Richard Fordyce

Organic cranberry and stone fruit growers are getting more flexible insurance options starting in 2027, tailored to their specific risks.

The USDA is working to rehire staff at county Farm Service Agency offices after a wave of departures left these local operations lean. Undersecretary Richard Fordyce says county staff are essential to making farm policy actually work.

A new law added 30 million acres to farm programs this year, which means enrollment works differently than usual. Producers need to pay attention.

Fertilizer availability is becoming a priority at the USDA level, with talks underway about supporting domestic production. Officials acknowledge the changes take time, but they're working on strategies to ease the burden.

Farmers across the country now have a new way to report their acreage, thanks to a USDA rollout that just hit every county office nationwide.

More than two-thirds of local farmers are planting cover crops, and many are getting creative about how they use them.

The USDA is speeding up farm loans, cutting processing time and giving lenders more authority to say yes faster.

The USDA extended its Supplemental Disaster Relief Program deadline to September 30. Over $16 million is on the table for producers with qualifying losses from 2023 and 2024 crop years.

Orchardists, ranchers, and crop farmers across the drought- and fire-hit Northwest are being urged to contact their local USDA office now — several assistance programs have deadlines tied to when losses occurred.

Specialty crop growers can apply for USDA financial assistance through a login.gov account or at their local FSA office, with a deadline landing this Friday, August 7th.