(Washington, D.C., April 25, 2017) – Sonny Perdue was sworn in as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by fellow Georgian and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas in a brief ceremony today at the Supreme Court building.  The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Perdue by a vote of 87-to-11 on Monday evening.  After Secretary Perdue took the oath of office, he addressed employees at the U.S.

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP) has published its Compliance and Enforcement/Appeals Summary report for the second quarter of fiscal year 2017. This report outlines NOP's compliance, enforcement and appeals activities for January - March 2017. The data highlights the number of incoming and completed complaints; the initial actions taken; and case dispositions, including settlements made and penalties levied.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced new data indicating the organic industry continues to grow domestically and globally, with 24,650 certified organic operations in the United States, and 37,032 around the world.

The 2016 count of U.S. certified organic farms and businesses reflects a 13 percent increase between the end of 2015 and 2016, continuing the trend of double digit growth in the organic sector.