Latest News From USDA

Ag Secretary Vilsack hails voluntary “Product of U.S.A.” label as a vital step towards consumer protection and builds on efforts to bolster trust and fairness in the marketplace.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday nearly $66 million to improve water quality, roads, trails, bridges and fish habitat on national forests and grasslands nationwide.

New final rule under the Packers and Stockyards Act promotes inclusive competition and prevents discrimination, retaliation and deception in contract farming.

A new report explains how the Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program will facilitate farmer, rancher, and private forest landowner participation in voluntary carbon markets.

The U.S. cattle report shows all cattle and calves reported at 87.2 million head, 2% below the 88.8 million last year.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack told attendees at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention that new investments will generate income, create jobs and strengthen competition for farmers and ranchers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the appointment of 26 members to serve on the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board.

Historic funding will support wildland firefighters, reduce the risk of future wildfires, and advance fire recovery.

Good precipitation fell on Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Parts of the South, interior Southeast, and Midwest worsened. As of December 19, 2023, 33.32% of the lower 48 states are in drought.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announces progress to further competition in agriculture and level the playing field for farmers and ranchers under President Biden's executive order on competition.

The Farm Service Agency is updating the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) payment rate to support livestock producers in the Midwest who have lost cattle to the extreme heat and humidity experienced this summer.

Beef cows and total mid-year inventory down 3%. Cattle on Feed July 1 totaled 11.2 million head, down 2% from July 2022.

USDA announces an atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), a neurologic disease of cattle, in an approximately five-year-old or older beef cow at a slaughter plant in South Carolina.

USDA will host three educational events focused on animal handling and its effects on the quality, yield, and market value of cattle, the CME live cattle specifications, and emerging technology in the cattle industry.

Immediate Help for Over 13,000 Distressed USDA Farm Loan Borrowers; Begins process to provide up to $500 million more for up to 23,000 additional borrowers.

USDA announced that additional commodities and features are now available on the free USDA Market News App, which provides producers and others along the supply chain with instant access to market information.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will host a cattle industry listening session to inform the development of a Cattle Contracts Library Pilot Program on Thursday, April 21.

APHIS is providing more than $200,000 dollars in Farm Bill funding to support developing movement decision criteria for sheep and cattle grazing public land allotments during a potential foreign animal disease outbreak.

United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Department is investing $633 million to reduce the impacts of climate change on rural communities.

EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski and U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a newly created transatlantic collaboration platform on agriculture sustainability and climate change.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced an investment of over $50 million to 140 organizations and institutions that teach and train beginning farmers and ranchers.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a significant expansion of access to high-speed internet, health care and educational services for millions of rural Americans nationwide.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a comprehensive set of investments to address challenges facing America’s agricultural producers.

USDA published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to solicit comments regarding the labeling of meat and poultry products made using cultured cells derived from animals under FSIS jurisdiction.

Producers in certain counties can now request haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres while still receiving their full rental payment. FSA updates the list of eligible counties weekly.

Beginning Monday, USDA’s Market News will issue two new reports based on Mandatory Livestock Reporting data to provide further insight into formula cattle trades and help promote fair and competitive markets.

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) recently launched a new, interactive grading dashboard to capture current and historical quality grade and volume information for beef and other proteins.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a new Grading Dashboard, capturing current and historical quality grade and volume information for beef, lamb and veal shown in a visual format.

USDA will begin work on three proposed rules to support enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, a 100-year-old law designed to protect producers from unfair, and anti-competitive practices in meat markets.

USDA published a Federal Register Notice requesting public input on a climate-smart agriculture and forestry strategy, directing the Ag Secretary to solicit input from stakeholders to develop a climate-smart approach.

Placements in feedlots during November totaled 1.91 million head, 9 percent below 2019. Net placements were 1.85 million head.

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 12.0 million head on Nov. 1, 2020.

Agricultural producers and professionals focused on livestock risk management are invited to a free webinar on livestock markets, price risk and risk management options available through USDA. 

APHIS recently awarded contracts to purchase up to eight million low-frequency radio frequency identification (RFID) ear tags, which will help increase overall animal disease traceability in cattle and bison.

Cattle on feed in feedyards with 1,000 or more head totaled 11.4 million July 1, the second highest inventory since the series began in 1996.

All cattle and calves in the United States on July 1, 2020 totaled 103 million head, slightly above the 103 million head on  July 1, 2019.

Placements in feedlots during April totaled 1.43 million head, 22 percent below 2019. Placements were the second lowest for April since the series began in 1996.

National Ag Day was launched in 1973 to recognize the important contributions of America’s farmers and ranchers to America.

Farmers and ranchers may apply to enroll grasslands in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands signup beginning March 16.

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.9 million head on February 1, 2020.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that the first shipment of U.S. beef recently arrived in South Africa following the reopening of the South African market earlier this year.

Agreement is expected to further increase beef exports to Peru, which topped $25 million in 2015.

Compared to last week, calves traded mostly 3.00-8.00 higher with instances 10.00 higher and yearlings sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher. Active trading this week in the major marketing areas as feeder cattle market continues to rally with many calves headed south for winter grazing. 

Compared to last week, calves and yearlings sold mostly steady to 5.00 higher, with instances throughout the trade area where the markets traded in a 5.00 higher to 5.00 lower range early in the week.

Cattle and lesser prairie-chickens both need healthy rangeland to thrive. Through voluntary conservation efforts, farmers and ranchers in the southern Great Plains can restore habitat for this iconic bird while strengthening working lands. 

According to research done by the Nikkei Marketing Journal (Nikkei MJ), an industrial newspaper, released on November 30, 2015, U.S. beef was ranked as the fifth best among 35 beef brands surveyed.