U.S. Department of Agriculture

MODERATOR, SEC. TOM DORR: Good morning. My name is Tom Dorr. I'm the under secretary for Rural Development here at the Department of Agriculture. I'm delighted that you could all join us.  

The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects Florida's orange crop to be slightly lower than last year.  

Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Cotton took its biggest weekly tumble since 1995, sliding by the exchange limit in New York today after the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut its export forecast by 10 percent amid a slowing economy.  

The entire Oregon coast has been closed to mussel harvesting due to marine toxins. The Oregon Department of Agriculture shut down the recreational harvest from the mouth of the Columbia River to the California border due to elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins.  

Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Cotton plunged to a 16-month low, dropping the most allowed by ICE Futures U.S. in New York, after the Department of Agriculture cut its export forecast by 10 percent as the credit crisis reduces textile purchases.  

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday increased its monthly forecast for this year's corn and soybean harvest due to wetter weather, potentially lowering commodity prices.  

The U.S. Grains Council is committed to enabling trade to increase profitability for U.S. farmers while providing an abundant supply of food and feed grains to overseas consumers.  

CHICAGO (AP) – Gov. Rod Blagojevich has tapped acting director Tom Jennings to serve as Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. In announcing the appointment Wednesday, Blagojevich noted that Jennings has spent his entire career with the department and has more than 30 years...  

(Corrects fourth paragraph to say corn futures rose.) Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Corn rebounded from the lowest price this year, the first gain in 10 sessions, on speculation that U.S. farmers will withhold supplies because they are guaranteed a floor price under government-subsidized crop insurance.  

A familiar rural scene in America in the 1980s -- often in the Midwest -- was another family farm being sold because of financial troubles. A number of factors went into the farm crisis during those years, but heavy debt was one of the most significant causes. At one point in the early 1980s, U...  

Texas Department of Agriculture makes two Panhandle cities among top retirement places in the state.  

Wholesalers and retailers of pork products have agreed with officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to peg the prices of choice cuts like pigue, kasim and liempo at a range of P140 to P150 per kilogram.  

(RTTNews) - On Tuesday, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy revealed the National Biofuels Action Plan, an interagency plan detailing efforts to accelerate the development of a sustainable biofuels industry.  

The American Soybean Association (ASA) is urgently requesting help from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Ed Schafer in funding for 2009 the soybean rust early warning and management system that has helped soybean farmers manage and protect their crops.  

Three times as many gypsy moths were trapped in Minnesota this year as in any previous year, state Department of Agriculture officials said today.