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Decision Affirms NRCS Must Obey Its Own Rules
A battle over a farmer’s right to use and care for his own land is one step closer to being resolved. A determination by the director of USDA’s National Appeals Division admonishes the Natural Resources Conservation Service for failing to obey its own rules, favoring a farmer who battled NRCS for more than a decade. The decision is a welcome signal that concerns from across the countryside about NRCS conservation compliance are being heard.
Funding Gaps for Rural Infrastructure Intensified During Pandemic
The nation’s roads and bridges are in disrepair—particularly those in rural areas. And as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause economic disruptions, financial investment for road maintenance falls farther behind.
According to a report recently published by TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, the U.S. faces a $211 billion backlog in needed repairs and improvements to rural roads, highways and bridges.
And that number is expected to grow. Decreased travel resulting from the pandemic is projected to reduce state transportation revenue by at least 30%—or about $50 billion—over the next 18 months, stated the TRIP report.
Specialty Crops Producers Can Now Apply for Financial Assistance Through USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
Specialty crops producers can now apply for USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which provides direct payments to offset impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. The application and a payment calculator are now available online and USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff members are available via phone, fax and online tools to help producers complete applications. The agency set up a call center in order to simplify how they serve new customers across the nation. Applications will be accepted through August 28, 2020.
Through CFAP, USDA is making available $16 billion for vital financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.
Remember Proper Hand Signals During Planting Season
Planting season is well underway in the Commonwealth and many are already cutting hay. We always ask the public to be mindful of the increased traffic of agricultural equipment on the roadways during planting and harvest season. It’s important for both farmers and nonfarmers to be aware of how to give proper signals when you don’t have electronic signaling devices on the equipment being driven. Many of us might be racing against the weather to get the chore done, but we still need to let others on the road know when we are turning, slowing down, or stopping.
Merchandiser Minute- May 21, 2020
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Unclogging Pond Pipes Can Prove Deadly
Beaver dam debris clogged the spillway pipe in Stephen Goforth’s ranch pond near Chelsea, Okla., causing 5 feet of water to accumulate over it.
To drain the flood, the 61-year-old rancher had to physically unclog the 2½-foot-diameter pipe. An Oklahoma Highway Patrol report said Goforth was standing in the pond, working with his feet to clear the debris.
USDA Data Shows Sharp Shift in Agriculture Trade Due to COVID-19
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released import and export data for March 2020 on May 5, offering a first look at the state of agricultural trade during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the coronavirus began to influence world markets in March, the disruption resulted in the U.S. having a negative agriculture trade balance of $501 million. In total, the U.S. exported $11.8 billion in agricultural goods and imported $12.3 billion in March.
The Rowe Report: Virginia Farm Bureau Represents American Agriculture at the White House
District Board Member Robert Mills, National Affairs Coordinator Ben Rowe, Vice President Scott Sink, American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall, and District Board Member David Hickman
The past few months have been a challenge for Virginia’s farmers, the agriculture industry, and our society as a whole. We have been asked to self-isolate, to make sacrifices for the greater good, and above all else, continue farming and providing the food, fiber, and resources our country relies on. Farmers are known for their self-reliance, but this pandemic has stressed even the most resilient facets of our industry, and we have looked to the government for their assistance in the form of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) and the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP).
Merchandiser Minute- May 15, 2020
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Plows and Politics 