South Dakota State

Wakonda, SD

Alabama State

Reuters

(Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday it has issued $2 billion of financial assistance to more than 43,000 farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who experienced past discrimination in the agency's farm lending programs.

US farm agency to provide discrimination payments to 43,000 farmers

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

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

Kansas State

One out of every four head of fed cattle marketed in the U.S. has been fed in a Kansas feedlot. Consider that in 2023, according to Kansas Ag Statistics and the Kansas Livestock Association, Kansas had 2.48 million head of cattle on feed, making it the third-highest number in the nation behind Texas and Nebraska. And when you combine those top three states that lie over the Ogallala Aquifer, they are home to about 8 million head of feeder cattle.

Water reclamation at feedlots just got a boost

New York City, NY

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Cheryl E Preston

Yesterday was the third time this year that an ad stating Chelsea Clinton lives in a beautiful Virginia home popped up on my laptop. My computer did not warn me this was a dangerous site, so this time, I clicked on the link.

Chelsea Clinton is rumored to be living in Virginia but probably still in NYC

Iowa State

Dubuque, IA

New York Post

Tractor giant John Deere faced backlash after announced it was laying off hundreds of workers across the Midwest — even as it continues to operate a manufacturing hub in Mexico.

The Illinois-based company, which is the world’s largest seller of large tractors and other farm equipment, informed hundreds of employees in Iowa last week that they were out of a job.

Around 100 people will come from the plant in Dubuque, according to Hoosier Ag Today.



Earlier this month, John Deere said it would be cutting 600 jobs at three facilities in Illinois and Iowa.

The company said it planned to eliminate 28 positions...

John Deere under fire for laying off hundreds of American workers as it shifts manufacturing to Mexico

On Wednesday​,​ July 31​,​ ​the ​U​.​S​. ​D​epartment of ​A​griculture (USDA)​ announced the transmittal of over $2 billion in funds to over 43,000 agriculture producers and forest landowners who had experienced discrimination by USDA prior to 2021. The ​Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP)​, authorized by the Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed by Congress in 2021, paved the way for this important program to emerge.

USDA announced the transmittal of over $2 billion in funds to over 43,000 agriculture producers and forest land owners who had experienced discrimination by USDA prior to 2021

Georgia State

Mississippi State

Black farmers and others who faced discrimination from the U.S. Department of Agriculture received more than $2 billion in direct payments following years of delays due to legal challenges. Approximately 43,000 individuals received payouts up to $500,000, with the majority of awards going to farmers in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and...

Farmers who faced USDA discrimination receive ‘historic’ $2B payout

A new University of Georgia (UGA) study published in the Journal of Agromedicine reveals that one in five U.S. farmers report binge drinking alcohol when they experience high levels of stress. Farming is a uniquely stressful vocation. Farmers work long hours performing labor-intensive, repetitive and often dangerous tasks. Farming is...

Stressed Farmers Turn to Alcohol to Cope

Maine State

The government has issued $2 billion in payments to more than 43,000 farmers who suffered discrimination when they applied for USDA farm loans in the past, said President Biden on Wednesday. More than half of the recipients were producers in Mississippi and Alabama, who received a combined $905.5 million. Congress...

Biden announces $2 billion in USDA discrimination payments

Food & Wine

How a distribution crunch is inhibiting the growth of the industry.

U.S. Craft Distilleries Are in Crisis

North Carolina State

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Town Talks

North Carolina is home to a variety of communities, each with its own unique character. Among these are places known for their affluence, high educational attainment, and perceived sense of superiority—qualities that some might consider snobbish.

These are Top 4 Snobbiest Places In North Carolina For 2024

Chicago, IL

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?

Tech company Divert reports higher pace of loss attributed to product usage, consumer behaviors and weather. The season for the freshest produce and frequent get-togethers is also a time of significant food waste, new research confirms. This week, tech company Divert, Inc. shared data indicating that food waste is nearly 30% higher in summer versus winter.

Food Waste Really Does Pile Up in Summer

Waterloo, IA

Deere & Co. is reducing its salaried global workforce as tractor sales weaken through a difficult farm economy, adding to a series of recent layoffs across the company. Increased operational costs and demand declines have “unfortunately forced us to make tough decisions,” a Deere spokesperson told Agriculture Dive in an email Thursday. The company confirmed salaried workforce reductions were taking place, but did not disclose exact numbers or estimates.

Deere lays off salaried workers as sales tank

Denver, CO

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David Heitz

A dangerous drug that is being mixed into fentanyl is causing those who inject it to develop a rash of sores that resembles a case of flesh-eating bacteria. People experiencing homelessness around Denver can sometimes be seen with these bloody, weeping wounds. I recently mentioned this phenomenon to a fentanyl user who told me about the xylazine connection.

Denver homeless people suffer sores as xylazine enters fentanyl supply

Colorado State

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

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

South Carolina State

Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

Kentucky State

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Kentucky’s Community Actions Partnerships have announced the starts date for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Summer Subsidy, aimed at helping Kentucky households offset summer cooling costs.

LIHEAP Summer Subsidy program to help with summer cooling costs to begin enrollment July 16

Volin, SD

Gayville, SD

Centerville, SD

Irene, SD

Viborg, SD

Mission Hill, SD

Utica, SD

Vermillion, SD

Beresford, SD

Yankton, SD

Wynot, NE

Burbank, SD

Davis, SD

Hurley, SD

Maskell, NE

Alcester, SD

Fordyce, NE

Lennox, SD

Elk Point, SD

NewsBreak

Hemp is an easy entry for farmers, say growers

WAKONDA, S.D. (KELO) — There are over 3,000 acres of hemp being grown in South Dakota this year, according to the South Dakota Industrial Hemp Association...

Hemp is an easy entry for farmers, say growers

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