**Some 72 million acres of farmland, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition report, are enrolled in USDA’s first green payment program.

The Conservation Stewardship Program holds 8% of all U.S. farmland and is equal in size to Iowa and Georgia combined.

Farm Bureau economist John Newton says contracts on 17.7 million acres expire by 2028, so Congress, in writing the 2018 farm bill, may “consider which type of cropland to prioritize and how long acres should remain in CRP.”

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**Imagine slapping an organic label on anything you want.

You'd do none of the work, but reap a hefty premium for the label. It's dishonest and unfair to the growers who put in the extra effort to become certified organic.

The USDA tells agrimarketing.com, using fraudulent documents to market non-organic ag products as organic is punishable by fines of up to $11,000 for each violation.

The USDA has identified more than 90 companies fraudulently marketing their products as organic.

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**The USDA is making U.S. soybean farmers and exporters aware of a new procedure to comply with phytosanitary import requirements to China.

According to agrimarketing.com, the new procedure applies to both bulk and container shipments of raw, unprocessed soybeans to china, and the rules are necessary to maintain the uninterrupted flow of U.S. soybeans to the United States' largest export market.

Last year, China noted U.S. soybean shipments had too much foreign material in each load, including dirt and weed seeds.

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