The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing a second round of payments for dairy producers through the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP), providing an additional $5 million to help dairy producers mitigate market volatility, higher input and transportation costs, and unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already paid out $15 million in the first round of payments for eligible producers, bringing total ODMAP payments to $20 million.
“This program is critical to keeping small, organic dairies sustainable as they continue to weather a combination of challenges outside of their control,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “In total, the Farm Service Agency is providing $20 million to give organic dairy producers additional economic support to stay in operation until markets return to more favorable conditions.”
How ODMAP Works
FSA accepted ODMAP applications from May 24 to August 11.
Eligible producers for ODMAP included certified organic dairy operations that produce milk from cows, goats and sheep.
ODMAP provides financial assistance for a producer’s projected marketing costs in 2023, calculated based on a cost share of marketing costs on the pounds of organic milk marketed for the 2022 calendar year (or a projection of 2023 pounds of organic milk marketed if warranted in certain situations), not to exceed 5 million pounds. For ODMAP applicants, the first payment was factored by 75%. USDA has determined that additional assistance is still needed and sufficient funding remains available so the second round of payments will provide the remaining 25% of requested assistance to each eligible applicant.
The second ODMAP payment is automatic. Participating producers do not need to take any additional action.
More Information
ODMAP complements other assistance available to dairy producers, including Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) and Supplemental DMC, with more than $1 billion in benefits paid for the 2023 program year to date.
Additionally, FSA recently announced the Milk Loss Program for eligible dairy operations. The program covers milk that was dumped or removed, without compensation, from the commercial milk market due to qualifying weather events and the consequences of those weather events that inhibited delivery or storage of milk (e.g., power outages, impassable roads, infrastructure losses, etc.) during calendar years 2020, 2021 and 2022. Learn more on the FSA Dairy Programs webpage.
To learn more about FSA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and view other farm records data and customer information by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.
The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Milk Loss Program (MLP) assistance for eligible dairy operations for milk that was dumped or removed, without compensation, from the commercial milk market due to qualifying weather events and the consequences of those weather events that inhibited delivery or storage of milk (e.g., power outages, impassable roads, infrastructure losses, etc.) during calendar years 2020, 2021 and 2022. Administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), signup for MLP begins Sept. 11 and runs through Oct. 16, 2023.
“Frequent and widespread weather-related disasters over the past three years have impacted U.S. dairy. These producers continue to face supply chain issues, high feed and input costs, labor shortages, and market volatilities,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “The reality for dairy producers is that cattle are milked at least twice a day, producing on average, six to seven gallons of milk per cow, per day. That milk must go somewhere, and when it can’t get where it needs to go and can’t be stored due to circumstances beyond a producer’s control we need to help. The Milk Loss Program will help offset the economic loss by producers left with no other choice but dumping their milk during disasters.”
Background
On Dec. 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 117-43), providing $10 billion for crop losses, including milk losses due to qualifying disaster events that occurred in calendar years 2020 and 2021. Additionally, the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. 117-328) provides approximately $3 billion for disaster assistance for similar losses that occurred in calendar year 2022.
Eligibility
MLP compensates dairy operations for milk dumped or removed without compensation from the commercial milk market due to qualifying disaster events, including droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), and smoke exposure that occurred in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 calendar years. Tornadoes are considered a qualifying disaster event for calendar year 2022 only.
The milk loss claim period is each calendar month that milk was dumped or removed from the commercial market. Each MLP application covers the loss in a single calendar month. Milk loss that occurs in more than one calendar month due to the same qualifying weather event requires a separate application for each month.
The days that are eligible for assistance begin on the date the milk was removed or dumped and for concurrent days milk was removed or dumped. Once the dairy operation restarts milk marketing, the dairy operation is ineligible for assistance unless after restarting commercial milk marketing, additional milk is dumped due to the same qualifying disaster event. The duration of yearly claims is limited to 30 days per year for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
How to Apply
To apply for MLP, producers must submit:
FSA-376, Milk Loss Program Application
Milk marketing statement from the:
Month prior to the month milk was removed or dumped.
Affected month.
Detailed written statement of milk removal circumstances, including the weather event type and geographic scope, what transportation limitations occurred and any information on what was done with the removed milk.
Any other information required by the regulation.
If not previously filed with FSA, applicants must also submit all the following items within 60 days of the MLP application deadline:
Form AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet.
Form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan for an individual or legal entity.
Form CCC-901, Member Information for Legal Entities (if applicable).
Form FSA-510, Request for an Exception to the $125,000 Payment Limitation for Certain Programs (if applicable).
Form CCC-860, Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification, (if applicable).
A highly erodible land conservation (sometimes referred to as HELC) and wetland conservation certification (Form AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification) for the MLP producer and applicable affiliates.
Most producers, especially those who have previously participated in FSA programs, will likely have these required forms already on file. However, those who are uncertain or want to confirm the status of their forms can contact their local FSA county office.
MLP Payment Calculation
The final MLP payment is determined by factoring the MLP payment calculation by the applicable MLP payment percentage.
The calculation for determining MLP payment is:
((Base period per cow average daily milk production x the number of milking cows in a claim period x the number of days milk was removed or dumped in a claim period) ÷ 100) x pay price per hundredweight (cwt.).
For MLP payment calculations, the milk loss base period is the first full month of production before the dumping or removal occurred.
The MLP payment percentage will be 90% for underserved producers, including socially disadvantaged, beginning, limited resource, and veteran farmers and ranchers and 75% for all other producers.
To qualify for the higher payment percentage, eligible producers must have a CCC-860, Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification, form on file with FSA for the 2023 program year.
Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limitations do not apply to MLP, however the payment limitation for MLP is determined by the person’s or legal entity’s average adjusted gross farm income (income derived from farming, ranching and forestry operations). Specifically, a person or legal entity, other than a joint venture or general partnership, cannot receive, directly or indirectly, more than $125,000 in payments under MLP if their average adjusted gross farm income is less than 75% of their average AGI or more than $250,000 if their adjusted gross farm income is at least 75% of their average AGI.
More Information
In other FSA dairy safety-net support, Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program payments have triggered every month, January through July, for producers who obtained coverage for the 2023 program year. July 2023’s income over feed margin of $3.52 per hundredweight (cwt.) is the lowest margin since DMC program benefits to dairy producers started in 2019. To date, FSA has paid more than $1 billion in DMC benefits to covered dairy producers for the 2023 program year.
On September 20th, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) introduced the Climate-Friendly Food Label Task Force Act to establish an advisory panel at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to study the development of a climate-friendly certification for food products. The task force would be mandated to produce a report to Congress that provides recommendations for the development of a certification and labeling program that recognizes foods that are made and grown in a sustainable manner.
“The food and agriculture sector currently contributes about 10 percent of the United States’ total greenhouse gas emissions, and it is expected to grow to a staggering 30% by 2050. While a majority of U.S. consumers say that sustainability is important to them when purchasing food, research shows that consumers struggle to identify which products are the most sustainable.
“Consistent labeling, such as the USDA Organic seal, represents a successful model for using a voluntary, market-based approach to driving innovation in the food and agricultural sector and creating a robust organic market in the United States. Market-based approaches have also resulted in significant economic benefits, including job creation and higher revenue for producers.
“Similar to USDA Organic, the Climate-Friendly Food Label Task Force Act would establish an advisory panel at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide recommendations for the development of a certification and labeling program for foods that are made and grown in a sustainable manner. This label would not only help consumers more easily identify sustainable foods and food production, but it’s a simple and effective solution to address one of the significant causes of greenhouse gas emissions. Creating this label will be a real win-win-win for the agriculture sector, consumers, and our environment,” said Congresswoman Brownley.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the deadline for its Request for Information to Oct. 12, 2023, to solicit public comments on possible changes to prevented planting crop insurance coverage. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) believes extending the deadline will enable additional time for comments and feedback from commenters and key stakeholders.
“We received great feedback from our listening sessions throughout the country, and we want to ensure everyone has an opportunity to have their voice heard” said RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger. “We recognize that folks, particularly farmers, had a busy summer, and we will provide some extra time to submit comments.”
The request for information seeks stakeholder input on prevented planting topics, specifically:
Harvest Price Option – Feedback on whether to allow the prevented planting payment calculations to be based on the higher of projected price or harvest price under the revenue protection plan of insurance.
“1 in 4” Rule – Input on the challenges or experiences since the rule was implemented nationwide (to be eligible for a prevented planting coverage acreage, a producer must have planted, insured, and harvested a crop in at least 1 out of the previous 4 crop years)
10 percent additional coverage option – Input on if RMA should reinstate the option to buy-up prevented planting coverage by 10 percent.
Contract price – Whether prevented planting costs are higher for contracted crops and how prevented planting payments should be calculated for contract crops.
General topics – Willingness to pay additional premium for expanded prevented planting benefits, recommendations on other prevented planting limitations, etc.
The request for information, which includes details for submitting feedback, is available in this Federal Register notice.
In addition to the Request for Information, RMA held in-person and virtual listening sessions June through August to hear directly from producers. The in-person listening sessions were held in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas. RMA will accept written comments through its extended request for information until Oct. 12, 2023.
Prevented planting insurance provisions provide valuable coverage when extreme weather conditions prevent expected plantings. Prevented planting is when a producer is unable to plant an insured crop due to an insurable cause of loss in time to grow a viable crop. Final planting dates and late planting periods are detailed in a producer’s crop insurance policy, and they vary by crop and location. Prevented planting coverage is intended to assist with normal costs associated with preparing the land up to the point of seed going into the ground (pre-plant costs).
More Information
Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator.Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting your RMA Regional Office.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced nearly $700 million in grants and loans to connect thousands of rural residents, farmers and business owners in 22 states and the Marshall Islands to reliable, affordable high-speed internet through the ReConnect Program,funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This program is uniquely designed to fund the most difficult high-speed internet projects in the nation, which are the most rural, remote and unserved communities.
Connecting all communities across the United States to high-speed internet is a central part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to rebuild the economy from the bottom up and middle out by rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure. This agenda is driving more than $500 billion in private-sector manufacturing investments, rebuilding America’s infrastructure, lowering costs, and creating good-paying jobs. And it’s transforming our country for the better – reaching communities in every corner of the United States, including those that have too often been left behind.
“Keeping the people of rural America connected with reliable, high-speed internet brings new and innovative ideas to the rest of our country and creates good-paying jobs along the way,” Secretary Vilsack said. “Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are connecting rural communities to a global marketplace. These investments will support economic growth and prosperity for generations to come.”
Today’s high-speed internet investments are part of the fourth funding round of the ReConnect Program. Many residents and businesses in rural areas would not have high-speed internet service without the ReConnect Program, as the program is a key part of the Administration’s Internet for Allinitiative to connect everyone in America to high-speed internet by 2030. Today’s announcement includes $667 million in USDA investments in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and the Marshall Islands.
Today’s announcement includes several investments that will benefit people living in Rural Partners Network (RPN) communities. RPN works with hundreds of federal, state and local partners to address specific needs in rural communities that have long struggled to access government programs and funding. RPN helps these communities carry out locally driven plans to create jobs, build infrastructure and support economic growth and stability.
Examples of projects in this announcement include:
In North Carolina, Star Telephone Membership Corporation is receiving a $24.9 million grant to benefit 2,674 people, 84 businesses, 117 farms and four educational facilities in Bladen, Columbus and Sampson counties. Bladen and Columbus are part of an RPN community.
In Oregon, Pioneer Telephone Cooperative is receiving a $24.9 million grant to benefit 2,239 people, 50 businesses, 205 farms and one educational facility in Lincoln, Lane and Benton counties.
In New Mexico, SWC Telesolutions Inc. is receiving a $9.2 million grant to benefit 4,962 people, 106 businesses, 11 farms and 17 educational facilities in Doña Ana and Sierra counties. Doña Ana County is part of an RPN community.
Also, as part of USDA’s commitment to expand high-speed internet access, the Hood Canal Telephone Co. Inc. is receiving a $3.8 million loan through the Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan & Loan Guarantee Program. This investment will help construct 16 miles of fiber to provide high-speed internet access to 800 households and 10 businesses in Union, Washington.
Applicants to ReConnect Program funding must serve a rural area that lacks access to service at speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload. Applicants must also commit to building facilities capable of providing high-speed internet service with speeds of 100 Mbps (download and upload) to every location in the proposed service area. Additionally, to ensure that rural households that need internet service can afford it, all awardees will be required to apply to participate in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP offers a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service to qualifying low-income households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal Lands.
Background: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
President Biden forged consensus and compromise between Democrats, Republicans and Independents to demonstrate our democracy can deliver big wins for the American people. After decades of talk on rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure, President Biden delivered the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – a historic investment in America that will change people’s lives for the better and get America moving again.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $65 billion to ensure every American has access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet through a historic investment in broadband infrastructure deployment. The legislation also lowers costs for internet service and helps close the digital divide, so that more Americans can take full advantage of the opportunities provided by internet access.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small will lead the first-ever U.S. agribusiness trade mission to Luanda, Angola on Nov. 28 – Dec. 1. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service is now accepting applications from U.S. exporters who wish to participate in this trade mission.
“When it comes to trade opportunity, Sub-Saharan Africa is both promising and often over-looked, and the USDA trade mission to Angola presents an incredible prospect for U.S. food and agriculture exporters to expand and explore new business opportunities,” said Torres Small. “Angola is one of the largest markets in Africa, and with imports making up more than half of its food market, Angola is a perfect location for U.S. exporters to introduce more American-made products to African consumers.”
While in Angola, participants will conduct business-to-business meetings with potential buyers, receive in-depth market briefings from FAS and industry trade experts, and participate in site visits and other networking opportunities. In addition to meeting with importers in Angola, U.S. participants will also meet with buyers from neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo.
With a population of nearly 36 million people, many of whom are middle- and high-income consumers, Angola is looking for high-quality imported products. In 2022, U.S. food and agriculture exports to Angola totaled $236.8 million, making it the 7 largest African market for U.S. exporters. Consumer-oriented products accounted for more than 99 percent of U.S. agricultural and food exports to Angola in 2022. Angola was the largest U.S. poultry market in Africa, and the sixth largest globally last year, importing more than $232 million of American poultry and poultry products.
The Angolan market presents strong export opportunities including poultry, pulses and dry beans, wheat, and wine. Local and U.S. industry partners also see opportunities for other products, including rice and soy and vegetable oils, and other consumer-oriented products, including beef, pork, sauces and condiments, and distilled spirits.
What a difference a year makes! The California walnut industry is gearing up for a stellar 2023 harvest and shipping season after several years of drought, record low grower returns, COVID disrupted markets with supply chain challenges and a devastating heat wave in September 2022 that negatively impacted the entire crop. Here’s why this season is lining up to be a different story.
Quality is expected to be excellent due to favorable growing conditions.
Last winter’s prolonged heavy rains in the California walnut growing regions helped restore deep soil moisture and provided for healthy root zones, enabling trees to better tolerate late season high temperatures. The state also benefitted from an extensive snowpack which has provided all growing regions with sufficient water to support the trees and the crops through this season.
The much-needed chilling hours were at normal levels, placing the trees into a much-needed deep winter dormancy and a prolonged “rest and recuperation” period. Mild spring temperatures were ideal and produced full, vibrant, vigorous tree canopies which supported strong pollination, resulting in robust nut sets throughout the orchards.
“This year, our trees are more capable of handling higher temperatures than the previous years when the trees were under stress due to long-term deficit irrigation,” commented fourth-generation grower and handler Bill Carriere of Glenn, California. “Long-time growers have commented that the trees have not looked this strong and healthy in at least six to seven years. The full leaf canopy provided excellent temperature control and sun protection during the spring and summer months, allowing the walnuts to grow evenly with minimal sunburn. I am very optimistic that this year will mark a return to the premium quality walnuts we are known for in California.”
Acreage adjustments
Record low prices, brought on by an oversupply of darker than normal walnut kernels and weak demand in international markets, have taken a toll on growers, some opting to remove orchards from production. “Our family decided to pull out a productive orchard planted by my father in the early 2000s, it was a difficult decision, but the numbers told the story,” said Don Barton, a fourth-generation family farmer in Escalon, California. “We pulled a few acres with legacy varieties that are no longer desired by the broader buying community. Further south, walnut growers had removed trees due to new water restrictions that resulted in a lack of long-term availability to groundwater. Overall, the last few years have been devastating for growers and we are making some difficult decisions.”
The extent of the acreage shift became more evident in an acreage survey conducted by the California Walnut Board between October 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. For the first time ever, the acreage of California walnuts declined with 23,000 acres removed during the nine-month period. The industry will likely see additional reductions between July and December 2023, as more growers decide to shift to other crops and the needed tree removal equipment becomes available.
Favorable New Crop Volumes and Inventory levels
However, even with the removal of these orchards, the industry has a strong production base with approximately 380,000 producing acres and 37,000 younger non-bearing acres. USDA/National Agricultural Statistics Service Information (NASS) is currently conducting the annual walnut crop objective evaluation which counts and measures walnuts in a representative cross-industry sampling protocol. Incorporating the recently updated acreage report with the sampling results. USDA will release the official California walnut industry crop estimate on September 1, 2023.
“This week, the California Walnut Board released the monthly and year-to-date shipment report which highlighted an additional reason why I am bullish about the upcoming season,” remarked Martin Mariani, a grower/processor from Winters, California, “The data shows that we have shipped the equivalent of 730,488 tons this season from an available inventory of 880,000 tons.” He went on to explain that when taking into consideration the high sales commitments going into the fall, “we are virtually sold out of available inventory, which bodes well for the industry. I can’t wait to bring the new crop to market.”
Global and Domestic Market Outlook
With a focus on inshell markets, Chile is anticipated to be sold out by the time the new California crop starts shipping this fall. With minimal inventories of export-quality walnuts on hand, coupled with the current limited supply of walnut halves in global markets, the fresh California crop of premium quality walnuts, inshell and kernels, will be in high demand.
“Domestically, sales have increased 28% which helped our industry work through the high inventory numbers we saw at the start of the season” said Mike Poindexter of Poindexter Nut Company in Selma, California. “Major US retailers significantly increased their promotional efforts, which stimulated consumer sales. This is continuing through the fall and will provide nice momentum going into the U.S. holiday season for new crop kernels and inshell sales.”
Market Development and Sales Expansion
Acknowledging the difficulty California walnut industry growers have faced in recent years, Robert Verloop, CEO and Executive Director for the California Walnut Commission (CWC) and Board, said the organization has taken several steps to aid growers.
Robert Verloop, CEO and Executive Director, California Walnut Commission (CWC) and Board
“There have been successful efforts during the season to respond to the heat wave impacted crop, yet with low prices and high input costs, the squeeze on family farms has been relentless. Through the Commission, we continue to work with our representatives in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento for emergency relief for growers,” he said.
“Also, working with the CWC Board of Directors, industry handlers/processors, many volunteer leaders and elected officials and regulators, we have successfully secured a record USDA Section 32 purchase this season for up to $90 million; this funding is being used to help move the current crop out of our storage and into 1,400 food banks across the U.S., providing additional nutrition to thousands of families. In addition, the 20% reduction in tariffs recently announced by India will help us regain our footing in the Indian market.”
About the California Walnut Board
The California Walnut Board (CWB) was established in 1948 to represent the walnut growers and handlers of California. The CWB is funded by mandatory assessments of the handlers. The CWB is governed by a Federal Walnut Marketing Order. The CWB promotes usage of walnuts in the United States through publicity and educational programs. The CWB also provides funding for walnut production, food safety and post-harvest research.
About the California Walnut Commission
The California Walnut Commission, established in 1987, is funded by mandatory assessments of the growers. The Commission is an agency of the State of California that works in concurrence with the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The CWC is mainly involved in health research and export market development activities. For more industry information, health research and recipe ideas, visit www.walnuts.org.
As part of a cooperative agreement to develop and implement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, Action for Healthy Kids today announced that it is awarding nearly $30 million in subgrants to 264 school districts across 44 states and the District of Columbia, reaching students in some of our nation’s highest need schools. These funds are being provided by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.
“Students in every community deserve access to healthy and nutritious meals,” said USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. “Today’s announcement demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to creating healthier, brighter futures for our children. With these funds, small and rural school districts will be able to modernize their operations and provide more nutritious meals, helping students succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
Each small and/or rural school district will receive up to $150,000 to support them in improving the nutritional quality of their meals and modernizing their operations, through efforts which could include:
Innovative staff training programs;
Kitchen updates and renovations;
Redesigning food preparation and service spaces;
Other school-district led efforts to support school meals and school nutrition professionals.
“When we strengthen school meal quality, we strengthen child health,” said USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Stacy Dean. “These grants are the largest targeted investment USDA has ever made for school meal programs in small and rural communities. We want to ensure every child in America has the opportunity to attend a school with high quality, nutritious meals, and this support is a step in that direction.”
An online map features the selected school districts and their grant amounts. The map will be updated on a rolling basis as schools formalize their grant agreements.
“Offering healthier school meals is key to helping our nation’s kids get the nutrients they need today and for their long-term development,” said Action for Healthy Kids CEO Rob Bisceglie. “Through this historic investment in school nutrition, we will help school districts across the country overcome challenges and develop solutions to provide nutritious foods for the children they serve.”
USDA and Action for Healthy Kids also recently opened applications for the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards, which celebrate school districts that have made significant improvements to the nutritional quality of their school meals. All school districts in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands are invited to apply. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through June 30, 2025.
School districts that meet Recognition Award criteria will receive benefits such as national and local recognition; travel stipends to attend a national Healthy Meals Summit; access to diverse best practices, training activities; and more.
USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative also includes the School Food System Transformation Challenge Grants, which aim to support innovation in the school meals market by increasing collaboration between schools, food producers and suppliers, and other partners. Applications for the Challenge Grants are expected to open in late 2023 or early 2024.
FNS works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the National School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs, the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022, highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.
Action for Healthy Kids is dedicated to improving children’s health and well-being by bringing together and mobilizing educators, families, and other key stakeholders to help children lead healthy lives. Through its core programming and family-school partnerships, AFHK has impacted more than 20 million children in 55,000 schools nationwide to address systemic challenges in underserved communities. To learn more about its growing network of volunteers and champions, visit www.actionforhealthykids.org.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for August 2023, which are effective Aug. 1, 2023. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs.
Operating, Ownership and Emergency Loans
FSA offers farm ownership and operating loans with favorable interest rates and terms to help eligible agricultural producers, whether multi-generational, long-time, or new to the industry, obtain financing needed to start, expand or maintain a family agricultural operation. FSA also offers emergency loans to help producers recover from production and physical losses due to drought, flooding, other natural disasters or quarantine. For many loan options, FSA sets aside funding for underserved producers, including, beginning, women, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and Hispanic farmers and ranchers.
Interest rates for Operating and Ownership loans for August 2023 are as follows:
FSA also offers guaranteed loans through commercial lenders at rates set by those lenders.
To access an interactive online, step-by-step guide through the farm loan process, visit the Loan Assistance Tool on farmers.gov.
Commodity and Storage Facility Loans
Additionally, FSA provides low-interest financing to producers to build or upgrade on-farm storage facilities and purchase handling equipment and loans that provide interim financing to help producers meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are low. Funds for these loans are provided through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and are administered by FSA.
FSA developed a new, simplified direct loan application for producers seeking a direct farm loan. The new application, reduced from 29 to 13 pages, provides improved customer experience for producers applying for loans and enables them to complete a more streamlined application. Producers now also have the option to complete an electronic fillable form or a traditional paper application for submission to their local FSA service center.
Disaster Support
FSA also reminds rural communities, farmers and ranchers, families and small businesses affected by the past year’s winter storms, drought, hurricanes and other natural disasters, that USDA has programs that provide assistance. USDA staff in the regional, state and county offices are prepared to deliver a variety of program flexibilities and other assistance to agricultural producers and impacted communities. Many programs are available without an official disaster designation, including several risk management and disaster recovery options.
Inflation Reduction Act Assistance for Distressed Producers
On Aug. 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. It is a historic, once-in-a-generation investment and opportunity for the agricultural communities that USDA serves. Section 22006 of the IRA provided $3.1 billion for USDA to provide relief for distressed borrowers with certain FSA direct and guaranteed loans and to expedite assistance for those whose agricultural operations are at financial risk. In October 2022, USDA provided approximately $800 million in initial IRA assistance to more than 11,000 delinquent direct and guaranteed borrowers and approximately 2,100 borrowers who had their farms liquidated and still had remaining debt. On May 1, 2023, FSA announced that nearly $130 million in additional, automatic financial assistance had been obligated for qualifying farm loan program borrowers facing financial risk. This assistance included:
Assistance to direct loan borrowers who were past due on a qualifying direct loan as of Sept. 30, 2022, but by fewer than 60 days, and remained delinquent on that loan as of March 27, 2023.
Assistance to borrowers who restructured a qualifying direct loan after Feb. 28, 2020, through primary loan servicing available through FSA.
Assistance to borrowers whose interest owed on their qualifying direct loan debt exceeded the principal owed (on a loan-by-loan basis).
Since payments began in October 2022, USDA has provided $1.14 billion to 20,615 financially distressed direct and guaranteed FSA loan borrowers.
In May 2023, FSA began accepting and reviewing individual requests for assistance if they took certain extraordinary measures to avoid delinquency on their direct FSA loans, such as taking on or refinancing more debt, selling property, or cashing out retirement or college savings accounts. On May 19, USDA mailed a letter to all FSA direct loan borrowers detailing eligibility and how to request extraordinary measures assistance.
Also in May, FSA started accepting and reviewing individual distressed borrower assistance requests from direct loan borrowers who missed a recent installment or are unable to make their next scheduled installment. All FSA borrowers should have received a letter detailing the process for seeking this type of assistance even before they become delinquent. As the letter details, borrowers who are within two months of their next installment may seek a cashflow analysis from FSA to determine their eligibility.
More Information To learn more about FSA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and view other fam records data and customer information by logging in their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.
Today, Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-22) introduced two bipartisan bills to improve the domestic specialty crop industry – the Specialty Crop Domestic Market Promotion Program Act and the Specialty Crop Mechanization Assistance Act. Specialty crops are a cornerstone of California agriculture – the state produces the most specialty crops in the country both in quantity and diversity, with over 400 different commodities produced in the state per year.
“Our specialty crop producers in California have faced many challenges over the last few years. From supply chain backlogs at our ports, rising input costs, labor shortages, and drought – farmers have continued growing our nation’s food despite these obstacles,” said Congressman Valadao. “Specialty crop producers face unique challenges, and we need to ensure they are better equipped to handle them. These bills make technology and resources available to our specialty crop producers so they can access new markets and remain competitive.”
“American farmers produce some of the best quality and nutritious food in the world. Our fresh fruit and vegetable industries are critical to our food security and rural economies,” said Congressman LaMalfa. “I’m pleased to join my colleagues in cosponsoring these important pieces of legislation for our specialty crop producers and California agriculture.”
“California produces over half of the nation’s fresh produce. But supply chain disruptions, COVID-19, and the drought have made it more difficult for specialty crop producers to put food on America’s dinner table,” said Congressman Costa. “I’m proud to support these pieces of legislation to equip producers with the tools they need to access new markets and safeguard our food supply chain.”
“CFFA is proud to have worked with the California Table Grape Commission to co-lead this effort to expand the promotion of the U.S. specialty crop industry domestically. Many healthy specialty crops are grown in the U.S. and should be enjoyed by all Americans. The Specialty Crop Domestic Market Promotion and Development Program Act of 2023 will enhance the opportunity of American growers, including CFFA members, to better market their produce to U.S. consumers. CFFA thanks Congressman Valadao and Congressman Costa for their bipartisan partnership to support American farmers and consumers,” said President of the California Fresh Fruit Association Ian Lemay.
California Fresh Fruit Association President Ian LeMay (Photo by Matthew Malcolm)
“CFFA is proud to have worked with the California Table Grape Commission to co-lead this collaborative effort to help equip farmers with the tools and technologies they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. I would like to thank Congressman Valadao and Congressman Costa for their partnership to support the needs of American agriculture. This bill will not only support farmers, but also their employees, to ensure that America continues to a global leader in agricultural production,” said President of the California Fresh Fruit Association Ian Lemay.
The Specialty Crop Domestic Market Promotion Program Act would create a program that helps specialty crop producers market their products to access American markets. It replicates the popular Market Access Program (MAP) through USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) specifically for specialty crop producers to break into niche domestic markets. Rep. Valadao was joined in introduction of the bill by Reps. Darren Soto (FL-09), Jim Costa (CA-21), and Doug LaMalfa (CA-01).
The Specialty Crop Mechanization Assistance Act makes it easier for specialty crop producers to remain competitive in the face of labor shortages by making expensive automation technology more accessible to producers. This bill aims to create a reimbursement-based cost-share program which would permit growers and processors to invest more in these time and money-saving technologies. Rep. Valadao was joined in introduction of the bill by Reps. Jim Costa (CA-21), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), and Dough LaMalfa (CA-01).
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