• What checks will be made before a 4-bale module will be averaged?
  • The 4 bales must have the same color grade (e.g. all 11, all 21, etc.) and must be in the following list: 11, 21, 31, 41, 12, 22, 32, or 42. 
  • The 4 bales must pass the outlier tolerances for all 8 quality factors (e.g. micronaire, strength, length, uniformity, color Rd, & +b, trash % area, and particle count).
  • The 4 bales all either have or don’t have Extraneous Matter.
    • When EM is called it must all be the same EM.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the appointment of 12 members to serve on the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. The appointees will serve three-year terms, effective Nov. 1, 2024, through Oct. 31, 2027.

Newly appointed members are: 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the appointment of nine members to serve on the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board. Eight of the nine appointees will serve three-year terms, effective immediately through June 30, 2027. The appointee for Region 13 will serve the remaining term of a vacant position, effective immediately and expiring June 30, 2026.

The newly appointed members are:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), in partnership with the National Cotton Council (NCC), is piloting a program for the 2024-2025 cotton crop that will allow bales to be shipped in four-bale groupings that use averaged quality data. This program will make the flow of cotton into the marketplace more efficient, a goal of both the cotton industry and USDA.

In partnership with the National Cotton Council (NCC), USDA is piloting a program for the 2024-2025 cotton crop that will allow bales to be shipped in four-bale groupings that use averaged quality data. These groupings of four bales or multiples of four bales will carry the same official USDA classing data for all eight quality factors in an effort to make the flow of cotton into the marketplace more efficient.

The Yakama Nation Tribal Government has begun taking measures to provide the Yakama people with increased access to fresh, local, and high-quality food sources that support their traditional diets and assist in upholding their sovereign treaty rights. The after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have continued to upset the supply chain and are impacting marginalized communities at a disproportionate rate. Local food systems are successfully increasing access to affordable, reliable, and nutritious products to areas that are particularly vulnerable to becoming “food deserts”.

Relatives Feeding Relatives is an initiative to promote traditional foodways, increase access to healthy foods, and invest in the local food economy for the Sicangu Oyate (Rosebud Sioux Tribe). The program aggregates locally produced and wild harvested foods, with procurement led by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s economic development arm – Rosebud Economic Development Corporation (REDCO).