Bioenergy Program
The Bioenergy Program was an initiative of the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency. The program started on October 1, 2002, and was terminated on June 30, 2006. The program made payments to ethanol and biodiesel producers who expand their production capacity from eligible commodities. In the year of the expansion, the program payments help offset the cost of the additional commodity feedstocks (usually corn for ethanol and soybeans for biodiesel) needed for the expansion. In addition to corn and soybeans, also barley, grain sorghum, oats, rice, wheat, sunflower seed, canola, crambe, rapeseed, safflower, sesame seed, flaxseed, mustard seed, and cellulosic crops were defined as eligible commodities if grown on farms for production of ethanol or biodiesel. The program was codified into law by the United States 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107–171, Sec. 9010). It was funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation. Spending for the program was capped at $150 mil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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United States Department Of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production, works to assure food safety, protects natural resources, fosters rural communities and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally. It is headed by the Secretary of Agriculture, who reports directly to the President of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who has served since February 24, 2021. Approximately 80% of the USDA's $141 billion budget goes to the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) program. The largest component of the FNS budget is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as the Food Stamp program), which is the cornerstone of USDA's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Canola
Close-up of canola blooms Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, it was eaten in limited quantities due to high levels of erucic acid, which is damaging to the cardiac muscle of animals and imparts a bitter taste, and Glucosinolate, glucosinolates, which made it less nutritious in animal feed. Rapeseed oil can contain up to 54% erucic acid. Canola oil is a food-grade version derived from rapeseed cultivars bred for low erucic acid content. Also known as low erucic acid rapeseed (LEAR) oil, it has been generally recognized as safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Canola oil is limited by government regulation to a maximum of 2% erucic acid by weight in the US and the EU, with special regulations for infant food. These low levels of erucic acid do not cause harm in humans. In commerce, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Congressional Budget Office
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a federal agency within the legislative branch of the United States government that provides budget and economic information to Congress. Inspired by California's Legislative Analyst's Office that manages the state budget in a strictly nonpartisan fashion, the CBO was created as a nonpartisan agency by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Whereas politicians on both sides of the aisle have criticized the CBO when its estimates have been politically inconvenient, economists and other academics overwhelmingly reject that the CBO is partisan or that it fails to produce credible forecasts. There is a consensus among economists that "adjusting for legal restrictions on what the CBO can assume about future legislation and events, the CBO has historically issued credible forecasts of the effects of both Democratic and Republican legislative proposals." History The Congressional Budget Office was created by Title II of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commodity Credit Corporation
The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is a wholly owned United States government corporation that was created in 1933 to "stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices" (federally chartered by the CCC Charter Act of 1948 (P.L. 80-806)). The CCC is authorized to buy, sell, lend, make payments, and engage in other activities for the purpose of increasing production, stabilizing prices, assuring adequate supplies, and facilitating the efficient marketing of agricultural commodities. The CCC, which has no staff, is essentially a financing institution for the USDA's farm price and income support commodity programs, commodity export credit guarantees, and agricultural export subsidies. The programs funded through CCC are administered by employees of the Farm Service Agency, the Agricultural Marketing Service, and the Foreign Agricultural Service. The CCC has the authority to borrow up to $30 billion from the US Treasury to carry out its obligations. Net losses from its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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2002 Farm Bill
The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, also known as the 2002 Farm Bill, includes ten titles, addressing a great variety of issues related to agriculture, ecology, energy, trade, and nutrition. This act has been superseded by the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill. The act directs approximately 16.5 billion dollars of funding toward agricultural subsidies each year. These subsidies have a dramatic effect on the production of grains, oilseeds, and upland cotton. The specialized nature of the farm bill, as well as the size and timing of the bill, made its passage highly contentious. Debated in the U.S. House of Representatives during the immediate aftermath of the September 11th attacks in 2001, the bill drew criticism from the White House and was nearly amended. The amendment, which failed by a close margin, was proposed by Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) and would have shifted money away from grain subsidies to conservation measures. Public debate over the farm bill continued, and the S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Mustard Seed
Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about in diameter and may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are an important spice in many regional foods and may come from one of three different plants: black mustard ('' Brassica nigra''), brown mustard ('' B. juncea''), or white mustard ('' Sinapis alba''). Grinding and mixing the seeds with water, vinegar or other liquids creates the yellow condiment known as prepared mustard. Regional use Mustard seeds are used as a spice in the South Asia. The seeds are usually fried until they pop. The leaves are also stir-fried and eaten as a vegetable. Mustard oil is used for body massage during extreme winters, as it is thought to keep the body warm. In South Asian cuisine mustard oil or ''shorsher tel'' is the predominant cooking medium. Mustard seeds are also essential ingredients in spicy fish dishes like ''jhaal'' and ''paturi''. A variety of pickles consisting mainly of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in Western countries as linen and are traditionally used for bed sheets, underclothes, and table linen. Its oil is known as linseed oil. In addition to referring to the plant, the word "flax" may refer to the unspun fibers of the flax plant. The plant species is known only as a cultivated plant and appears to have been domesticated just once from the wild species '' Linum bienne'', called pale flax. The plants called "flax" in New Zealand are, by contrast, members of the genus '' Phormium''. Description Several other species in the genus ''Linum'' are similar in appearance to ''L. usitatissimum'', cultivated flax, including some that have similar blue flowers, and others with white, yellow, or red flowers. Some of these are perennial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Sesame
Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods. World production in 2018 was , with Sudan, Myanmar, and India as the largest producers. Sesame seed is one of the oldest oilseed crops known, domesticated well over 3,000 years ago. ''Sesamum'' has many other species, most being wild and native to sub-Saharan Africa. ''S. indicum,'' the cultivated type, originated in India. It tolerates drought conditions well, growing where other crops fail. Sesame has one of the highest oil contents of any seed. With a rich, nutty flavor, it is a common ingredient in cuisines around the world. Like other foods, it can trigger allergic reactions in some people. Etymology The word "sesame" is from Latin ''sesamum'' and Greek σήσαμον : ''sē ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Safflower
Safflower (''Carthamus tinctorius'') is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual plant in the family Asteraceae. It is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seeds and was used by the early Spanish colonies along the Rio Grande as a substitute for saffron. Plants are tall with globular flower heads having yellow, orange, or red flowers. Each branch will usually have from one to five flower heads containing 15 to 20 seeds per head. Safflower is native to arid environments having seasonal rain. It grows a deep taproot which enables it to thrive in such environments. Biology Plant morphology Safflower is a fast growing, erect, winter/spring-growing annual herb, that resembles a thistle. Originating from a leaf rosette emerges a branched central stem (also referred to as terminal stem), when day length and temperature increase. The main shoot reaches heights of . The plant also develops a strong taproot, growing as deep as . First later ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Rapeseed
Rapeseed (''Brassica napus ''subsp.'' napus''), also known as rape, or oilseed rape, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains appreciable amounts of erucic acid. The term '' canola'' denotes a group of rapeseed cultivars which were bred to have very low levels of erucic acid and are especially prized for use as human and animal food. Rapeseed is the third-largest source of vegetable oil and the second-largest source of protein meal in the world. Description ''Brassica napus'' grows to in height with hairless, fleshy, pinnatifid and glaucous lower leaves which are stalked whereas the upper leaves have no petioles. ''Brassica napus'' can be distinguished from '' Brassica nigra'' by the upper leaves which do not clasp the stem, and from '' Brassica rapa'' by its smaller petals which are less than across. Rapeseed flowers are bright yellow and about acr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crambe
''Crambe'' is a genus of annual and perennial flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to a variety of habitats in Europe, Turkey, southwest and central Asia and eastern Africa. They carry dense racemes of tiny white or yellow flowers on (mostly leafless) stems above the basal leaves. ''Crambe hispanica'' subsp. ''abyssinica'', formerly known as ''Crambe abyssinica'', is grown for the oil from the seeds that has characteristics similar to whale oil. The word "crambe" derives, via the Latin ''crambe'', from the Greek ''κράμβη'', a kind of cabbage. ''Crambe'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of the weevil ''Lixus canescens'' (Coleoptera) ''Skuhrovec, J. & Volovnik, S.'' (2015) Biology and morphology of immature stages of ''Lixus canescens'' (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae). Zootaxa, 4033(3): 350-362. and some Lepidoptera species including the lime-speck pug. Species Currently accepted species include: *''Crambe alutacea'' Hand.-Mazz. *''Crambe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Sunflower Seed
The sunflower seed is the seed of the sunflower (''Helianthus annuus''). There are three types of commonly used sunflower seeds: linoleic (most common), high oleic, and sunflower oil seeds. Each variety has its own unique levels of monounsaturated, saturated, and polyunsaturated fats. The information in this article refers mainly to the linoleic variety. For commercial purposes, sunflower seeds are usually classified by the pattern on their husks. If the husk is solid black, the seeds are called black oil sunflower seeds. The crops may be referred to as oilseed sunflower crops. These seeds are usually pressed to extract their oil. Striped sunflower seeds are primarily eaten as a snack food; as a result, they may be called confectionery sunflower seeds. The term "sunflower seed" is actually a misnomer when applied to the seed in its pericarp (hull). Botanically speaking, it is a cypsela. When dehulled, the edible remainder is called the sunflower kernel or heart. Producti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |