Ag News: USDA’s $11.5-million for Smaller Farms

**The USDA announced an $11.5 million research investment to help ensure America's small and medium-sized farms become more profitable and improve the quality of life in American farm communities.

According to www.agrimarketing.com USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded 24 grants to 20 universities and organizations through their Ag and Food Research Initiative.

These research efforts focus on alternative crop enterprises, marketing, and scaling up fruit and vegetable production to overcome marketing constraints.

www.agrimarketing.com/s/135513

**Agricultural exporters say moving farm products through California ports has been a “nightmare.”

A surge in cargo volumes, a reduced port workforce and other problems have contributed to a shortage in shipping containers.

Shippers trying to export California crops and commodities say they’ve experienced canceled bookings, increased costs and concerns about lost business, and fear problems may not ease for weeks or even months.

**The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced last week it would NOT implement its Federal Register Notice requiring the use of radio frequency ID eartags on all adult cattle crossing state boundaries beginning in 2023.

R-CALF USA argued the mandatory RFID notice was unlawful and the only way the agency could change current law was to conduct a formal rulemaking process.

The agency has finally agreed to abandon the notice and will only do so in the future through a formal rulemaking process.