Wisconsin State

The USDA announced changes to the Farm Service Agency’s Farm Loan Programs that take effect on September 25, 2024. The changes are intended to increase opportunities for farmers and ranchers to be financially viable. These improvements are part of the Enhancing Program Access and Delivery for Farm Loans rule.

USDA Updates Farm Loan Programs

WMIL FM106.1

The recalled products pose the risk of causing serious health issues.

Popular Spice Recalled Across Wisconsin Poses 'Permanent' Health Risk

Alabama State

The Independent

 The Biden administration has doled out more than $2 billion in direct payments for Black and other minority farmers discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the president announced Wednesday.More than 23,000 farmers were approved for payments ranging from $10,000 to $500,000, according to the USDA. Another 20,000 who planned to start a farm but did not receive a USDA loan received between $3,500 and $6,000. Most payments went to farmers in Mississippi and Alabama. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters that the aid “is not compensation for anyone’s loss or the pain endured, but it is an...

Black and other minority farmers are getting $2 billion from USDA after years of discrimination

TravelNoire

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reached a historic $2.2 billion settlement to compensate Black and other minority farmers who faced years of systemic discrimination in farm lending programs. This landmark agreement will address decades of unfair treatment. It will also provide financial assistance to those affected by discriminatory practices before January 2021.

USDA Announces $2 Billion Settlement For Black And Minority Farmers

Texas State

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Lance R. Fletcher

Like most states, Texas has been mobilizing to combat rising cases of fentanyl use. But, for years, Texas has struggled with high cases of methamphetamine use. 2024 is no exception, according to data collected by the nonpartisan World Population Review.

Texas ranks second in nation for meth use

Colorado State

Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and Kansas Senator Roger Marshall sent a letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack asking him to adapt USDA’s drought mitigation programs to provide sufficient resources to western farmers and ranchers. The letter details testimony and recommendations given by Colorado and Kansas producers, water experts, and...

Senators Urge Ag Secretary to Improve Drought Response

Chicago, IL

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Foodie in Chicago

Shortly before 3 AM, people in the Chicago area may have felt their houses shake as a 3.4-magnitude earthquake occurred about 60 miles west of the city. (CHICAGO) The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.4-magnitude earthquake around Somonauk, IL. Somonauk is in DeKalb and LaSalle Counties, 64 miles west of Chicago.

Did You Feel the Earthquake?

South Carolina State

Explore Beaufort SC

The mantis shrimp is one tough customer. Beautiful and deadly are two words you don’t typically use to describe shrimp, but the mantis shrimp is definitely in a class of its own; earning a reputation as the ‘savage boxer of the sea’ and one of the most fearsome creatures in the ocean. And, they're right at home here in South Carolina.

Savage Boxer of the Sea: The Deadly Beauty of Mantis Shrimp

Greg Endries is no stranger to the Wild Gay West. For the past year, he’s been touring the gay rodeo circuit of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) for his photographic series, Cowboys and Cattle Queens. Endries has focused his efforts in the western and southern U.S. because the...

Ride ’em, cowboy – 25+ pics from gay rodeos across the U.S.A.

Heifer buyers today will leave the sale barn with a dent in their pocketbooks. On the other hand, farmers who are selling their heifers are leaving with smiles on their faces and nice checks in their pockets. Heifer prices over the past few years have been steadily on the rise and continue to remain high. In a recent Iowa State University Extension “Raising Your Dairy Best Heifer” webinar, dairy specialist Fred Hall gave food for thought on the dairy heifer replacement market.

Heifer prices expected to remain high

July 29, 1889 — In view of the great number of swindlers moving about the country the farmers should deal with none but home dealers. Buy your farm implements and machinery from your local dealers. If you buy them from strangers they will want some instrument in writing, which, when pay day comes around you may find not to be exactly what you thought it was.

Farmers, be careful

Florida State

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Uncovering Florida

With hurricane season posing a consistent threat six months out of the year, who would not like a little help getting their home ready for the harsh weather to come? Senate Bill 7028: My Safe Florida Home Program, approved by Governor DeSantis on April 24, 2024, and effective as of July 1, appropriates a one-time total of $200 million from 2024 to 2025 for the purpose of funding hurricane mitigation grants and inspections, as well as outreach and administration costs, to support homeowners in Florida.

DeSantis Signs New Bill Giving $200 Million To Homeowners

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a $2 billion initiative aimed at compensating individuals who faced discrimination in USDA programs. This historic move seeks to address longstanding issues of inequality and ensure fairness in agricultural support and services. The funds will be distributed to eligible farmers, ranchers, and...

USDA Allocates $2 Billion for Discrimination Payments

Mount Airy, NC

William Dalton Edwards, 25, of Mount Airy, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge for his involvement in a $1 million livestock theft scheme, said Dena King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Edwards conspired with another individual from April...

N.C. man pleads guilty in $1 million livestock theft scheme

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

The Lens

This year’s area of low oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday. The “dead zone” is approximately 6,705 square miles , as measured last week. Within NOAA’s 38 years of measuring the dead zone, this year’s assessment marks the 12th-largest area of low to no oxygen, which can kill fish and marine life.

Gulf ‘dead zone’ larger than average, larger than expected for 2024, scientists announce

Minnesota State

Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) painted a depressing picture in his opening remarks. “Declining prices and cash receipts, escalating natural disasters, and increasing input costs have created a perfect storm that will compromise the foundation of our agricultural economy. We are living through the largest two-year decline in farm income in history,” said Thompson. “At the end of 2024, total farm sector debt will be the highest the U.S. has seen since at least 1970. Most farmers and ranchers, including those here with us today, are likely to be worse off financially by years’ end.”

Farm Financial Conditions are Rough

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced loan interest rates for August 2024, which became effective Aug. 1, 2024. USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help farmers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs.

USDA Announces August 2024 Lending Rates for Agricultural Producers

Bucks County Beacon

As chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, Senator Bernie Sanders released a June report entitled “ By the Wealthy, for the Wealthy: The Coordinated Attacks on Public Education in the United States .” The report is a brief but thorough (16 pages of text, 4 pages of footnotes) takedown of the current wave of attempts to end public education as we know it.

Senator Bernie Sanders Warns in New Report of Right-Wing Billionaire Plot to Sabotage Public Education in Order to Privatize It

Georgia State

Appling County, GA

Daily Coffee Press

A 40-year-old man from Appling County, Christopher Eric Stone, with a significant criminal history, was recently sentenced to over five years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, according to officials from the Department of Justice.

Georgia Man Sentenced to Over 5 Years for in Federal Prison for Meth Distribution

NewsBreak

U.S. Sen. Baldwin introduces legislation to combat wildlife and livestock disease outbreaks

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Wildlife-Agriculture Disease Prevention Act of 2024, new legislation to increase inter-agency coordination to prevent and mitigate...

U.S. Sen. Baldwin introduces legislation to combat wildlife and livestock disease outbreaks

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