, lower energy costs, and advance climate-smart and sustainability practices. Later in the day, the Deputy Secretary visited a local USDA Summer Food Service Program site in Carpinteria to see them in action serving SUN Meals. Through this program, kids of all ages can access meals and snacks at no cost during the summer at schools, parks, and other neighborhood locations. SUN Meals and SUN Bucks, a new USDA program that provides $120 in summer grocery benefits for eligible children, are key to the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to lower food costs and address childhood food and nutrition insecurity, which is higher in the summer months when school is out. On Thursday, the Deputy Secretary was in Fresno to deliver messages about USDA’s efforts to address drought and following that she traveled to a farm in Dinuba to highlight investments that support the adoption of climate-smart commodities. New USDA Funds Support Research on Response to Extreme Weather Events Through the Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agriculture Systems program, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has funded two new Texas A&M University research studies related to the Texas Panhandle wildfire that began in late February 2024 and is the largest wildfire in Texas history. These studies are intended to determine the effectiveness of rapid response measures to disasters similar to the Panhandle wildfire, guide future management decisions, and ultimately help protect lives, property, and natural resources from wildfires. The program is designed to rapidly deploy strategies and fill knowledge and information gaps to protect the nation’s food and agricultural supply chains — from production through consumption — during and after extreme weather and disasters. Can Agriculture Improve Water Quality? With Data-Driven Voluntary Conservation, the Answer is Yes Terry Cosby, Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), writes about how his agency supports producers and conservation partners in improving water quality and strengthening agricultural operations through voluntary conservation.  Read more here Fridays on the Farm: The Business of Beekeeping George and Paige Nester are the owners and operators of Creek House Honey Farm in Canyon, Texas.  The Nesters’ journey took root in 2011, starting out small and learning more as they went. Since then, they have expanded from just two hives to anywhere between 50 to 100 hives, depending on the year as dictated by weather and other environmental conditions.   View here to learn more:  8 Photo of the Week The annual Feds Feed Families ‘Stuff the Truck’ event took place this week at the USDA Headquarters in Washington, DC, to encourage USDA employees to donate to local food banks and help fight hunger and food insecurity. The campaign is ongoing until September 30. Visit this site to learn about the campaign and how to get involved. 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