California Ag Network

Category: Ag Economics

  • Often Overlooked Legal Employee Reimbursement Requirements (Farm Liability Series Part 3 of 3)

     

    Farmers are some of the best people on the planet.  They work hard and do their very best to keep food on the table in homes all over the world.  Like anyone though, sometimes they make mistakes too and can overlook some of the ever-changing laws and requirements for their farm employees, and end up in court over violations that could have been prevented.  To keep farmers out of the court room, we have put together a series of three videos with simple tips and employee requirements featuring Ag Attorney Stacy Henderson, as shared in her presentation earlier this year at the annual Convention of the Almond Alliance of California.  Watch these brief videos to help reduce liabilities on the farm and read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

     

    Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support by visiting them at their booth at the following November Events: Tree & Vine Expo, the Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo & Blue Diamond Growers Annual Membership Meeting.

  • New Signup Deadline for Dairy Margin Coverage is September 27

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today extended the deadline to September 27 for dairy producers to enroll in the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program for 2019. The deadline had been September 20.

    Authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill and available through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), the program offers reasonably priced protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer.

    “More than 21,200 dairy operations have already signed up for DMC, but we’re providing an additional week to help ensure interested producers have time to come into the office,” said Bill Northey, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. “With smaller margins and increased feed costs, DMC has resulted in almost $230 million in payments disbursed. I know that some farmers may still be cautious given their experiences with former dairy support programs, but producers who have not signed up yet should come into a local office to learn how much money the program can put into their pockets.”

    Almost half of the producers who have signed up so far are taking advantage of the 25 percent premium discount by locking in for five years of margin protection coverage. FSA has launched a new web visualization of the DMC data, which is available here.

    Margin payments have triggered for each month from January through July. Dairy producers who elect higher coverage levels could be eligible for payments for all seven months. Under certain levels, the amount paid to dairy farmers will exceed the cost of the premium.

    For example, a dairy operation that chooses to enroll for 2019 with an established production history of 3 million pounds (30,000 cwt.) and elects the $9.50 coverage level on 95 percent of production will pay $4,275 in total premium payments for all of 2019 and receive $15,437.50 in DMC payments for all margin payments announced to date. Additional payments will be made if calculated margins remain below the $9.50/cwt. level for any remaining months of 2019.

    “My message to those dairy producers who are hurting out there: Don’t leave this kind of financial assistance on the table,” said Northey, who announced the deadline extension today as part of a hearing in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture. “Producers across the country have told us that DMC is a great risk management tool that works well, and it can work for you, too.”

    More Information

    On December 20, 2018, President Trump signed into law the 2018 Farm Bill, which provides support, certainty and stability to our nation’s farmers, ranchers and land stewards by enhancing farm support programs, improving crop insurance, maintaining disaster programs and promoting and supporting voluntary conservation.

    For more information, visit farmers.gov DMC webpage or contact your local USDA service center. To locate your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-locator.

  • Friant Water Authority Shares Blueprint to Save Central Valley Farmland & Water

    With the tasking demands of Sustainable Groundwater Management Act coming down on California farmers, a considerable amount of farmland will have to be retired and will have a severe economic impact on the Central Valley.  But there has to be a way to meet the demands of the state without devastating our farming communities.  Watch this brief interview with Friant Water Authority CEO Jason Phillips as he shares their Water Blueprint initiative to meet both the State’s demands without robbing our critical farming communities of the water they need to continue feeding the world.  Read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support by visiting them at their booth at the following November Events: Tree & Vine Expo, the Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo & Blue Diamond Growers Annual Meeting.

  • U.S. Exporters Join Under Secretary McKinney on Canada Trade Mission

    U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney will lead a trade mission to Canada Sept. 3-6, accompanied by representatives from 41 U.S. agribusinesses and associations looking to expand sales to the United States’ top agricultural export market.

    “With the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) poised for passage, this is a great time for U.S. agricultural exporters to be shoring up ties with our neighbors to the north,” McKinney said. “Our two nations already enjoy the world’s largest bilateral agricultural trade relationship, with almost $120 million worth of food and farm products crossing the border every day. The USMCA will make this good relationship even better, and we’re looking forward to meeting with current and potential customers in Toronto and Montreal to explore new and expanded business opportunities.”In addition to representatives from the following companies and organizations, McKinney will be joined by Maine Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Amanda Beal, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring, and officials from the Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin departments of agriculture.

    1. American Peanut Council, Alexandria, Va.
    1. American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute, Benson, N.C.
    2. B & R Farms, LLC, Hollister, Calif.
    3. Bard Valley Date Growers, Yuma, Ariz.
    4. Belmont Farm Distillery, Culpeper, Va.
    5. California Cherry Marketing & Research Board, Sacramento, Calif.
    6. California Pear Advisory Board, Sacramento, Calif.
    7. California Prune Board, Roseville, Calif.
    8. California Strawberry Commission, Watsonville, Calif.
    9. Devils River Whiskey, San Antonio, Texas
    10. Elmhurst Milked Direct LLC, Elma, N.Y.
    11. Food Export Association of the Midwest USA, Chicago, Ill.
    12. Food Export USA – Northeast, Philadelphia, Pa.
    13. Fusion Jerky/HTY Foods, San Francisco, Calif.
    14. G&B Growers, LLC, Lynden, Wash.
    15. Giovanni’s Appetizing Food Products, Inc., Richmond, Mich.
    16. Hello Delicious!, Northbrook, Ill.
    17. Ironclad Distillery Co., Newport News, Va.
    18. Let Them Eat Candles, Glencoe, Ill.
    19. Log House Foods, Plymouth, Minn.
    20. Mad River Distillers, Burlington, Vt.
    21. Mano’s Authentic, LLC, Clinton Township, Mich.
    22. National Sunflower Association, Mandan, N.D.
    23. Northwest Wine Coalition, Seattle, Wash.
    24. Pure Steeps Beverage, LLC, Anaheim, Calif.
    25. Pyramid Foods, LLC, Shawnee, Kan.
    26. RainSweet Inc., Salem, Ore.
    27. Raisin Administrative Committee, Fresno, Calif.
    28. Rovira Foods Inc., Guaynabo, P.R.
    29. Royal Ridge Fruits, Royal City, Wash.
    30. Sagamore Spirit, Baltimore, Md.
    31. Simonian Fruit Company, Fowler, Calif.
    32. Southern United States Trade Association, New Orleans, La.
    33. U.S. Grains Council, Washington, D.C.
    34. U.S. Soybean Export Council, Chesterfield, Mo.
    35. USA Rice Federation, Arlington, Va.
    36. Washington Apple Commission, Wenatchee, Wash.
    37. Whiskey Acres Distilling Co., DeKalb, Ill.
    38. Whistling Andy Distilling, Bigfork, Mont.
    39. Wine Institute, San Francisco, Calif.
    40. Western United States Agricultural Trade Association, Vancouver, Wash.

    Learn more about this and other USDA trade missions by visitinghttps://www.fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-missionsand following FAS on Twitter at @USDAForeignAg.

  • Dairy Producers Must Sign-Up Before Sept. 20 for 2019 Coverage

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2019 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that producers of nearly 17,000 dairy operations have signed up for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program since signup opened June 17. Producers interested in 2019 coverage must sign up before Sept. 20, 2019.

    DMC offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer.

    “We’re encouraged by the number of dairy producers who have signed up for this new program, but we are hopeful that we will get more folks in the door,” said Bill Northey, USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation.“At this point in the signup process, we are well ahead of the number of producers covered at this time last year under the previous safety net program, with more producers enrolling every day. As we move into the homestretch, we expect more producers across the country to get coverage through DMC and our team at FSA is really going above and beyond to make sure we get the word out there, the returns this year to-date should speak for themselves.”

    In June, when the DMC signup was announced, Secretary Perdue said, “For many smaller dairies, the choice is probably a no-brainer as the retroactive coverage through January has already assured them that the 2019 payments will exceed the required premiums.”

    To date, more than 60 percent of dairies with established production histories have enrolled in the program. Wisconsin has seen the most participants with more than 4,832 dairy operations, followed by Minnesota (1,865), New York (1,779), Pennsylvania (1,511) and Michigan (702).

    USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) began issuing program payments to producers on July 11. DMC provides coverage retroactive to Jan. 1, 2019. The producers who have signed up to date will receive more than $219.7 million in payments for January through June, when the income over feed cost margin was $8.63 per hundredweight (cwt.), triggering the sixth payment for eligible dairy producers who purchased the $9 and $9.50 levels of coverage under DMC.

    To view weekly enrollment, production and payment reports (posted each Monday at 2 p.m. Eastern), visit FSA’s DMC webpage.

  • Farm Service Agency Expands Payment Options

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is expanding its payment options to now accept debit cards and Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit. These paperless payment options enable FSA customers to pay farm loan payments, measurement service fees, farm program debt repayments and administrative service fees, as well as to purchase aerial maps.

    “Our customers have spoken, and we’ve listened,” said Bill Northey, USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. “Finding ways to improve customer service and efficiency is important for our farmers, ranchers, producers, and forest landowners who work hard for our nation every day. Now, our customers can make electronic payments instantly by stopping in our offices or calling over the phone.”

    Previously, only cash, check, money orders and wires were accepted. By using debit cards and ACH debit, transactions are securely processed from the customer’s financial institution through Pay.gov, the U.S. Treasury’s online payment hub.

    While traditional collection methods like cash and paper checks will continue, offering the new alternatives will improve effectiveness and convenience to customers while being more cost effective. In 2017, the average cost to manually process checks, a process that included navigating multiple systems, cost USDA more than $4.6 million. The expanded payment options will cut the time employees take processing payments by 75 percent.

    “At USDA, we’re focused on modernization to improve customer service,” said Northey. “If half of our customers use these new payment options, we’ll see a $1 million savings in one year. These new payment methods are one part of a much larger effort to expand options for our customers, as well as to make our services more effective and efficient.”

    Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a multi-phased roll-out of new payment options for USDA customers. Ultimately, payment option flexibility will be extended to allow farmers and producers to use debit cards and ACH debit payments to make payments for all FSA programs, including farm storage facility loan repayments, farm loan facility fees, marketing assistance loan repayments, Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) administrative fees and premiums and Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) fees.

    To learn more, contact your FSA county office, visit farmers.gov, or download the “Make Your FSA Payments Instantly” fact sheet.

  • California Farm Production Expenses Drop in 2018

    California’s total farm production expenditures totaled $36.8 billion in 2018, down 2.7 percent from the 2017 revised estimate of $37.8 billion. At 10.4 percent, California had the largest percentage of the 2018 U.S. total expenditures. Expense items showing the largest increase from the previous year were: Feed, up $1.10 billion; Farm Services, up $800 million; and Livestock, Poultry and Related Expenses, up $310 million. The three largest decreases occurred in: Labor, down $1.53 billion; Seeds and Plants down $650 million; and Farm Supplies and Repair, down $370 million. Expenditures per California farm averaged $529,827 in 2018, compared with $536,099 in 2017. On average, California producers spent the most on Labor at $146,542 per farm, Farm Services at $105,620 and Feed at $64,841.

    U.S. Production Expenditures

    U.S. total farm production expenditures were $354 billion for 2018, down from $357.8 billion in 2017. The 2018 total farm production expenditures are down 1.1 percent compared with 2017 total farm production expenditures. Of the 17 expense items surveyed, 7 showed increases from the previous year while the rest showed a decrease. The four largest expenditures at the U.S. level total $178.1 billion and account for 50.3 percent of total expenditures in 2018. These include Feed, 15.2 percent, Farm Services, 12.5 percent, Livestock, Poultry and Related Expenses, 13.1 percent, and Labor, 9.6 percent.

    Where to find more data

    This report contains some of the results of the 2018 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). More results, including data for the Western region, can be found at: http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications andhttp://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/arms-farm-financial-and-crop-productionpractices.aspx The Pacific Regional Office would like to thank all of the participants in the Agricultural Resource Management Survey. Their help made this publication possible.

     

  • Stanislaus County Ag Economic Contributions & Farm Gate Value

    The Stanislaus County 2018 Agricultural Report which details the farm gate value of the various commodities produced throughout the County has just been released, providing a statistical description of the commodities including acres harvested and total production values. The report only represents the gross values of commodities and does not reflect production costs or profits.

    Agricultural Commissioner Milton O’Haire states that “2018 values dipped to $3.57 billion which is 2% or $78 million below 2017 values, however the report shows that agriculture remains a steadfast and important industry in the county.”  Although some top commodities had large increases in total value, namely almonds and chickens, those increases were more than offset by decreases in walnut values due to global competition; fewer nursery fruit and nut trees and vines sold; persistent depressed milk prices nationally; and the fluctuation of turkey production within the county.  Commissioner O’Haire states that “although harvested almond acres increased by 8,496, overall harvested acres decreased countywide by 28,623 as a result of significant reductions in silage acres.  As dairies close, silage acres used to feed cows are being transitioned to almond orchards which are young and still non-bearing.”  This exemplifies the trend over the past decade to permanent crops, mainly almond orchards which are a high value crop across the region.

    A new report titled Economic Contributions of Stanislaus County Agriculture is being released on August 13, 2019, as well.  Commissioner O’Haire states “the report takes an important step beyond the Stanislaus County Agricultural Report of crop production values and acreage that is published every year.  The new report quantifies agriculture’s total economic contributions through production, local processing, employment, and economic multiplier effects to document agriculture’s broader role in sustaining a thriving local economy.”  The study was conducted for the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office by Dr. Fernando DePaolis and Dr. Jeff Langholz of Agricultural Impact Associates, a consulting firm specializing in the economic analysis of agriculture.  The report is based on 2017 agricultural and economic data and shows that agriculture contributed a total of $7.15 billionto the county economy, far exceeding the $3.65 billion figure from the Stanislaus County 2017 Agricultural Report. Agriculture supported 29,192 direct employees, just over one of every eight jobs in the county. Adding multiplier effects brought total agriculturally related employment to 34,425 jobs.  The report also examines economic diversification within agriculture, which the authors say has important implications for countywide economic resiliency. Using the Shannon-Weaver Index to determine the County’s agricultural diversity, Stanislaus County’s index proves to be quite high compared to other California counties analyzed thus far, suggesting solid protection from economic shocks.

    Both reports were presented at the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors meeting this morning followed by a second and more in-depth presentation of the Economic Contributions of Stanislaus County Agriculture at the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau conference room this afternoon.  The reports are available at the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office located at 3800 Cornucopia Way, Suite B, Modesto. The report is also available online at http://www.stanag.org/crop-statistics.shtm

     

     

  • USDA Announces Details of Support Package for Farmers

    U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced further details of the $16 billion package aimed at supporting American agricultural producers while the Administration continues to work on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals.

    In May, President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a relief strategy in line with the estimated impacts of unjustified retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods and other trade disruptions. The Market Facilitation Program (MFP), Food Purchase and Distribution Program (FPDP), and Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP) will assist agricultural producers while President Trump works to address long-standing market access barriers.

    “China and other nations have not played by the rules for a long time, and President Trump is the first President to stand up to them and send a clear message that the United States will no longer tolerate unfair trade practices,” Secretary Perdue said. “The details we announced today ensure farmers will not stand alone in facing unjustified retaliatory tariffs while President Trump continues working to solidify better and stronger trade deals around the globe.

    “Our team at USDA reflected on what worked well and gathered feedback on last year’s program to make this one even stronger and more effective for farmers. Our farmers work hard, are the most productive in the world, and we aim to match their enthusiasm and patriotism as we support them,” Secretary Perdue added.

    Background:

    American farmers have dealt with unjustified retaliatory tariffs and decades of non-tariff trade disruptions, which have curtailed U.S. exports to China and other nations. Trade damages from such retaliation and market distortions have impacted a host of U.S. commodities. High tariffs disrupt normal marketing patterns, raising costs by forcing commodities to find new markets. Additionally, American goods shipped to China have been slowed from reaching market by unusually strict or cumbersome entry procedures, which affect the quality and marketability of perishable crops. These boost marketing costs and unfairly affect our producers. USDA is using a variety of programs to support American farmers, ranchers, and producers.

    Participating in the Trade Mitigation Call – Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA Chief Economist Rob Johansson, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Brandon Lipps.

    Details of USDA’s Market Facilitation Program (MFP)

    MFP signup at local FSA offices will run from Monday, July 29 through Friday, December 6, 2019.

    Payments will be made by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) under the authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act to producers of alfalfa hay, barley, canola, corn, crambe, dried beans, dry peas, extra-long staple cotton, flaxseed, lentils, long grain and medium grain rice, millet, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, rapeseed, rye, safflower, sesame seed, small and large chickpeas, sorghum, soybeans, sunflower seed, temperate japonica rice, triticale, upland cotton, and wheat. MFP assistance for those non-specialty crops is based on a single county payment rate multiplied by a farm’s total plantings of MFP-eligible crops in aggregate in 2019. Those per-acre payments are not dependent on which of those crops are planted in 2019. A producer’s total payment-eligible plantings cannot exceed total 2018 plantings. County payment rates range from $15 to $150 per acre, depending on the impact of unjustified trade retaliation in that county.

    Dairy producers who were in business as of June 1, 2019, will receive a per hundredweight payment on production history, and hog producers will receive a payment based on the number of live hogs owned on a day selected by the producer between April 1 and May 15, 2019.

    MFP payments will also be made to producers of almonds, cranberries, cultivated ginseng, fresh grapes, fresh sweet cherries, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts. Each specialty crop will receive a payment based on 2019 acres of fruit or nut bearing plants, or in the case of ginseng, based on harvested acres in 2019.

    Acreage of non-specialty crops and cover crops must be planted by August 1, 2019 to be considered eligible for MFP payments.

    The MFP rule and a related Notice of Funding Availability will be published in the Federal Register on July 29, 2019, when signup begins at local FSA offices. Per-acre non-specialty crop county payment rates, specialty crop payment rates, and livestock payment rates are all currently available on farmers.gov.

    MFP payments will be made in up-to three tranches, with the second and third tranches evaluated as market conditions and trade opportunities dictate. If conditions warrant, the second and third tranches will be made in November and early January, respectively. The first tranche will be comprised of the higher of either 50 percent of a producer’s calculated payment or $15 per acre, which may reduce potential payments to be made in tranches two or three. USDA will begin making first tranche payments in mid-to-late August.

    MFP payments are limited to a combined $250,000 for non-specialty crops per person or legal entity. MFP payments are also limited to a combined $250,000 for dairy and hog producers and a combined $250,000 for specialty crop producers. However, no applicant can receive more than $500,000. Eligible applicants must also have an average adjusted gross income (AGI) for tax years 2014, 2015, and 2016 of less than $900,000 or, 75 percent of the person’s or legal entity’s average AGI for tax years 2014, 2015, and 2016 must have been derived from farming and ranching. Applicants must also comply with the provisions of the Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation regulations.

    Many producers were affected by natural disasters this spring, such as flooding, that kept them out of the field for extended periods of time. Producers who filed a prevented planting claim and planted an FSA-certified cover crop, with the potential to be harvested qualify for a $15 per acre payment. Acres that were never planted in 2019 are not eligible for an MFP payment.

    In June, H.R. 2157, the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 was signed into law by President Trump, requiring a change to the first round of MFP assistance provided in 2018. Producers previously deemed ineligible for MFP in 2018 because they had an average AGI level higher than $900,000 may now be eligible for 2018 MFP benefits. Those producers must be able to verify 75 percent or more of their average AGI was derived from farming and ranching to qualify. This supplemental MFP signup period will run parallel to the 2019 MFP signup, from July 29 through December 6, 2019.

    For more information on the MFP, visit www.farmers.gov/mfp or contact your local FSA office, which can be found at www.farmers.gov.

    Details of USDA’s Food Purchase and Distribution Program (FPDP)

    Additionally, CCC Charter Act authority will be used to implement an up to $1.4 billion FPDP through the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to purchase surplus commodities affected by trade retaliation such as fruits, vegetables, some processed foods, beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and milk for distribution by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to food banks, schools, and other outlets serving low-income individuals.

     

    Purchasing:

    AMS will buy affected products in four phases, starting after October 1, 2019 with deliveries beginning in January 2020. The products purchased can be adjusted between phases to accommodate changes due to: growing conditions; product availability; market conditions; trade negotiation status; and program capacity. AMS will purchase known commodities first. By purchasing in phases, procurements for commodities that have been sourced in the past can be purchased more quickly and included in the first phase.

    Vendor Outreach:

    To expand the AMS vendor pool and the ability to purchase new and existing products, AMS will ramp up its vendor outreach and registration efforts. AMS has also developed flyers on how the process works and how to become a vendor for distribution to industry groups and interested parties. Additionally, AMS will continue to host a series of free webinars describing the steps required to become a vendor. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to submit questions to be answered during the webinar. Recorded webinars are available to review by potential vendors, and staff will host periodic Question and Answer teleconferences to better explain the process.

    Product Specifications:

    AMS maintains purchase specifications for a variety of commodities, which ensure recipients receive the high-quality product they expect. AMS in collaboration with FNS regularly develops and revises specifications for new and enhanced products based on program requirements and requests. AMS will be prioritizing the development of those products impacted by unjustified retaliation. AMS will also work with industry groups to identify varieties and grades sold to China and other markets imposing retaliatory tariffs, such as premium apples, oranges, pears, and other products. AMS will develop or revise specifications to facilitate the purchase of these premium varieties in forms that meet the needs of FNS nutrition assistance programs.

    Outlets:

    The products discussed in this plan will be distributed to States for use in the network of food banks and food pantries that participate in The Emergency Feeding Assistance Program (TEFAP), elderly feeding programs such as the Commodity Supplemental Foods Program (CSFP), and tribes that operate the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR).

    These outlets are in addition to child nutrition programs such as the National School Lunch Program, which may also benefit from these purchases.

    Additionally, the rule provides flexibility for FNS to explore new channels of non-profit distribution of product, should the availability of distribution through traditional channels prove to be insufficient. FNS will offer products through traditional channels prior to consideration of new outlets.

    Distribution:

    AMS has coordinated with FNS, industry representatives, and other agency partners to determine necessary logistics for the purchase and distribution of each commodity, including trucking, inspection and audit requirements, and agency staffing.

    Details of USDA’s Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP)

    USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) will administer the ATP under authorities of the CCC. The ATP will provide cost-share assistance to eligible U.S. organizations for activities such as consumer advertising, public relations, point-of-sale demonstrations, participation in trade fairs and exhibits, market research, and technical assistance. Last week, USDA awarded $100 million to 48 organizations through the ATP to help U.S. farmers and ranchers identify and access new export markets.

    The 48 recipients are among the cooperator organizations that applied for $200 million in ATP funds in 2018 that were awarded earlier this year. As part of a new round of support for farmers impacted by unjustified retaliation and trade disruption, those groups had the opportunity to be considered for additional support for their work to boost exports for U.S. agriculture, food, fish, and forestry products.

    Already, since the $200 million in assistance was announced in January, U.S. exporters have had significant success, including a trade mission to Pakistan that generated $10 million in projected 2019 sales of pulse crops, a new marketing program for Alaska seafood that led to more than $4 million in sales of salmon to Vietnam and Thailand, and a comprehensive marketing effort by the U.S. soybean industry that has increased exposure in more than 50 international markets. These funds will continue to generate sales and business for U.S. producers and exporters many times over as promotional activity continues for the next couple of years.

  • US Pistachio Shipments Remain Strong Despite Increased Tariffs

    Despite the recent increased tariffs slapped onto US pistachios in the midst of an international trade war, consumers worldwide just can’t get enough of them.  Watch this brief interview with Richard Matoian from American Pistachio Growers and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery and attend one of their upcoming Bennett Hickman Almond Field Days in Pixley or Modesto.