USDA Gulf Shrimp Purchase and College Aggie Scholarship Competition
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**The Animal Ag Alliance’s annual College Aggies Online scholarship competition kicks off September 14th.
College students and collegiate clubs will compete in the nine-week program to learn how to engage food and agriculture online AND in their communities.
Last year students were awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships.
Don Schindler, with Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy checkoff, says they’re happy to offer advice and feedback to support this next generation of ag advocates.
**The USDA recently announced it will help with another round of seafood purchases, this one totaling $30 million, aimed at shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico.
Gulf shrimpers have had their usual supply, but with much lower demand, as the widespread closing of restaurants and hotels have destroyed their market.
According to modernfarmer.com, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue approved the USDA purchase of excess shrimp to distribute to food banks and other avenues for food-insecure Americans.
https://modernfarmer.com/2020/08/usda-to-buy-distribute-30-million-worth-of-gulf-shrimp/
**The National Pork Producers Council and 26 state pork associations asked the USDA’s Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to implement enhancements to the Livestock Risk Protection insurance program.
These changes would mitigate the impact of unexpected declines in hog values from unanticipated events like the pandemic.
NPPC asked for two modifications; an increased subsidy to make the program more affordable, and expansion of the coverage to 52 weeks and an increase in the number of head eligible.
