Blog article was written by Kimberly L. Morgan, Assistant Professor, Mississippi State University, and AgMRC contributing writer. Many thanks to Mr. Mike Steede, owner of Steede Farms, Inc. for sharing his 2010 CSA story with Mississippi produce grower audiences in Fall 2010. For over 100 years, Mike and Heath Steede...

A new state law will provide Kentucky agritourism destinations with limited liability protection when it takes effect on July 11. The law requires venues such as wineries, orchards, and corn mazes to warn visitors that they are assuming the risk of participating in the activities of the operation. The law,...

Blog article written by Lisa Jore, program manager of The Food Industry Center at the University of Minnesota and AgMRC contributing writer. It is an interesting time for farmer’s markets. There is clearly growing enthusiasm to offer fresh produce and other products in the community. At the same time, there...

Blog article written by Gary W. Brester, professor of Agricultural Economics, Montana State University and AgMRC contributing writer. Overview Barley is a short-season, early maturing crop and is likely the world’s oldest cultivated grain.  It is produced in a variety of climates in both irrigated and dryland production areas.  Barley...

Blog article written by Geri Isaacs, freelance writer and farmer from Kentucky and AgMRC contributing writer. According to the Ag Census, the average age of the principal farm operator has increased from 50.3 in 1977 to 57.1 today.  Over the next decade, half the farmers will retire and be replaced...

Blog article written by Lisa Jore, program manager of The Food Industry Center at the University of Minnesota and AgMRC contributing writer. In Minnesota, each season’s weather brings different challenges to the growing season. This year was no different. Minnesota’s unseasonably warm March prompted apple blossoms to arrive early, but...

The nation’s 100 largest agriculture cooperatives reported near-record revenue of $118 billion in 2010. This was an increase of 4 percent over 2009 figures.  Net income for the 100 top agriculture co-ops was also up more than 10 percent in 2010, reaching $2.39 billion, up from $2.16 billion in 2009....

Farmers' markets aren't just a source of local food anymore. Markets across the United States are utilizing regional culinary dishes, local musicians and nature to create a sense of community and offer a tourism experience for visitors and community members alike. Recently, USA Today Travel blogged their top 10 markets...

The 2012 National Value Added Conference will investigate how partnerships between economic development agencies, communities and businesses enhance the quality of life for rural residents by fostering civic infrastructure, strengthening the sustainability of agricultural production, promoting value added products, and improving economic opportunities consistent with the scale and capacity of...

Iowa State University Extension is making available Rainwater Catchment from a High Tunnel for Irrigation Use, a seven-page fact sheet that describes a system to catch, store, and reuse rainwater for irrigation in high tunnels. Approximately 900 gallons of water will flow from the roof of a 30' by 96'...

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan released a new report on the distribution practices of eight producer networks and their partners distributing locally or regionally-grown food to retail and foodservice customers. The report, entitled Moving Food Along the Value Chain: Innovations in Regional Food Distribution, shows how these networks tap into...

The  Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF) Compass (www.usda.gov/KYFCompass) is a new online resource about USDA’s support of local and regional food.  The Compass is an online multi-media narrative with stories, pictures and video about USDA’s support for local and regional food systems and an interactive map of USDA-supported...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and USDA's National Agricultural Library, in partnership with the American Farm Bureau Federation, announced Start2farm.gov, a new online portal that helps provide assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers. The portal includes links to training, financing, technical assistance and other support services specifically for beginning farmers and...

USDA has selected 298 recipients in 44 states and Puerto Rico to receive business development assistance through the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. The announcement was made in Chicago after keynoting the "Local/Regional Food System Conference" hosted at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. For example, Living Water Farms, Inc....

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA has approved a conditional commitment in the amount of $232.5 million to ZeaChem Boardman Biorefinery, LLC (ZBB) through the Biorefinery Assistance Program. ZBB will operate a 25 million gallon per year biorefinery, which will be constructed on an industrial site in Boardman, Oregon,...

The University of Hawaii Maui College (UHMC) recently launched a new Food Innovation Center as a food business incubator. This new center allows farmers and ranchers, local entrepreneurs, and students to receive education and drive the development of value-added food products, in such areas as product design, nutrition, food safety,...

The Davenport Freight House in Davenport, Iowa, is under construction to become the Quad City Food Hub. Construction has begun on the Fresh Deli by Nostalgia Farms, which will be the first business to open in the food hub. "We want to connect people to the local food they are...

The number of winter farmers markets is increasing. According to the updated National Farmers Market Directory, since 2010, the number of winter markets has increased 38 percent, from 886 to 1,225. These winter markets also account for nearly 17 percent of the nation's 7,222 operating farmers markets   Farmers markets...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced loans and grants for agricultural producers and rural small businesses across the country to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in their operations. The funding is provided through USDA Rural Development's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Collectively, these REAP-funded projects announced are expected...

U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) signed a contract to purchase 450,000 gallons of advanced drop-in biofuel, the single largest purchase of biofuel in government history. While the Navy fleet alone uses more than 1.26 billion...

Blog article written by Dr. Michael Boland, University of Minnesota, boland@umn.edu The Value Added Producer Grants are due at the end of August and some changes in the application process should facilitate a much easier format for first time applicants. Hats off to USDA for these changes because they have...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded 25 grants to 19 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to help create economic opportunities for American producers and businesses. Under the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP), USDA is matching $1.3 million worth of state grants to state departments of agriculture, state...

Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan joined other USDA and local officials to officially open a kitchen facility in York that will provide education and workforce training. Financial support for the kitchen was provided through a USDA Rural Development Rural Business Enterprise (RBEG) grant. "Projects like this one encourage development of...

Livestock farmers raising poultry have been vocal about a lack of processing for poultry in recent years. However, an Iowa plant that closed in January 2011 is set to re-open under new ownership. A U.S. bankruptcy judge has approved a $2.27 million bid for a poultry plant in Charles City,...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that Americans will soon have more choices at the gas pump through a USDA program that will provide funding for installation of flexible fuel pumps. USDA is issuing a rule to clarify that the definition of renewable energy systems in the Rural Energy for America...