February 12, 2013
The seven-year-old U.S. agricultural boom, driven by record-high commodity prices and painfully tight supplies, is expected to peak this year and then come to an abrupt end as high costs start to bite, the government projected on Monday. The U.S. …
January 10, 2013
The government declared much of the central and southern U.S. Wheat Belt a natural disaster area on Wednesday due to persistent drought that imperils this year’s winter wheat harvest. In its first disaster declaration of the new year, the Agriculture …
October 19, 2012
The eastern New Mexico town of Portales is preparing for its 39th annual peanut festival this weekend. But the festivities may be overshadowed by anxiety over the shuttering of a local plant at the heart of a national peanut butter …
July 5, 2012
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says 62 of Colorado’s 64 counties qualify for federal disaster relief due to drought conditions. Gov. John Hickenlooper says Vilsack notified him Tuesday that he was designating all of the state’s counties, except Delta and San …
February 1, 2012
The U.S. Agriculture Department has designated 15 Washington counties as primary natural disaster areas due to extreme weather conditions in the first seven months of 2011. Sen. Maria Cantwell says farmers in those areas are eligible to apply for USDA …
January 20, 2012
Arizona is set to get $5.2 million in disaster aid from the Department of Agriculture. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the award as part of more than $300 million in emergency assistance to 33 states and Puerto Rico. Utah and …
September 16, 2011
Perhaps it’s a matter of perspective. If you’re a cattle rancher in New Mexico without enough grass to feed your stock, it’s a drought. If you’re a satellite orbiting a couple of hundred miles away in space, things may look …