California Biofuel Plant and USDA Specialty Crop Investment

**The increasing use of biofuels could generate bullish vibes for ag commodities in the future.

And, E-T-F Trends says plans for a biofuel plant in California could spur more investors to take a closer look at agricultural commodities.

California’s use of a biofuel plant could spur other states to follow suit.

In turn, that would increase demand for agricultural commodities like soybeans and corn.

**Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced USDA investments designed to support the U.S. specialty crops industry.

The launch of the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports Initiative will provide $65 million for projects that will help the specialty crop sector increase global exports and expand access to new markets.

USDA also announced $72.9 million in grant funding available to support the specialty crops industry through the Specialty Crop Grant Program.

**The USDA says most farm loan borrowers will be able to make loan payments online through the Pay My Loan feature on farmers.gov in early February.

Pay My Loan is part of a broader effort by the Farm Service Agency to streamline its processes, especially for producers who may have limited time during the planting or harvest seasons to visit a local FSA office.

On average, local USDA centers process more than 225,000

farm loan payments each year.