georgia

The Southern Region of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, is home to nearly 144,000 farming operations that produce a variety of commodities. Agriculture is deeply rooted in the region and has shaped it into an area known for its warm hospitality and delicious comfort food. What better embodies Southern hospitality than a freshly baked slice of pie?

On May 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) held its Southeastern Regional Equity Convening on the grounds of The Sherrod Institute in Albany, Georgia in conjunction with the Institute’s Annual Farm Field Day, focused this year on advancing equity at USDA and ensuring equitable access for farmers to climate-smart practices.

Food and service have a special place in Walter Brooks, Jr.’s heart. Today, he runs Brooksmade Gourmet Foods in Atlanta, Georgia, which exports clean-label condiments, sauces and rubs.

With last month’s announcement of the 2023 Specialty Crop Block Grant awards, the program has reached a milestone of over $1 billion invested into projects to support the U.S. specialty crop industry. Since the program’s inception in 2006, 1890s land-grant universities throughout the country have been using USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funding to address key specialty crop challenges in their states. SCBGP supports these historically Black colleges and universities, and others nationwide, by funding a variety of grant projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.

Renee McDonald, a first-generation sheep producer in Lee County Georgia, spends many nights monitoring newborn ewes. In the last lambing season at Sheepy Acres Farm, eight out of ten of her pregnant ewes gave birth to twins. The lambing season holds many memories, but it also presents challenges, including twin births that require double the attention.

USDA Rural Development’s Rural Partners Network (RPN) is transforming how the federal government partners with rural communities to foster economic growth. With an alliance of federal agencies and civic partners, RPN helps create jobs, build infrastructure, and improve communities throughout rural America.

Wetlands are one of nature’s most important and productive ecosystems. They provide wildlife habitat, store floodwaters, filter pollutants, capture carbon, and offer recreational opportunities. Since 2016, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has spent $20 million to establish wetland mitigation banks to help restore and protect wetland ecosystems on agricultural land.