California Ag Network

Tag: USDA

  • California Has 4th Largest Organic Farmland Share in the U.S.

    As the force that feeds and nourishes the population, agriculture is one of the most vital industries in the U.S. economy. To accommodate the country’s growth over the years, agricultural practices have evolved to become more efficient, capable of reliably meeting the population’s daily needs. But these efficient practices also come with environmental costs, and many farmers and consumers are increasingly seeking out more sustainable alternatives.

    Organic farming is an approach to agriculture that attempts to mimic nature and natural processes when raising crops and livestock. Rather than using techniques of larger-scale industrial agriculture, like genetic modifications, monoculture farming, and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, organic farmers seek to conserve biodiversity and natural resources on their farmland.

    Organic products have seen a boom in demand in recent years, and there are a number of reasons why consumers might be seeking out organic products. Organic techniques appeal to environmentalist consumers who value a more sustainable approach to agriculture that promotes biodiversity, limits pollution, and increases carbon capture. For meat and dairy consumers, livestock production on organic farms is considered to be a more ethical and humane way to raise animals because they are given more access to the outdoors, better feed, and fewer hormones and antibiotics. Health-conscious consumers can point to evidence that organic products have health benefits like greater nutrient density and lower levels of toxic metals and pesticide residue than conventional agricultural products.

    Whatever the reasons, organic farming has increased substantially over the last decade or so. In 2008, the U.S. had 10,903 organic farms covering around 4 million acres of farmland. In 2019, there were nearly 16,500 organic farms on 5.5 million acres. And these farms have grown alongside consumer demand: the sales of organic products have more than tripled over the same span, rising from $3.1 billion to $9.9 billion.

    Within the nearly $10 billion organic food market, milk, chicken, and eggs are the top-selling products. Organic milk leads all products with sales of more than $1.5 billion per year, while chicken sees $1.1 billion in sales annually and eggs generate $887 million. Apples are the top-selling form of organic produce, with $475 million in annual sales.

    While the organic farming industry has seen tremendous growth, not all farmers are adopting organic practices. Many large-scale agricultural operations in the Midwest and South have relatively low numbers of organic farms and acreage devoted to such operations. But one location where organic agriculture has taken hold deeply is California. California is home to more than 3,000 organic farms—more than twice the next-highest state—and the total acreage of organic farms in the state totals nearly 1 million acres.

    California is the nation’s top state for agricultural sales overall, so it is unsurprising that the state is also the leader in organic production. In relative terms, several other states devote a greater share of their farmland to organic farming than California, where organic farms represent only about 4% of the state’s agricultural acreage. Instead, the list of top states for organic farms on a relative basis is led by northeastern states including Maine, New York, and Vermont—the runaway leader, where organic acreage accounts for nearly 17% of its total.

    The data used in this analysis is from the USDA. To identify the states with the most organic farms, researchers at Commodity.comcalculated the total certified organic acres operated as a percentage of total farmland in each state. In the event of a tie, the state with the greater number of organic farms as a percentage of total farms was ranked higher. Only states with available data from the USDA were included in the analysis.

    The analysis found that there are 965,257 acres of organic farmland in California, which account for 3.97% of all farmland there. At 3.97%, California has the 4th largest organic farmland share in the United States. Here is a summary of the data for California:

    • Organic acreage as a percentage of total: 3.97%
    • Organic farms as a percentage of total: 4.31%
    • Total organic acreage: 965,257
    • Total organic farms: 3,012
    • Total value of organic products sold: $3,596,923,000

    For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

    • Organic acreage as a percentage of total: 0.61%
    • Organic farms as a percentage of total: 0.81%
    • Total organic acreage: 5,495,274
    • Total organic farms: 16,476
    • Total value of organic products sold: $9,925,911,000

    For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Commodity.com’s website: https://commodity.com/blog/most-organic-farms/

  • Cost of Beef for Consumers Stable Since 1994

    Looking for a scapegoat for economy-wide inflation, the Biden administration has alleged that meat and poultry industry concentration is to blame for rising consumer prices. The truth is not so convenient.

    Using USDA’s meat industry concentration data, the chart below demonstrates that, although the four-firm concentration in fed cattle beef packing has remained relatively constant since 1994, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for beef has been variable over that same period; sometimes above and sometimes below the overall CPI.
    If concentration is causing the recent rise in consumer prices for meat and poultry products, then why did concentration not cause inflation five or ten years ago?

    In fact, the December CPI showed prices for meat dropped slightly, yet concentration remained the same.

  • $225 Million in Partner-Driven Conservation on Ag and Forest Land

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced up to $225 million in available funding for conservation partners through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). RCPP is a partner-driven program that leverages collective resources to find solutions to address natural resource challenges on agricultural land. This year’s funding announcements include opportunities for projects that address climate change, benefit historically underserved producers and support urban agriculture.

    “RCPP is public-private partnership at its best,” said Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) California State Conservationist Carlos Suarez. “We’re harnessing the power of partnership to create lasting solutions to global challenges, like climate change, and support producers and communities who have been underserved in the past.”

    There are two types of funding opportunities under RCPP:  RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities, in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFA, partners have more flexibility in working directly with agricultural producers to support the development of new conservation structures and approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic. Project types that may be suited to AFA, as highlighted by the 2018 Farm Bill include:

    • Projects that use innovative approaches to leverage the federal investment in conservation;
    • Projects that deploy a pay-for-performance conservation approach;
    • Projects that seek large-scale infrastructure investment that generate conservation benefits for agricultural producers and nonindustrial private forest owners.

    USDA is accepting project proposals for both components of RCPP through 11:59 p.m. on April 13, 2022. View the funding opportunity on grants.gov for RCPP Classic and RCPP AFA. Additionally, a webinar with general program information for RCPP applicants is scheduled for 3-4:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 20, 2022. Visit the RCPP website for information on how to participate.

    Funding is open to agriculture and silviculture associations, non-government organizations, Indian tribes, state and local governments, conservation districts and universities, among others. Partners are expected to offer value-added contributions to amplify the impact of RCPP funding in an amount equal to or greater than the NRCS investment. Private landowners can apply to participate in an RCPP project in their region through awarded partners or at their local USDA service center.

    More Information

    First authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill, RCPP has leveraged partner contributions of more than $1 for every $1 invested by USDA, resulting in nearly $3 billion collectively invested in natural resource conservation on private lands. Since inception, RCPP has made 579 awards involving over 3,000 partner organizations. Currently there are 408 active projects, with at least one active project in every state and area. Successful RCPP projects provide innovative conservation solutions, leverage partner contributions and offer impactful and measurable outcomes.

    This RCPP announcement builds on other efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration to address climate change. Earlier this week, NRCS announced a new Cover Crop Initiative, available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to help agricultural producers mitigate climate change through the widespread adoption of cover crops. NRCS also announced the signup for EQIP Conservation Incentive Contracts and an improvement to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

  • National Watermelon Promotion Board Seeks Directors

    The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) will hold a nomination teleconference on Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 at 8:00 A.M. (PT) for district 4 and Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. (PT) for district 5 to nominate qualified watermelon producers and watermelon handlers to fill open positions as directors of the Board.

    District 4 — The States of: Connecticut, Delaware,Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, NewHampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont,Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC.District 5 — The States of: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

    The NWPB encourages all women, minorities and persons with disabilities who qualify as watermelon producers and handlers to attend the meeting and run for nomination to the NWPB.

    All watermelon producers and handlers in District 4 & 5 are encouraged to attend and vote to nominate their representatives to the NWPB. Nominations are submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Secretary of Agriculture makes the final appointments to the NWPB. The newly appointed Board members term of office will begin on January 1st, 2023, and end December 31st, 2025.

    The Board members administer promotion and research programs for watermelon. The NWPB works to increase consumer demand for watermelon and expand domestic and foreign markets through its marketing, consumer public relations and education programs. The non-profit Board works with an administrative staff to enact retail, foodservice and media promotions and research programs.

    All Board members are required to attend two meetings each year to become familiar with and develop the Board’s variety of marketing, research and education programs.

    The NWPB represents about 800 commercial watermelon producers, handlers and importers that finance all of the Board’s programs through assessments on watermelons as authorized by the Watermelon Research and Promotion Act. The 30-member Board is currently comprised of 10 producers, 10 handlers, 9 importers, and a member who represents the public.

    Board members are nominated by their peers, and nominations are submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who makes final appointments to the Board. These board members oversee all aspects of the Board, including setting policies and deciding how the Board’s budget is invested in promotion, research and education programs. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service monitors the Board’s operations.

    To be eligible for nomination, producers must grow 10 or more acres of watermelon, and handlers must be the first handler of watermelon, according to §1210.306 and §1210.308 of the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan.

    Consistent with §1210.403, the NWPB will allow proxy voting for Board nominees. Individuals wishing to vote by proxy should prepare signed, dated statements, including the proxy voter’s printed name, address, telephone number, identity as a producer or handler, and the name of the individual authorized to cast the proxy vote. These statements should be given to those authorized to cast the proxy vote, who will then provide the statements to the NWPB no later than Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022.

    The producers and handlers appointed to the Board will represent the NWPB’s interests throughout the district in meetings and other forums, and should be dedicated to supporting the Board’s marketing, promotion, research and education programs.

    Additional information regarding the elections and nomination procedures may be obtained by contacting NWPB Director of Operations & Industry Affairs Rebekah Dossett (407) 605-5984 or Industry Affairs Manager Andrea Smith (407) 613-2972.

  • USDA to Purchase $30 Million in US Table Grapes in 2022

    The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will purchase U.S.-grown table grapes as part of its 2022 Food Purchase and Distribution Program (FPDP).

    The USDA recently announced its commitment of $30 million to purchase U.S.-grown table grapes in 2022 for distribution to food banks and other food programs around the country. Purchases will be made June through December, a timeframe during which California-grown table grapes dominate U.S. production (with about 99% of all US grapes grown in California). The award, which came as a result of a formal request made by the California Table Grape Commission, will mark the third year in a row that table grapes have been included in the federal food purchasing program.

    Table grape shippers interested in participating in the FPDP must apply to become a USDA vendor and then, if approved, submit bids in a competitive process. Growers must undergo and pass the USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) audits. GAP focuses on farm review and field harvesting/packing activities while GHP covers packinghouses, cold storage, and transportation.

    The USDA award announcement comes as planning for the 2022 California table grape season gets underway and meetings with retailers are scheduled. Part of planning for the season includes knowing what commitments are already made for the upcoming crop. – California Table Grape Commission

  • India’s Market Opens up to US Pork Imports

    The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) welcomed India’s decision to allow imports of U.S. pork and pork products into the country and thanked the Biden Administration for working to secure increased access for high-quality U.S. meat products to this growing and strategically important export market.

    “U.S. pork producers, processors and packers are going to benefit from the expanded market access that this agreement will bring,” said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “The Meat Institute is grateful to USDA and USTR for their years of hard work to achieve this outcome.”

    This decision, announced yesterday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, marks the first time India will allow U.S. pork into the country. The development comes after decades of negotiations between the two countries and the successful revitalization of the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum held in New Delhi last November.

    In 2020, the United States was the world’s third-largest pork producer and second-largest exporter, with global sales of pork and pork products valued at $7.7 billion.

    About the North American Meat Institute: The North American Meat Institute is a leading voice for the meat and poultry industry. The Meat Institute’s members process the vast majority of U.S. beef, pork, lamb, and poultry, as well as manufactures the equipment and ingredients needed to produce safe, high quality meat and poultry products.

  • California Beef Council Announces New Producer Relations Manager

    The California Beef Council (CBC), the marketing order representing California’s cattle ranchers and beef producers, has hired Makenzie Neves as Manager of Producer Education and Engagement. This position coordinates producer education, engagement, and communication efforts for the CBC.

    A California native, Neves grew up on a dairy in the Central Valley. She is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in communication studies, public relations and minored in global engagement and leadership. Neves recently graduated from Texas Tech University with her master’s degree in agricultural communications.

    “As a third-generation agriculturalist, I’m thrilled to join the California Beef Council,” Neves said. “I grew up admiring these producers, and I’m looking forward to working with them and continuing strong relationships between the CBC and California’s beef producers.” Neves also plans to find new, innovative ways to reach more producers.

    “We are excited to add Makenzie to our staff as our point-person for producer education and engagement. Her background in the dairy industry will add a new dimension to the position as we move forward into 2022,” said Bill Dale, Executive Director of the CBC.

    For more information, contact Makenzie Neves or visit CalBeef.org.

    About the California Beef Council

    The California Beef Council (CBC) was established in 1954 to serve as the promotion, research, and education arm of the California beef industry, and is mandated by the California Food and Agricultural Code. The CBC’s mission is to position the California beef industry for sustained beef demand growth through promotion, research and education. For more information, visit www.calbeef.org.

    About the Beef Checkoff

    The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

  • Government Intervention in Markets Will Not Help Consumers or Producers

    The North American Meat Institute, the nation’s trade association for meat and poultry packers and processors of all sizes, released the following statement regarding the “The Biden-Harris Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain.”

    “For the third time in six months, President Joe Biden and his Administration announced the same plans to spend $1 billion to fund government intervention in the market in an attempt to increase prices livestock producers receive while blaming inflation on private industry,” said Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of the North American Meat Institute. “The Biden Administration continues to ignore the number one challenge to meat and poultry production: labor shortages. This tired approach is not surprising because they have refused to engage with the packing and processing sector they attack, going so far as to hold a roundtable on meat packing without a single beef or pork packer present.

    “Press conferences and using taxpayer dollars to establish government-sponsored packing and processing plants will not do anything to address the lack of labor at meat and poultry plants and spiking inflation across the economy,” said Potts. “The Administration wants the American people to believe that the meat and poultry industry is unique and not experiencing the same problems causing inflation across the economy, like increased input costs, increased energy costs, labor shortages and transportation challenges. Consumers know better.”

    “As economists predicted, producers are seeing higher prices for their cattle because packers have processed the backlog of animals in the system.”

    The Biden Administration has claimed industry structure is keeping down prices cattle producers receive for their animals, conveniently ignoring the fact the beef industry has changed little for almost 30 years.  Prices reflect supply and demand in a healthy market.

    On December 26, 2021, Larry Summers, Secretary of the Treasury for President Clinton, the Director of the National Economic Council for President Obama and Charles W. Eliot Professor and President Emeritus at Harvard University took to Twitter agreeing with leading agricultural economists highly critical of the Biden Administration’s analysis. He tweeted:

    “The emerging claim that antitrust can combat inflation reflects ‘science denial’. There are many areas like transitory inflation where serious economists differ. Antitrust as an anti-inflation strategy is not one of them.”

    Summers also said on Twitter, “Monopoly may lead to high prices but there is no reason to expect it to lead to rising prices unless it is increasing. There is no basis whatsoever thinking that monopoly power has increased during the past year in which inflation has greatly accelerated.

    “Rising demand, with capacity and labor constraints, are fully sufficient to account for what we observe in meat packing — Administration claims notwithstanding,” tweeted Summers.

    “Breaking up meatpacking would in the short run lead to reduced supply which would further increases prices. In general, when government goes to war with industries it discourages investment and subsequent capacity.”

    The chart below shows that since 1994, profit margins have varied between all sectors of the fed cattle market with no one sector benefiting consistently at the expense of another.

    And, according to USDA Data, fed cattle prices are rising on their own, without government intervention. Fourth quarter 2021 fed cattle prices are the highest in five years (even as wholesale beef prices have followed seasonal demand and decreased steadily since Labor Day, the end of the traditional annual high demand period).

    The “new” announcement raises several questions that need to be answered, including:

    • How much extra packing plant capacity does the administration think is needed? 
    • How high should cattle prices be right now? 
    • How long will the government sponsored processors receive government money? 
    • How much will the government sponsored processors be required to pay employees? 
    • There are many small and medium sized packers in the market today that have never received government support – how will they be affected by the influx of government-sponsored competition? 
    • When will these new plants come on-line? 2024-2025?  What impact will that have now?
    • Where are the target areas these plants are needed?
    • Will the new plants have sufficient labor?

    About North American Meat Institute
    The North American Meat Institute is a leading voice for the meat and poultry industry. The Meat Institute’s members process the vast majority of U.S. beef, pork, lamb, and poultry, as well as manufactures the equipment and ingredients needed to produce safe, high quality meat and poultry products.

  • Deadline Extended to Apply for Pandemic Support for Certified Organic and Transitioning Operations

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended the deadline for agricultural producers who are certified organic, or transitioning to organic, to apply for the Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP). This program provides pandemic assistance to cover certification and education expenses. The deadline to apply for 2020 and 2021 eligible expenses is now Feb. 4, 2022, rather than the original deadline of Jan. 7, 2022.

    “We listened to feedback from our stakeholders and are happy to provide organic producers, and those transitioning their operations, enough time to learn about the program and complete the application,” said Zach Ducheneaux, FSA Administrator.

    Signup for OTECP, administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), began Nov. 8.

    Program Background  

    Certified operations and transitional operations may apply for OTECP for eligible expenses paid during the 2020, 2021 and 2022 fiscal years. Signup for the 2022 fiscal year will be announced at a later date.

    For each year, OTECP covers 25% of a certified operation’s eligible certification expenses, up to $250 per certification category (crop, livestock, wild crop, handling and State Organic Program fee). This includes application fees, inspection fees, USDA organic certification costs, state organic program fees and more.

    Crop and livestock operations transitioning to organic production may be eligible for 75% of a transitional operation’s eligible expenses, up to $750, for each year. This includes fees charged by a certifying agent or consultant for pre-certification inspections and development of an organic system plan.

    For both certified operations and transitional operations, OTECP covers 75% of the registration fees, up to $200, per year, for educational events that include content related to organic production and handling in order to assist operations in increasing their knowledge of production and marketing practices that can improve their operations, increase resilience and expand available marketing opportunities. Additionally, both certified and transitional operations may be eligible for 75% of the expense of soil testing required under the National Organic Program (NOP) to document micronutrient deficiency, not to exceed $100 per year.

    Producers apply through their local FSA office and can also obtain one-on-one support with applications by calling 877-508-8364. The program application and additional information can be found at farmers.gov/otecp.

    Additional Organic Support    

    OTECP builds upon USDA’s Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) which provides cost share assistance of 50%, up to a maximum of $500 per scope, to producers and handlers of agricultural products who are obtaining or renewing their certification under the NOP. Although the application period for OCCSP ended Nov. 1, 2021, FSA will consider late-filed applications for those operations who still wish to apply.

    Meanwhile, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently made improvements to Whole-Farm Revenue Protection to make it more flexible and accessible to organic producers.

    To learn more about USDA’s broader assistance for organic producers, visit usda.gov/organic.

  • New Way to Predict Grazing Cattle Weight Gain on Rangelands From Satellite Imagery

    USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) developed a unique approach to using satellite imagery to predict cattle weight gain on rangelands. By fusing multiple images over a period of time, scientists were able to monitor how forage quality changes over space and time in rangelands within the shortgrass steppe, and how this relates to the weight gain of free-ranging cattle throughout the summer grazing season.

    Managing the grazing season in rangelands can be challenging due to high variability in temperature and rainfall over time. From a manager’s perspective, it is essential to know when and where forage production and quality are changing to optimize free-range livestock weight gain and meet other environmental objectives. This is not just about chasing forage quantity (total amount of vegetation biomass); it is also about looking for the highest-quality forage throughout the season.

    “This study is probably the first-time high-quality datasets have been used to predict cattle weight gain directly from satellite imagery,” said Sean Kearney, Post Doc Research Associate in Fort Collins, CO.

    These three images show a progression (left to right) from lower-biomass/higher-quality forage to higher-biomass/lower-quality forage. Free-ranging cattle weight gain tended to be lower under conditions on the right, when diet quality was low, even if forage biomass remained high. Photos by Dr. Edward Raynor, USDA-ARS.

    In the study published in Ecological Applications, scientists used the satellite images, along with field observations from 40 different pastures grazed over a period of 10 years, to predict the performance of cattle grazing in Eastern Colorado throughout the summer season.  The study site, the Central Plains Experimental Range, is a Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network location.

    The cattle performance predictions – specifically, weight gain – were made from satellite-derived estimates of both forage quantity and quality. The satellite-based predictions of forage quality were a first for the region, and they proved to be especially important. Most notably, weight gain was affected by the timing of forage green-up and senescence (browning down).

    “We observed that in years when satellite images showed forage greening up earlier, before cattle began to graze, the quality of the diet declined more rapidly and cattle weight gain was lower, especially toward the end of the grazing season,” said Kearney. “In some years, plenty of biomass was still available late in the season, but a large portion of the high-quality forage was missed because it peaked (reached top quality) so early in the season. This resulted in cattle feeding on lower-quality grass, which reduced their performance.”

    With recent climate patterns of earlier spring green-up, higher temperatures and drier weather during the summer months, it is critical to determine the right time to start and stop grazing cattle, in order to match up grazing timing with high quality forage.

    “We knew forage quality mattered, but we didn’t know to what extent,” said Lauren Porensky, Research Ecologist. “Now we can estimate diet quality across space and time and have a better idea of what is causing changes in diet quality throughout the season.”

    What is next? Scientists are linking these new diet quality and vegetation maps with GPS collar data to better understand what drives cattle foraging behavior, as well as working on a new model to predict diet quality in near-real-time to support adaptive management efforts of ranchers and other rangeland managers.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $17 of economic impact.