Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced approximately $11.2 million in financial assistance to American dairy producers enrolled in the 2016 Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy). The payment rate for May/June 2016 will be the largest since the program began in 2014. The narrowing margin between milk prices and the cost of feed triggered the […]

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) is offering three free, online, self-paced sustainable agriculture courses. These include Sustainable Agriculture Principles and Concept Overview, Strategic Farm/Ranch Planning and Marketing, and a new course on Agricultural Ecosystem Management. This program is designed primarily for Cooperative Extension and Natural Resources Conservation Service personnel and is open to farmers, […]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Maine today announced that dairy producers can enroll for 2017 coverage in the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) starting July 1. The voluntary program, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides financial assistance to participating dairy producers when the margin — the difference […]

The Maine Migrant Education Program (MEP) is a federally-funded program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Title I, Part C) that provides supplemental educational services to the children of seasonal agricultural and fishing workers that move to new school districts in order to obtain work in industries such as blueberries, broccoli, apples, dairy, eggs […]

Agritourism is a great way to get the public onto your farm and into your farm stand. This marketing practice gives the public an opportunity to better understand where their food comes from and to see the hard work that goes into the food that you produce by getting them into your fields or up […]

Free Interactive Lessons Can Help Land and Finances Strategic livestock management can improve soil health, pastures, and profits. A new online tutorial, “Managed Grazing Tutorial,” by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) goes in-depth into how changing the way grazing animals are managed can improve both the condition of your land and your bottom […]

Crop insurance. Insurance payments from crop damage count as income. Generally, you should report these payments in the year you get them. Sale of items purchased for resale. If you sold livestock or items that you bought for resale, you must report the sale. Your profit or loss is the difference between your selling price […]

As part of the USDA National Organic Program’s Sound and Sensible Initiative, the International Organic Inspectors Association (IoIA) created two videos on what producers can expect during an organic farm inspection. The focus of the video is to take some of the mystery out of the process for producers considering beginning or transitioning to an […]