Press releases

USDA Seeks Nominees for American Pecan Promotion Board

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Seeks Nominees for American Pecan Promotion Board Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks nominees for the American Pecan Promotion Board. Nominees are needed to fill six seats with terms beginning Oct. 1, 2026, and ending Sept. 30, 2029. USDA seeks nominees for the following seats: Four Western producer seats Two importer seats The Western Region consists of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, plus any states in the U.S. whose land mass is in the Mountain or Pacific Time zones, plus any U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean. The board is made up of 17 industry members including 10 producers and seven importers. To serve on the board, producers and importers must have produced or imported more than 50,000 pounds of inshell pecans (25,000 pounds of shelled pecans), on average, for four fiscal periods. Producers who produce pecans in more than one region may seek nomination only in the region in which they produce the majority of their pecans. More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) American Pecan Promotion Board webpage or on the board’s website at www.eatpecans.com. For nomination information, contact the American Pecan Promotion Board at industry@eatpecans.com or (817) 985-3034 or USDA Marketing Specialist Sarah Richardson at Sarah.Richardson@usda.gov or (202) 720-8085. Since 1966, Congress has authorized industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight to 21 boards. The oversight ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity and is paid for by industry assessments. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA Seeks Nominees for the United Soybean Board

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Seeks Nominees for the United Soybean Board Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominees for the United Soybean Board for 22 members and three alternates with terms that expire in December 2026. The nominees will represent the following states and regions. Member Seats: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Alternates Seats: Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas. The deadline for nominations is May 29, 2026. Individuals appointed to the board will serve three-year terms beginning in December 2026. Soybean producers in the United States who own or share ownership and risk of loss in soybean production are eligible for nomination. To be nominated, a soybean producer must be endorsed by a qualified state soybean board and complete a background application. The Secretary of Agriculture will select individuals from the submitted nominations. A list of qualified state soybean boards, nomination form, and information about the board are available on the AMS United Soybean Board web page and on the board’s website, unitedsoybean.org . For more information, contact Barbara Josselyn at 202-713-6918 or Barbara.Josselyn@usda.gov . Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight of 21 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Media Advisory: NRC to Hold Public Webinar to Discuss NRC Website Modernization

USDA Announces $100.9 Million in Grant Funding Available for Projects to Support the Specialty Crop Industry

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Announces $ 100.9 Million in Grant Funding Available for Projects to Support the Specialty Crop Industry Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a total of $100.9 million in grant funding available through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) and Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP) . This year, SCBGP has $86.6 million in funding available for innovative projects designed to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through marketing, education, and research. Funds are distributed to U.S. states and territories based on a formula that considers both specialty crop acreage and production value. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is accepting SCBGP applications until June 8, 2026. Eligible SCBGP applicants are agricultural agencies or departments of agriculture in the 50 States, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Participating states and territories will subaward funding to locally led projects to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, floriculture, and nursery crops. Those interested in applying for a subaward should apply directly through their state departments of agriculture. A list of state contacts is available on the SCBGP website. USDA also has $14.3 million available through SCMP to fund collaborative multi-state partnerships to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. SCMP awards competitive grants to participating state departments of agriculture as well as local governments, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit organizations residing in nonparticipating states. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is accepting applications until October 16, 2026. SCMP supports projects that address food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific common issues, and marketing and promotion for specialty crops including fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture). State departments must partner with organizations located in at least two different states to qualify. Partner organizations include specialty crop producer associations and groups, state agencies, Tribal governments, universities, nonprofits, and other stakeholder groups and organizations. Application Information SCBGP applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 8, 2026, and SCMP by 11:59 p.m. ET on October 16, 2026. Any grant application submitted after the due date will not be considered unless the applicant provides documentation of an extenuating circumstance that prevented their timely submission of the grant application. More information is available in the AMS’ Late Applications, Denials and/or Appeals Procedures Policy . Both programs are funded through P.L. 119-21, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. For more information about grant eligibility, visit the SCBGP website or contact the SCBGP Team at scblockgrants@usda.gov for SCBGP inquiries, and the SCMP website or contact the SCMP Team at SAGPgrants@usda.gov for SCMP inquiries. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender

USDA Launches National Feeder and Stocker Cattle Dashboard

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Launches National Feeder and Stocker Cattle Dashboard Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today launched the National Feeder and Stocker Cattle dashboard . This is the fourth launch of a new dashboard as part of ongoing efforts to make USDA’s Market News information more user-friendly. Farmers and ranchers now have instant access to dynamic, visualized data, with price movements, volume changes, and market comparisons all in an easy-to-read format. AMS previously published the Livestock Auction, LMR Cattle, and Cattle Contract Library dashboards, and will continue to deliver tools to support producers as they make marketing decisions for their products. With the new National Feeder and Stocker Cattle dashboard users can create customizable filters to refine their view by date, sale type, region, class, and weight, giving them the flexibility to focus on the data that matters most to their operation. This interactive tool will replace the text and pdf reports currently posted on the AMS Market News website while also expanding processing, consumer transparency, and markets for farmers and ranchers. For more information on the dashboard and its use, please view the linked video . If you have questions about the new dashboard, please contact Lonnie Peetz, Officer in Charge with the Livestock, Poultry, and Grain Market News Division, at (816) 341-2106 or Lonnie.Peetz@usda.gov . USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender

NRC Streamlines Environmental Reviews with Two New Rules

USDA Announces Appointments of Members to Nine Research and Promotion Boards

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Announces Appointments of Members to Nine Research and Promotion Boards Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appointments of members to nine Research and Promotion Boards. Announcements: - National Dairy Promotion and Research Board - Hass Avocado Board - National Honey Board - National Peanut Board - National Watermelon Promotion Board - National Potato Promotion Board - National Sorghum Board - American Egg Board - U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council National research and promotions programs help industries expand domestic and foreign markets for their commodities by conducting production research, marketing research and development, consumer education and information, advertising, promotion, marketing and crisis management. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight of 21 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

STB Issues Draft Environmental Assessment for Proposed New Rail Line in Webb County, TX

The Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) today issued a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed construction and operation of a new rail line in Webb County, Texas. The Draft EA analyzes the potential environmental and historic impacts of approximately 2.6 miles of new rail line that would connect to the existing Union Pacific Railroad mainline and serve a new industrial park under development, known as the Gateway Industrial Park, near the intersection of Interstate Highway 35 (I-35) and State Highway 255 (SH-255) north of Laredo, Texas.

FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Beef and Pork Products Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergen

FSIS ISSUES PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT FOR BEEF AND PORK PRODUCTS DUE TO MISBRANDING AND UNDECLARED ALLERGEN The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for raw beef and pork products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen. The products may contain sesame, a known allergen, which is not declared on the product label. A recall was not requested because the products are no longer available for purchase.

EIA releases the Annual Energy Outlook 2026

The Annual Energy Outlook 2026 (AEO2026) explores medium- and long-term alternative futures in the United States through 2050. AEO2026 enables the public to explore a suite of alternative pathways for our energy future depending on assumptions made about markets, technological breakthroughs, and policy. It includes a narrative report, as well as the full set of data tables and visualizations, assumptions and methodologies, and detailed descriptions of the 11 cases we ran to explore these alternative futures.

NRC to Hold Virtual Meeting to Discuss Vogtle and Hatch Nuclear Power Plants Safety Performance

NRC Schedules Public Outreach to Discuss Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant Performance