Land of 10 Thousand Lakes and 20 Million Turkeys

From USDA:

Posted by Dan Lofthus, Minnesota State Statistician, National Agricultural Statistics Service, on January 15, 2015 at 2:00 PM

Minnesota may have 10,000 lakes, but it has a lot more turkeys! Check back next Thursday for another state spotlight drawn from the 2012 Census of Agriculture!

As we’re bracing for another arctic winter blast here in Minnesota, it is the perfect time for me to get indoors and introduce you to our state’s agriculture with the help of the results from the most recent Census of Agriculture.

While, according to the Census Bureau, less than 1 percent of our state’s population are involved in agriculture, our state ranks fifth in the United States for the value of agricultural products sold. In 2012, Minnesota farmers sold nearly $21.3 billion worth of products.

Just as with other Midwestern states, our top agricultural products are corn and soybeans. Our growers planted more than 8.3 million acres to corn for grain and more than 7 million acres to soybeans in 2012.  Looking at a more unique crop, our growers lead the nation in sugarbeet production in 2012. That year they harvested more than 12.3 million tons of that crop.

Crops may be the larger portion of our agriculture, but Minnesota livestock sector is not too shabby either. In 2012, our livestock producers sold more than $7.4 billion worth of livestock, poultry and their products, such as eggs and milk. We are especially proud of our turkey industry. You may not know this, but Minnesota is the #1 producer of turkeys in the United States. The latest Census of Agriculture counted nearly 19.5 million birds on our state’s farms.

Our farmers take many steps to make sure Minnesota residents have access to fresh locally-grown food. In 2012, there were 4,213 farms in our state selling products directly to individuals. In addition, 305 farms in Minnesota participated in Community Supported Agriculture programs, bridging the relationship between farmers and consumers. To meet consumer demand for organic products, our farmers also produced and sold more than $67 million worth of organic products in 2012.

This is just a small sample of what the Land of 10,000 Lakes has to offer. Don’t forget, the Census of Agriculture also gives us details of our farms and those who tend to them. I didn’t get a chance to discuss farmer demographics here, but you can check them out by visiting www.agcensus.usda.gov.

A Potato's Eye on Idaho Agriculture

From USDA:

Posted by Vince Matthews, Idaho State Statistician, National Agricultural Statistics Service, on December 11, 2014 at 11:00 AM

Idaho potatoes – the phrase rolls off the tongue easily because Idaho leads the country in growing potatoes. Check back next week as we spotlight another state and the results of the 2012 Census of Agriculture.

The Census of Agriculture is the most complete account of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Every Thursday USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will highlight new Census data and the power of the information to shape the future of American agriculture.

When it comes to potatoes, Idaho is #1. Results of the 2012 Census of Agriculture confirmed it. According to the census, Idaho farmers led the United States in acres of potatoes harvested, at 345,217 acres. And believe it or not, this was done by only 794 farms. On these farms, 58 percent of the potato harvested acres were for the fresh market and 42 percent were for processing.

Of course, the other parts of our agriculture are no small potatoes either. Overall, in 2012 we had 24,816 farms in our state, and our farmers sold more than $7.8 billion worth of agricultural products. Nearly a third of that amount – $2.3 billion – came from milk sales. Only three states, California, Wisconsin, and New York, had more milk sales than Idaho. Idaho’s Gooding County ranked fourth in the nation for milk cow inventory. The 2012 census counted nearly 179,000 head of milk cows there.

When it comes to crops, barley is one of the biggest commodities grown in Idaho. Nearly a quarter of all U.S. barley came from our growers. In 2012, they produced more than 51 million bushels of this important crop. Nearly 600,000 acres of Idaho farmland were dedicated to barley. We were also one of the top states for winter wheat, with more than 738,000 acres.

We also have plenty of less conventional agriculture, which was captured by the census. For example, 74 farms raised peacocks and peahens in Idaho in 2012. We also had 276 farms that raised llamas and 20 farms that raised bison. This less conventional agriculture was not limited to livestock. In 2012, the census also counted six farms growing boysenberries and 13 farms with currants.

This is just a snapshot of Idaho’s agriculture. Our state has a lot more to offer from both the conventional and the less traditional sides of agriculture. To see more of Idaho’s 2012 Census of Agriculture results, check out www.agcensus.usda.gov.

A Census Story from Benton County, Mississippi

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Hubert Hamer, NASS Statistics Division Director, on April 17, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Cattle graze on a farm in Benton County, Mississippi. Cattle and calves ranked as the top livestock inventory item for the Benton County in the previous census of agriculture – what will the 2012 Census results reveal? (Photo courtesy of Dennis Garner)

The Census of Agriculture is the most complete account of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Every week USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will highlight new Census data and the power of the information to shape the future of American agriculture.

The final 2012 Census of Agriculture release is just around the corner. My passion for Census data is rooted not only in the benefits the Census results provide for agriculture as a whole, but also in the value it provides at the local level. To help you see and share all the ways Census data are working for you, USDA is kicking off a dialogue to share how the Census is working for you and your community.

Through Your Census. Your Story., you can become engaged in the Census Story.

My Census Story begins in Benton County, Mississippi. I grew up on a small livestock and row crop farm in Benton County. Like the trends in farming that continue today, I left the family farm to go to college. After graduation, I joined USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

At NASS, I maintained my roots in agriculture by collecting and providing ag data to all those who serve farmers and rural communities. Through the Census, I worked directly with the farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and community based organizations (CBOs) that rely on the information that only the Census provides.

For the 2012 Census of Agriculture, I personally visited many of these local organizations across the country and listened to their stories about how the Census can help the people and communities the CBOs represent.  From CBOs in the West who depend on the data to improve production and rural services in their communities, to agribusinesses in the East who depend on the results to improve facilities and diversify marketing options in their areas.

Regardless of which county or community you represent, the real impact of the Census can be found at the local level. When the 2012 Census data are released all the way to the county level, I will look at what has happened in Benton County, where my passion for agriculture began.

I will also look at how I can continue to use census data to serve agriculture off the farm, just as I did when I ventured away from the farm many years ago. I will ask, “How can I continue to empower others with Census data to help benefit farmers, ranchers, and rural communities?” This is my Census Story.

What’s your #AgCensusStory? How does the Census benefit you, your operation, and your community? I encourage you to read and listen to more stories and share yours at www.agcensus.usda.gov/Census_Story/.

Secretary's Column: Disaster Assistance Sign Up for Farmers and Ranchers to Begin April 15

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, on April 11, 2014 at 12:00 PM

Over the past several years, livestock producers have suffered through long-term drought, blizzards and other extreme weather-related disasters. Without the surety of disaster assistance programs, severe weather has caused economic hardship for producers and many have struggled to survive.

Since the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill, which restored and strengthened disaster assistance programs, USDA has made quick implementation of these programs a top priority. I am pleased to say that thanks to the hard work of Farm Service Agency employees across the country to stand up these programs, farmers and ranchers can begin signing up for disaster assistance starting this Tuesday, April 15.

There are several different programs available, depending on the size and type of your farm or ranch operation. For livestock producers, the Livestock Indemnity Program and the Livestock Forage Disaster Program will provide payments to eligible producers for livestock deaths and grazing losses that have occurred since the expiration of the livestock disaster assistance programs in 2011, and including calendar years 2012, 2013, and 2014. For certain losses not covered by these programs, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish.

Enrollment also begins on April 15 for the Tree Assistance Program (TAP), which provides financial assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate trees, bushes and vines damaged by natural disasters.

To ensure that your application moves through the process as smoothly as possible, I encourage producers to collect thorough records documenting your losses, including:

• Documentation of the number and kind of livestock that have died, supplemented if possible by photographs or video records of ownership and losses;
• Dates of death supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts;
• Costs of transporting livestock to safer grounds or to move animals to new pastures;
• Feed purchases if supplies or grazing pastures are destroyed;
• Crop records, including seed and fertilizer purchases, planting and production records;

I also encourage you to contact your county office ahead of time for more information on the types of records you’ll need to apply for disaster assistance, and to schedule an appointment to apply. More information is available at disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

The Farm Bill makes a number of other changes to USDA programs that will impact farmers and ranchers, including recently-announced changes to farm loan programs that help support existing operations and invests in new farmers and ranchers. Visit www.usda.gov/farmbill for more information about our progress towards full implementation of all farm bill programs.

Stopping a Winged Purveyor of Disease and Death

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Sandy Miller Hays, USDA-Agricultural Research Service Information Staff, on April 7, 2014 at 12:00 PM

The mosquito Aedes aegypti can spread several diseases as it travel from person to person. Only the females feed on blood. In this photo, the mosquito is just starting to feed on a person’s arm.

During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America, highlighting ways USDA researchers are improving the lives of Americans in ways you might never imagine.  For example, researching mosquitoes that spread diseases that threaten human health worldwide.

Today is World Health Day, and this year’s theme is vector-borne diseases—those diseases spread by organisms like insects, ticks and snails.  Significant vector-borne diseases in the Americas include dengue fever, malaria, leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis and schistosomiasis.

One of the most egregious offenders is the mosquito, and the scientists of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are taking aim at this winged attacker with weapons ranging from traditional remedies to computer modeling and satellite images.

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a viral disease spread to livestock and humans via mosquito bites, and is a major threat in Africa and the Middle East. ARS scientists partnered with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and federal partners from NASA, CDC and the Department of Defense to form the Rift Valley Fever Outbreak Early-Warning Team to develop and transfer an early-warning system to detect and predict outbreaks of RVF.

The model is based on analyzing satellite images to detect when temperatures in the Pacific and Indian oceans elevate concurrently to produce widespread and heavy rainfall in Africa. The right conditions can give rise to major increases in the number and longevity of infected mosquitoes that spread the disease. Similar models can help predict outbreaks of malaria and dengue.

In October 2006, the model predicted that RVF would flare up within three months in sub-Saharan Africa, and warnings were sent to countries in harm’s way to allow them to step up surveillance and controls for disease-carrying insects. Additional warnings were issued from 2007-2010 in Sudan, Southern Africa and Madagascar months prior to the detection of RVF disease.

At a remote patrol base in Iraq, ARS scientist and U.S. Army entomologist Seth Britch applies a pesticide treatment to camouflage netting and shade cloth that will be suspended over outdoor eating and cooking areas and areas between dormitories. This treatment reduces populations of biting flies and mosquitoes by transferring lethal doses to the insects when they rest on the camouflage material.

In other work, ARS scientists have shown that compounds in the oil of seeds of Jatropha curcas—burned in homes in India—are effective mosquito repellents. They’ve also shown that a naturally occurring compound from pine oil seems to deter mosquito biting and repels two kinds of ticks.

Additionally, ARS scientists have evaluated treatments applied to uniforms to help protect military personnel against biting insects, and have helped the military evaluate spray equipment to combat insects that threaten the health of deployed soldiers.

These are just a few examples of the ways ARS scientists serve every day on the front lines in the battle against mosquitoes, ticks and other creatures that pose ongoing, serious threats to the health of the world’s population.

ARS agricultural engineer Clint Hoffmann evaluates a pesticide spray nozzle as ARS works to devise better ways of protecting military personnel from disease-transmitting insects like mosquitoes.

Beginning Farmers Cattle Operation Benefits from Initiative for Underserved Farmers

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Beverly Moseley, NRCS, on August 29, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Emma and Percy Brown of Vicksburg, Miss., are beginning farmers whose lives have benefited from funding through the USDA StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity initiative.

For over a year, Mississippi retirees Percy and Emma Brown traveled 50 miles roundtrip three times a week from their home in Vicksburg, Miss. to their farm in Port Gibson in order to water their cattle. It was a time consuming process that involved filling up eight barrels with many gallons of water for the growing cattle herd.

That all changed when the Browns, who were new to farming, heard about USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, an agency that helps private landowners implement conservation. They visited the Port Gibson field office and learned that they could receive funding from NRCS for livestock water troughs through the USDA StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity initiative.

The Browns were able to install the farm’s first-ever water troughs with StrikeForce funds. The farm now has two water troughs located in separate pastures. That means that the Browns’ days of hauling water are over, and they can now spend that time on other farm projects.

The national StrikeForce initiative addresses high-priority funding and technical assistance needs in rural communities in 16 states, including Mississippi, with a special emphasis on historically underserved producers and communities in designated counties with persistent poverty. The initiative provides an opportunity for NRCS to work with underserved landowners to determine how to best leverage available financial assistance. Beginning farmers like the Browns are considered historically underserved.

Farmer Percy Brown and Patrick Smith, NRCS district conservationist in Port Gibson, Miss., visit about conservation planning on Emma and Percy Brown’s farm.

“We just really wanted to get started and we didn’t really know how,” Percy says.

StrikeForce also helped the Browns install conservation practices such as cross fencing, one key to implementing a rotational grazing system which can help reduce the pressures caused by overgrazing. Negative effects of overgrazing include soil compaction, decreased soil organic matter and reduced forage availability for the livestock.

The Browns now have peace of mind knowing their 15 head of cattle will always have drinking water. The water troughs have also freed up more time for the Browns to enjoy their retirement days working on the farm.

Since the Browns installed two water troughs and heavy use pads on their farm from additional EQIP funds through the USDA StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity initiative, they are no longer spending hours using a water hose to fill up eight water barrels for their cattle.