USDA-funded project helps renew Iraq's ag extension

Texas A U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded project being led by Texas A&M University has brought Iraqi agricultural personnel to Texas for training and to introduce them to new technologies and methods that may be applied in Iraq. The 13 Iraqis--10 from Iraq's Ministry of Agriculture, two from the University of Baghdad and one from the University of Babil--are receiving agricultural instruction at Texas AgriLife facilities throughout the... [Read More]

Nebraska ag groups oppose some proposed cuts

Nebraska ag groups oppose some proposed cuts LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)--Nebraska agriculture groups don't like the fact that Gov. Dave Heineman has proposed taking some of the money farmers contribute to checkoff funds to help balance the state budget. [Read More]

Ag officials to survey Missouri farmers

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)--Agriculture officials will be surveying farmers to determine if expected yields met expectations this year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agriculture Statistics Service plans to poll farmers during the first two weeks of December about their production. That information is used for a series of federal agriculture reports to be released in January. [Read More]

Bennet makes push to fight child hunger, improve public health

Colorado On the heels of a new study that found 1 in 8 Colorado households lack dependable access to adequate food, as well as recent reports showing more children in Colorado are living in poverty, Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, Nov. 17 pushed lawmakers to revisit the role the federal government can play in fighting child hunger and improving public health. In a statement to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, ... [Read More]

U.S. biodiesel leaders visit with lawmakers

Members of the National Biodiesel Board, the trade association for the U.S. biodiesel industry, Nov. 17 called on lawmakers to extend and reform the biodiesel tax incentive. "The biodiesel tax incentive is working. Since its enactment in 2004, U.S. biodiesel production has reached commercial scale, and the nation has realized the job creation, environmental and energy security benefits that come with the expanded production and use of biodiesel," ... [Read More]

Feds give record loans to Kansas farmers

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)--The federal government has delivered a record-setting $148 million in loans to Kansas farmers during the 2009 fiscal year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency in Kansas recently announced that the money went to about 1,300 family farmers. The loans were used for a range of purposes, including to help farmers plant and harvest crops, purchase livestock and machinery or reorganize their business. [Read More]