FSA announces dairy program enrollment

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden today announced that starting July 1, 2015, Dairy farmers can now enroll in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Margin Protection Program for coverage in 2016.

It’s a voluntary program, established by the 2014 Farm Bill and provides financial assistance to participating dairy operations when the margin – the difference between the price of milk and feed costs – falls below the coverage level selected by the farmer. Harden made the announcement while visiting Wolfe’s Neck Farm and dairy school in Freeport, Maine.

For more information, visit FSA online.

Sorghum checkoff referendum passes with overwhelming margin

Sorghum producers showed their appreciation for what the Sorghum Checkoff program is doing for their industry by passing the recent referendum by an overwhelming 96.5 percent.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service made the announcement earlier this week.

“Results from the referendum indicate sorghum farmers across the nation believe in the work the Sorghum Checkoff is doing,” said Sorghum Checkoff Chairman Dale Murden. “This was a very important vote and signals the Checkoff is providing results and advancing the industry in a way that leads to farmer profitability.”

See more at the Sorghum Checkoff website.

Grasshopper infestations may cause severe crop damage

Grasshoppers may create trouble for High Plains farmers this summer and likely will require treatment, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist in Amarillo.  Without treatment, crop damage could be extensive.

Ed Bynum, says a wide assortment of grasshopper species is present. The egg hatch typically ends by late June, but the nymphs will be molting four to five more times and will become adults over the next 40 to 60 days. And that’s when the real damage will begin, he said.  For more details on the grasshopper invasion press here.