National Weather
Realtime, daily and weekly precipitation maps, weekly weather analysis with drought severity and crop moisture indexes. Monthly historical precipitation and temperature rankings. Bookmark the pages for quick reference.

Monthly Sea Surface Temperatures by years indicating warm (ElNino) and cool (LaNina) episodes.

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Recorded Webcast on National Organics Program from 12:30 - 1:30 on March 7, 2000.

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U.S.-China WTO Accession Agreement
The Agreement locks in and expands U.S. access to a market of over one billion people. U.S. agricultural exports to China in fiscal year 1999 were $1.1 billion and should increase dramatically as a result of this Agreement.

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For information on Expanding Trade with China

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Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, and representatives of the Department of Commerce and Department of Interior discuss the first drought forecast of 2000. From left: William Daley, Commerce Secretary., James Baker, NOAA Administrator, John Kelly, Director, National Weather Service, and Charles Groat, Director, USGS.
USDA Photo 0313005

Glickman Announces Additional $231 Million for Drought Relief

WASHINGTON, DC, March 13, 2000--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today announced that farmers and ranchers will receive about $231 million in payments for 1999 grazing losses, damaged pasture land and loss of livestock due to droughts and other natural disasters. "For our farmers and ranchers, Mother Nature's whims can be the difference between profiting and perishing. More than any other vocation, farmers are at the mercy of forces completely beyond their control," said Glickman. "This assistance will help get producers back on their feet again."

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Remarks by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman 19th European Agricultural Outlook Conference

LONDON, UK -March 9, 2000--"Thank you, Mr. Pooley. I also want to thank Minister Brown and Commissioner Fischler. With me today are Catherine Woteki, Under Secretary for Food Safety, and Isi Siddiqui, my Senior Trade Advisor.
"I want to begin with the figure $346 billion. That's the amount of trade, in all sectors, that the United States and the European Union engaged in last year. For agriculture the overall figure was over $14 billion.

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Glickman Announces Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting

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National Organic Program Accepting Comments
Comments about the revised proposed rule for USDA's National Organic Program are now being accepted. The website provides assistance in sending comments via surface mail or on the Internet. A link is also available for searching comments.

Great Nutrition Debate
The transcript includes the presentations of speakers and remarks by Secretary GLickman. (135 pages)

Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants & Loans
Application deadline is March 17, 2000. The program provides $20 million in grants and $200 million in loans for distance learning/telemedicine project serving rural America.

Oilseed Payment Program
Application deadline is March 31, 2000. Producers who planted an eligible oilseed in 1999 are eligible to participate in the oilseed program.

Competitive Grants for Research, Education, and Extension
Application deadline is May 8, 2000.More than $113 million in grants is available for the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS) during 2000. The Initiative's focus is on agricultural biotechnology, food safety and nutrition, new uses for agricultural products, natural resources management and farm efficiency and profitability. Application kit on the IFAFS website.

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