USDA Rural Information Center - RIC's Quick Rural News
Access to Land, Capital Biggest Obstacle for Beginning Farmers
Tue, 02/05/2013 - 11:18amClay Blackburn is a 25-year-old Missouri farmer who works several part-time jobs to keep his cow/calf operation growing. He currently leases 200 acres of land until he can build enough capital to buy. “It’s tough for a young person to get started in farming,” said Blackburn. “Finding land is the most difficult thing, but I’m [...]
Under Secretary, Northwest innovators Focus on Rural American Renewal
Tue, 02/05/2013 - 6:54amDuring a brief but busy trip to Oregon Monday, January 28, Agriculture Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager highlighted opportunities to increase public-private collaboration and innovative financing models for rural community and economic development. That morning, Mr. Tonsager delivered the keynote address at the Harvesting Clean Energy conference in Corvallis. Later that day in Portland, Mr. Tonsager [...]
USDA Reports Synthesize Literature on Climate Change Effects and Adaptation Strategies for U.S. Agriculture and Forests
Mon, 02/04/2013 - 5:00pmThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released two comprehensive reports today that synthesize the scientific literature on climate change effects and adaptation strategies for U.S. agriculture and forests. The reports, entitled Climate Change and Agriculture: Effects and Adaptation and the Effects of Climate Variability and Change on Forest Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the U.S. Forest Sector, were created as inputs to the National Climate Assessment. Scientists from the federal service, universities, non-governmental organizations, industry, tribal lands and the private sector contributed to the peer-reviewed studies
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers at a Glance
Mon, 02/04/2013 - 2:10pmUSDA programs have targeted assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers since the 1992 Agricultural Credit Improvement Act. Farms or ranches are considered “beginning” if the operators have managed them for 10 years or less. The Economic Research Service has looked at the trend in numbers of beginning farmers and ranchers in recent decades and examined [...]
USDA Grant Helps a Small Florida Town on the Path to Clean, Safe Drinking Water
Mon, 02/04/2013 - 7:22amThere are more than 160,000 public water systems providing water to almost all Americans at some time in their lives. Millions of Americans receive high quality drinking water every day from their public water systems. But access to quality drinking water cannot be taken for granted. Like many small towns in rural America, the Town [...]
Mix-and-Match Cover Cropping Can Optimize Organic Production
Mon, 02/04/2013 - 6:21amRead the magazine story to find out more.
ARS research is providing organic lettuce and broccoli growers with information about how to use cover crops to fine-tune their crop production. Click the image for more information about
it.
- Tall fescue helps protect peach trees from nematodes
- Using ground covers in organic production
- In organic cover crops, more seeds means fewer weeds
February 4, 2013
Farmers can fine-tune their use of cover crops to help manage costs and maximize benefits in commercial organic production systems, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.
Production expenses for high-value organic crops like lettuce and broccoli can exceed $7,000 per acre, so producers often try to streamline costs with an annual two- to three-crop rotation. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) horticulturalist Eric Brennan designed a long-term investigation that examined several different cover cropping strategies for an annual organic lettuce-broccoli production system. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, and this work supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security.
The researcher selected three winter cover crops often grown in the Salinas, Calif., area—rye, mustard, and a legume-rye mix—and planted each cover crop using either a typical seeding rate or a seeding rate that was three times higher. Seeding rates can influence a cover crop's ability to smother weeds.
During lettuce and broccoli production, Brennan ensured all systems received the same fertilizer and irrigation inputs and pest management. The harvest and sale of the crops, which met all USDA organic standards, were conducted by a commercial harvester.
Brennan's results indicated that all three cover crops yielded more dry matter than the two tons of crop residue per acre often recommended for maintaining soil organic matter. The legume-rye and rye cover crops produced approximately 25 percent more dry matter biomass than the mustard crops. But effectively suppressing weeds with the legume-rye crops required seeding at three times the typical rate, while rye and mustard crops appeared to suppress weeds adequately with typical seeding rates.
The long-term study also provided Brennan with more data about year-to-year yield variations in the legume-rye mix, including why legumes, which make up most of the seed costs, are not consistently abundant. Brennan thinks cooler early-season weather helps legumes compete with the rye. So when a hot and dry autumn is expected, producers might want to use a rye cover crop and skip spending the money on a cover crop with legumes.
Brennan, who works at the ARS Crop Improvement and Protection Research Unit in Salinas, has published some his findings in Agronomy Journal and Applied Soil Ecology.
Read more about this research in the February 2013 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
Community, Natural Resources Focus of National Day of Service
Fri, 02/01/2013 - 11:51amFrom planting fruit trees in a Richmond, Calif., edible forest to laying 32 feet of boardwalk to make an Atlanta urban forest accessible to everyone, U.S. Forest Service employees across the country joined their communities to make a difference as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service. The day honors the [...]
NRCS Helps Choctaw Tribe Keep Hominy Tradition Alive & Profitable
Fri, 02/01/2013 - 9:28amFor special meals like those on birthdays and Christmas, members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians include hominy on the menu—but hominy, essentially dried corn kernels, is expensive to purchase. That’s why USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is working to help the tribe grow and harvest hickory king corn and other heirloom white varieties [...]
Eating Out Poses a Challenge to Improving Our Diets
Fri, 02/01/2013 - 9:28amThis post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. With restaurant and take-out meals an everyday occurrence for many, the choices we make when eating out can have a big impact on our [...]
Colorado Resident Achieves Homeownership Dream Twice with Support From USDA
Fri, 02/01/2013 - 7:27amHomeownership became a reality twice for Bruce Longwell, thanks to USDA Rural Development. Twice has Longwell been able to purchase a home through the USDA Direct Home Loan Program. Longwell, a local business owner, first bought a home through the former Farmers Home Administration in 1993 and then again in 2012 through its successor agency, [...]
USDA Scientists Help Select U.S. Dogwood Trees for Planting in Japan
Fri, 02/01/2013 - 6:35amRead the magazine story to find out more.
ARS scientists at the U.S. National Arboretum recently helped the State Department select and prepare a gift of dogwood trees for Japan in honor of the 100th anniversary of their cherry tree gift to this country.
- New cherry tree highlights 100th anniversary of Japanese gift
- Hidden elm population may hold genes to combat Dutch elm disease
- Potential hemlock hybrids tolerant to invasive hemlock woody adelgid
February 1, 2013
Visitors to Tokyo, Japan, will have a chance to see first-hand the beauty of flowering dogwood trees, thanks in part to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists who helped select specific dogwoods best suited to the Japanese climate.
The U.S. government announced in April 2012 a gift of 3,000 flowering dogwoods to Japan to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of flowering cherry trees to the United States. Those cherry trees have blossomed along the National Mall’s Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., and other areas around Washington since then.
The job of finding the right dogwoods for Japan went to scientists at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) U.S. National Arboretum, in Washington, D.C. ARS plant geneticist Richard Olsen determined the appropriate dogwood cultivars for the varied Japanese climate and located the planting material. ARS is USDA’s chief intramural scientific research agency
Olsen and his colleagues evaluated the performance of dogwood germplasm at the arboretum as well as novel cultivars available in the American nursery industry to find those most suited to the Japanese climate. For decades, the arboretum has collected dogwood germplasm from across the United States. Dogwoods are found from Florida to Michigan, and as far west as Missouri and Texas
There are many things to consider when choosing the proper dogwood variety, including temperature range and the insect pests to which particular dogwoods may be susceptible, according to Olsen
The planning group for the dogwood gift includes the U.S. Department of State; USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Forest Service, and ARS; and the U.S./Japan Bridging Foundation, a nonprofit organization
In November 2012, 150 of the dogwoods were planted in Tokyo. Of the 3,000-tree gift, 1,000 dogwoods will be planted in Tokyo, 1,000 in the Tohoku region in honor of the tsunami victims, and the final 1,000 will be distributed to schools and other organizations throughout Japan
Read more about this research in the February 2013 issue of Agricultural Research magazine
USDA Rural Development Tells Nebraska Stakeholders about Revolving Loan Opportunities
Thu, 01/31/2013 - 10:03amUSDA Rural Development and partners held a revolving loan fund stakeholder roundtable in Lincoln, Nebraska via videoconferencing at the Nebraska sites of Kearney, Chadron, Norfolk and Scottsbluff. Thirty-six stakeholders attended, learning about the various revolving loan fund programs that USDA Rural Development offers. Partners who contributed to the roundtable included Executive Director Jen Wolf of [...]
US Mint Releases Quarter Honoring White Mountain National Forest
Thu, 01/31/2013 - 10:03amThe wind-whipped peaks that tower above the tree-filled valleys of the White Mountain National Forest have been a symbol of wild America since well before the first New England colonies were established. Now, the natural beauty that has drawn visitors for centuries is featured on an America the Beautiful Quarter released recently by the U.S. [...]
Corn Cobs Eyed for Bioenergy Production
Thu, 01/31/2013 - 7:38amRead the magazine story to find out more.
ARS scientists at the U.S. National Arboretum recently helped the State Department select and prepare a gift of dogwood trees for Japan in honor of the 100th anniversary of their cherry tree gift to this country.
- New cherry tree highlights 100th anniversary of Japanese gift
- Hidden elm population may hold genes to combat Dutch elm disease
- Potential hemlock hybrids tolerant to invasive hemlock woody adelgid
February 1, 2013
Visitors to Tokyo, Japan, will have a chance to see first-hand the beauty of flowering dogwood trees, thanks in part to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists who helped select specific dogwoods best suited to the Japanese climate.
The U.S. government announced in April 2012 a gift of 3,000 flowering dogwoods to Japan to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of flowering cherry trees to the United States. Those cherry trees have blossomed along the National Mall’s Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., and other areas around Washington since then.
The job of finding the right dogwoods for Japan went to scientists at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) U.S. National Arboretum, in Washington, D.C. ARS plant geneticist Richard Olsen determined the appropriate dogwood cultivars for the varied Japanese climate and located the planting material. ARS is USDA’s chief intramural scientific research agency
Olsen and his colleagues evaluated the performance of dogwood germplasm at the arboretum as well as novel cultivars available in the American nursery industry to find those most suited to the Japanese climate. For decades, the arboretum has collected dogwood germplasm from across the United States. Dogwoods are found from Florida to Michigan, and as far west as Missouri and Texas
There are many things to consider when choosing the proper dogwood variety, including temperature range and the insect pests to which particular dogwoods may be susceptible, according to Olsen
The planning group for the dogwood gift includes the U.S. Department of State; USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Forest Service, and ARS; and the U.S./Japan Bridging Foundation, a nonprofit organization
In November 2012, 150 of the dogwoods were planted in Tokyo. Of the 3,000-tree gift, 1,000 dogwoods will be planted in Tokyo, 1,000 in the Tohoku region in honor of the tsunami victims, and the final 1,000 will be distributed to schools and other organizations throughout Japan
Read more about this research in the February 2013 issue of Agricultural Research magazine
Corn Cobs Eyed for Bioenergy Production
Thu, 01/31/2013 - 7:38amRead the magazine story to find out more.
Corn cob residues that are often left on harvested fields to protect soil quality could be removed and turned into a source of biofuel with harming the soil, according to new ARS research. Photo courtesy of NRCS-USDA.
- Improving air quality with no-till cropping
- Soil erosion modeling: It's getting better all the time
- USDA scientists match bioenergy sites, feedstocks
January 31, 2013
Corn crop residues are often left on harvested fields to protect soil quality, but they could become an important raw material in cellulosic ethanol production. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research indicates that soil quality would not decline if post-harvest corn cob residues were removed from fields.
This work, led by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) soil scientist Brian Wienhold, supports the USDA priority of developing new sources of bioenergy. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency.
Wienhold, with the ARS Agroecosystem Management Research Unit in Lincoln, Neb., led studies that compared runoff rates and sediment loss from no-till corn fields where postharvest crop residues were either removed or retained. The scientists also removed cobs from half of the test plots that were protected by the residues.
After the test plots were established, the scientists generated two simulated rainfall events. The first occurred when the fields were dry, and the next occurred 24 hours later when the soils were almost completely saturated.
During the first event, on plots where residue was removed, runoff began around 200 seconds after the "rain" began. Runoff from plots protected by residues didn't start until around 240 seconds after it started to "rain."
Runoff from the residue-free plots contained 30 percent more sediment than runoff from all the residue-protected plots. But the presence or absence of cobs on the residue-protected plots did not significantly affect sediment loss rates.
Wienhold's team concluded that even though cob residues did slightly delay the onset of runoff, sediment loss rates were not significantly affected by the presence or absence of the cobs. The results indicated that the cobs could be removed from other residue and used for bioenergy feedstock without significantly interfering with the role of crop residues in protecting soils.
In a related study, Wienhold examined how the removal of cob residues affected soil nutrient levels. Over the course of a year, his sampling indicated that cobs were a source of soil potassium, but that they weren't a significant source of any other plant nutrients.
Results from this work have been published in Agronomy Journal.
Read more about the research in the January 2013 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
USDA Announces Winners of 2013 Agricultural Outlook Forum Student Diversity Program
Thu, 01/31/2013 - 7:18amAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the selection of 30 university students who will attend USDA’s 2013 Agricultural Outlook Forum. The students—who attend land-grant, Hispanic-serving, and American Association of State Colleges of Agriculture and Renewable Resources Institutions—have received assistance from USDA and corporate sponsors in order to attend the Forum. The 2013 Agricultural Outlook Forum will [...]
US Forest Service, BLM announce 2013 grazing fee
Wed, 01/30/2013 - 5:00pmWASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2013 – The federal grazing fee for 2013 will be $1.35 per head month (HM) for lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The grazing fee for 2013 is the same as it was in 2012.
What’s Your Beef – Prime, Choice or Select?
Wed, 01/30/2013 - 12:13pmThe USDA grade shields are highly regarded as symbols of safe, high-quality American beef. Quality grades are widely used as a “language” within the beef industry, making business transactions easier and providing a vital link to support rural America. Consumers, as well as those involved in the marketing of agricultural products, benefit from the greater [...]
Pike Valley Farm Foods – Certified Organic Pasture Farming in Kentucky
Wed, 01/30/2013 - 8:06amOver a decade ago, Winston and Teresa Pike brought their family back to the 140-acre farm where Winston grew up to begin a farming operation of their own. Since then, the Pikes’ business has grown from a small family farm with fewer than ten pasture-fed beef cattle to a thriving operation with over 100 head [...]
Secretary's Column: Encouraging Americans to Enjoy the Great Outdoors
Wed, 01/30/2013 - 8:06amAs we look ahead to the coming years, I know that rural America has unlimited capacity to continue providing a great deal for every American – including even more opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors. We know that many Americans deeply value outdoor recreation. According to industry estimates more than 140 million Americans participate in [...]
