Usda - Articles

USDA Announces Flexibilities for Producers Filing ‘Notice of Loss’ for Failed, Prevented Planted Acres

July 8, 2020 | Posted in Economics

The USDA is providing additional flexibilities for producers to file on acres with failed crops or crops that were prevented from planting because of extreme weather events. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is adding these flexibilities for Notice of Loss on both insured and uninsured crops to enable Service Centers to best assist producers.

Crop Residue, Cover Crops Boost Soil Health Benefits

By Sarah Hill posted on July 8, 2020

More and more growers are becoming interested in cover crops and no-till and the soil health benefits they can provide. A 4-year study conducted by South Dakota State University (SDSU) and USDA-Agricultural Research Service reiterates just that fact.

Are You Familiar with the Haney Soil Test?

June 17, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: University of Minnesota Extension

The Haney soil health test, named for USDA scientist Rick Haney, includes more than a dozen different soil test values. These include standard macro- and micro-nutrients for plant consumption, but what’s different about the Haney test is that it also estimates nutrients for microbial consumption, focusing on how much carbon (C ) and nitrogen (N) is in the soil. Read more in this article from University of Minnesota Extension.

It Always Comes Back to the Land

May 6, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Rock Island Dispatch-Argus

Wayne Fredericks walks out into a cornfield on his northern Iowa farm and points out the first bits of spring growth of a cover crop shooting through the cornstalks. “We didn’t use cover crops years ago,” he says. “In fact, when I first started farming in 1973 … we didn’t treat the land very well.” Read more in this article from the Rock Island Dispatch Argus (Davenport, Iowa).

Much to Learn About Soil Microbes

May 6, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Aberdeen News

Results of a three-year soil health study focusing on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi proves there is still much to learn about soil microbes. “This is the purpose of research,” explains Mike Lehman, soil microbiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agriculture Research Station (USDA-ARS) in Brookings, S.D. Read more in this article from Aberdeen News.

[Video] Protecting Soil Health with Cover Crops

May 4, 2020 | Posted in Seeding Practices

A Tennessee farmer discusses why he uses cover crops to keep his topsoil on his farm, scavenge nutrients, and erosion control.

Cover Crops Provide Pollinator Habitat

April 29, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Ohio's Country Journal

A good deal of attention has been given to honey bees and other pollinators the last several years. Honey bees first began to draw notice back in 2006 when concerns over Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) first emerged. Read more in this article from Ohio's Country Journal.

SARE Asks Cover Crop Growers to Participate in Survey

March 26, 2020

Once again, the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education program (SARE) is sending out a national cover crop survey to farmers. They are asking farmers to complete the online survey by April 12.

Economic Incentives of Soil Health are Growing

March 23, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Farm Talk

As soil health takes on a higher profile with food companies and consumers, various avenues are emerging for farmers to collect environmental incentives. The growing number of soil health programs can seem overwhelming, but one farmer and soil health advocate believes it’s a case of more is better. Read more in this article from Farm Talk.

USDA Launches Pilot Program for Prairie Pothole Producers Planting Cover Crops

February 28, 2020 | Posted in Economics

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced a new pilot program that enables farmers in the Prairie Pothole region to receive payments for planting cover crops on their land for three to five years. The new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Soil Health and Income Protection Program (SHIPP) pilot is available to producers in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.