Tag: USDA

USDA announces new slate of broadband grants

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by LICA-National

USDA is announcing plans today to spend $759 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding in the third round of the department’s ReConnect program. The money will go to 24 U.S. states and territories.

A USDA official described three of the grants: $36.5 million of the funding will go to Public Service Telephone Co. in Georgia, $62.5 million to Shelby Electrical Cooperative in Illinois and $7.1 million to the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority in the Navajo Nation.

Take note: The USDA official said the funds are supposed to be used “as expeditiously as possible,” but the program does have a five-year buildout timeframe.

USDA Investing $197 Million in Partner-Driven, Locally led Conservation

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by LICA-National

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced it is awarding $197 million for 41 locally led conservation projects through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). RCPP is a partner-driven program that leverages partner resources to advance innovative projects that address climate change, enhance water quality, and address other critical challenges on agricultural land.

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USDA to Invest $15 Million in Innovative Projects for Climate-Smart Agriculture, Urban Agriculture and Addressing Invasive Species

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by LICA-National

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will invest $15 million this year for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) Classic program. Through CIG, grantees work to address our nation's water quality, water quantity, air quality, soil health and wildlife habitat challenges, all while supporting agricultural production. This year’s funding priorities are climate-smart agriculture, addressing invasive species and conservation in urban agricultural systems.


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New Study Reveals Increasing Rate of Erosion In Midwest

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by LICA-National

A new study in the journal Earth's Future led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows that, since Euro-American settlement approximately 160 years ago, agricultural fields in the midwestern U.S. have lost, on average, two millimeters of soil per year. This is nearly double the rate of erosion that the USDA considers sustainable. Furthermore, USDA estimates of erosion are between three and eight times lower than the figures reported in the study. Finally, the study's authors conclude that plowing, rather than the work of wind and water, is the major culprit.


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USDA Provides More Broadband Funding

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by LICA-National

The Department of Agriculture is providing a fresh $1.15 billion in ReConnect program funding to expand broadband availability in rural communities. The new funding will be available for projects in areas where 90% of households lack service with download speeds of 100 megabits per second download speeds and upload speeds of 20 Mbps.


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Senate Confirms Key USDA Official

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by LICA-National

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed an important member of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s team at USDA, approving the nomination of Robert Bonnie to be undersecretary for farm production and conservation.

The vote was 76-19, with more than two dozen Republicans backing Bonnie, including farm-state lawmakers such as Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Thune and Mike Rounds of South Dakota, and Arkansas Sen. John Boozman, ranking member of the Agriculture Committee.


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Coalition Urges Funding for Ag Conservation and Technical Assistance

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by LICA-National

The National Association of Conservation Districts and a coalition of 165 leading agriculture, conservation and wildlife groups sent a letter to Congress urging them to ensure that the proposed $28 billion investment into U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agriculture conservation programs and conservation technical assistance remains in the final budget reconciliation package.


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