The drought monitor report as of Tuesday, March 25th continues the deterioration in conditions from last week with a small area of South Central Kansas near the border now in severe drought. Our entire area is now back to moderate drought. The six to ten-day outlook (April 1 to 5) indicates a 40 to 50% chance of leaning above normal for temperatures and a 33 to 40% of leaning above normal for precipitation. The eight to 14-day outlook (April 3 to 9) indicates a continuation of six to ten-day outlook.
Today, there is a great deal going on in Washington regarding government agencies, programs, eliminating staff and grant funding. The USDA (the United States Department of Agriculture) is no exception. Producers in the areas of crop and livestock production are aware of the many functions the USDA serves. Many in the public likely have a cursory understanding of its role. And many more don’t realize how it affects them with no direct ties to agriculture. So, what does the USDA do and why does it matter?
There isn’t room here to list all the impacts and the importance of the USDA. For instance, the largest portion of previous Farm Bills, we still don’t have a new one, involves food for those in need. We will focus on programs directly impacting agriculture production.
• There are a variety of programs to assist livestock and crop producers. They range from programs designed to help young people become producers to protecting land and water. Broad categories include rural development, water systems, value added housing programs, expanding communication access, energy and electric programs, developing cooperative services, community facilities, and aiding businesses. There isn’t enough room in this column to list them all. They benefit not only producers and rural communities but the entire populace. They help, directly and indirectly, in the survival of rural America.
• Another huge component is protecting our land and water resources. The NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) provides not only funding to protect soil and water resources, but also technical expertise and guidance to help. For the average American, they work to keep potentially harmful chemicals out of your food and water supply.
• There are programs to help producers with the costs of stewarding land and water, storage, and infrastructure development. Important programs help producers economically. These programs include low interest loans, deficiency payments, and the big one – helping with crop insurance. These aren’t designed to make producers rich but to help keep them in business
• They are involved in helping maintain a safe food supply. Perhaps you have seen their stamp on a cut of beef. They work to ensure pests that are potential problems stay outside our borders.
• The USDA is very involved in helping market our agricultural products across the globe. They have expanded markets for production. They gather, analyze, and disseminate information on production and stocks, not only for the U.S. but across the world.
The list goes on and on.
Dr. Victor L. Martin is the agriculture instructor/coordinator for Barton Community College. He can be reached at 620-792-9207, ext. 207, or martinv@bartonccc.edu.
