RSSAll Entries Tagged With: "USDA"

Drought Information Statement from NWS-Pueblo

  Widespread precipitation, running between one to three inches, has been recorded across much of the drought stricken southeastern Colorado Plains throughout the first two weeks of October. This, along with abundant summer precipitation associated with the southwest monsoon, has allowed for additional improvements in the multi-year drought across portions of south central and southeast […]

Grants Help Colorado Specialty Crops

  BROOMFIELD, Colo. – Nine grants totaling nearly $840,000 have been awarded through the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s 2014 Specialty Crops Program. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). Funds are received by the Colorado Department of Agriculture from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Specialty Crop […]

USDA Cattle on Feed Report

CATTLE ON FEED COLORADO The number of cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in Colorado feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 head or larger was estimated at 800,000 head as of September 1, 2014. The latest inventory was down 4 percent from September 1, 2013, and down 1 percent from the previous […]

NWS Summer Weather Recap

    June through August began warm and dry across most of south central and southeast Colorado, save for some spotty heavy precipitation across the southeast plains due to early season thunderstorms. The southwest monsoon kicked in early and was very active through that month, leading to abundant and much needed precipitation across the area, […]

PCDI Discusses Rural Business Loan Sources

  Prowers County Development Incorporated has accepted insurance bids from between eight and ten agents in Lamar and Prowers County for the East Washington Street property.  Premiums following roof repairs on one of the warehouses following a summer wind storm have increased significantly and the PCDI board is looking for the best deal.  Board member […]

El Pomar Gives New Life to HOPE

Lori Hammer, Project HOPE director in Lamar, has received confirmation from the El Pomar Foundation of a $100,000 grant for funding into the 2014-2015 school year.  “I received a phone call telling us we had been awarded the donation, and the recent confirmation made it official,” she explained.  The funding announcement comes just in time, as […]

Livestock Slaughter – July 2014 – U.S. Highlights

  Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 3.91 billion pounds in July, down 6 percent from the 4.16 billion pounds produced in July 2013. Beef production, at 2.09 billion pounds, was 9 percent below the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.60 million head, down 10 percent from July 2013. The average live […]

Butterfly Discovery at Sand Creek Massacre NHS

This regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) marks yet another unique visitor to Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. The National Park Service noted its outstanding colors and photographed it in Colorado’s Kiowa County for the first time. Unfortunately, regal fritillaries continue to decline in number and area. As in the picture, milkweed can draw this species […]

USDA Forecasts Record-High Corn and Soybean Production in 2014

  Washington, Aug. 12, 2014 – U.S. soybean producers are expected to produce a record 3.82 billion bushels in 2014, up 16 percent from last year according to the Crop Production report issued today (Aug 12, 2014) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Growing conditions were conducive for corn growers […]

RE-2 Meal Eligibility Guidelines for 2014 – 2015

  2014-2015 School Year – PUBLIC RELEASE Lamar Re-2 School District today, 8/7/2014,  announced its policy for determining eligibility of children who may receive free and reduced price meals served under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, Afterschool Care Snack Program and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Local school officials will use the […]

US Farm Production Expenditures Top $367 Billion in 2013

 Farm Land Values Maintain Upward Climb WASHINGTON – August 1, 2014 – U.S. farmers spent $367.3 billion on agricultural production in 2013, a 2.0 percent increase from 2012, according to the Farm Production Expenditures report, published today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Per farm, the average expenditures total $175,270 […]

Drought Information Statement from NWS-Pueblo

Early Start for Summer Monsoon Brings Some Drought Relief to S.E. Colorado June was a warm and dry month for south central and southeast Colorado, except for some spotty but beneficial moisture to the plains.  However, with a fairly early start to the summer monsoons season, July brought much more needed precipitation to the drought […]

U.S. Cattle Inventory Down 3 Percent from 2012

    Washington, July 25, 2014 – As of July 1, there were 95.0 million head of cattle on U.S. farms, according to the Cattle report published today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). This is the lowest inventory for July 1 since the series began in 1973. Other key […]

Crop Production – July 2014 – Colorado Highlights

  Based on July 1 conditions, winter wheat production in Colorado is forecast at 86.4 million bushels, down 3 percent from the June 1 forecast but 95 percent above the 44.3 million bushels produced last year. Estimated acreage for harvest, at 2.40 million acres, is down 150,000 acres from June 1, but 760,000 acres more […]

US Corn Stocks Up 39%, Soybeans Down 7%, All Wheat Stocks Down 18% from June 2013

    Corn stocks in all positions on June 1, 2014 totaled 3.85 billion bushels, up 39 percent from June 1, 2013. Of the total stocks, 1.86 billion bushels are stored on farms, up 48 percent from a year earlier. Off-farm stocks, at 1.99 billion bushels, are up 32 percent from a year ago. The […]

U.S. Hog and Pigs Inventory Down 5 Percent

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2014 – As of June 1, there were 62.1 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, the lowest inventory since 2007, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Other key findings in the report were: Of the 62.1 […]

Livestock Slaughter – May 2014 – US Highlights

  Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 3.95 billion pounds in May, down 5 percent from the 4.15 billion pounds produced in May 2013. Beef production, at 2.07 billion pounds, was 7 percent below the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.63 million head, down 8 percent from May 2013. The average live […]

Farms and Land in Farms – NASS Report

  ARIZONA The number of farms and ranches in Arizona in 2013 totaled 19,600, down 400 operations from the revised 2012 estimate. Total land in farms in Arizona, at 26.2 million acres, was unchanged from the revised 2012 estimate. The average size of farm was 1,337 acres, compared to 1,310 acres the previous year. COLORADO […]

USDA Has New Resources at ChooseMyPlate.gov to Help Consumers Make Healthier Food Choices

  The U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled Healthy Eating on a Budget – the newest addition to ChooseMyPlate.gov. Consumers continue to want more information about how to make better eating decisions with limited resources. To meet this need, the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) developed the new resource to include easy-to-use and […]

First Quarter 2014 Agricultural Exports Increase $64.8 Million

    LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Colorado’s agricultural exports exceeded $2 billion in 2013, and have already grown $64.8 million (19%) in the first quarter of 2014. Colorado’s first quarter exports went to 96 countries, which is six more countries than in the first quarter of 2013. Colorado’s top export increases: ·         Mexico increased by $32 […]