WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) – The spring weather pattern
for the United States looks greatly improved from a year ago,
when drought was both widespread and severe, which is good news
for agricultural producers, a private weather forecaster said on
Wednesday.

A series of winter storms, which have continued into March,
add up to a more positive outlook for crops that will be planted
from the Plains to the East Coast, AccuWeather said in its 2013
U.S. spring weather outlook.

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Energy
has been criticized by its own internal watchdog for poor
oversight of millions of dollars in grants to a U.S. subsidiary
of South Korea’ LG Group that have not so far resulted in any
products used in vehicles sold to the public.

“Work performed under the grant to LG Chem Michigan had not
been managed effectively,” Gregory Friedman, the DOE’s inspector
general, concluded in a report dated Feb. 8 and made public on
Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Sally Jewell, a retail
executive and outdoor enthusiast, is President Barack Obama’s
pick to oversee the national parks and vast energy reserves on
public lands as U.S. interior secretary.

Obama nominated Jewell, chief executive of outdoor retailer
REI, on Wednesday, calling her an “expert on the energy and
climate issues that are going to shape our future” as well as a
savvy executive who understands the link between conservation
and economic progress.

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of
Agriculture announced a new program on Tuesday to help small
farming operations, including those run by minority or socially
disadvantaged farmers, improve their access to credit.

The program, administered through USDA’s Farm Service
Agency, will offer various loans of up to $35,000 for terms of
up to seven years to help recipients deal with farming’s often
prohibitive start-up costs.

LANDOVER, Maryland (Reuters) – Seattle’s Russell Wilson outdueled Washington’s Robert Griffin III in a clash of outstanding rookie quarterbacks to help the Seahawks overcome a 14-0 first-quarter deficit and beat the Redskins 24-14 in their NFL wildcard game on Sunday.

It was the Seahawks’ first playoff victory on the road since a 1983 win over the Miami Dolphins, and set up a divisional round clash against NFC South champions Atlanta on January 13.

LANDOVER, Maryland (Reuters) – Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson left Washington in nobody’s shadow after securing a huge road playoff win for the Seahawks on Sunday after the shakiest of starts.

Wilson won the battle of the rookie sensations when his team and its stifling defense stormed back to beat the Washington Redskins and quarterback Robert Griffin III, 24-14, after allowing two touchdowns in the first quarter.

WASHINGTON, Jan 2 (Reuters) – The Senate late on Tuesday
approved a number of key White House nominations to regulatory
agencies, including the top job at Federal Aviation
Administration that had been vacant for over a year.

Michael Huerta was confirmed as FAA administrator for a
five-year term after acting in that role since December 2011,
when his predecessor resigned after being arrested and charged
with drunk driving.

LANDOVER, Maryland (Reuters) – A heartbreaking loss ended another Dallas Cowboys’ season on Sunday, the third year in a row the storied franchise has missed the playoffs.

“We have a big challenge ahead of us,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after Dallas lost to the Washington Redskins 28-18 and squandered their chance to win the NFC East.

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Alarm about an arcane
provision that could send U.S. milk prices at the grocery store
soaring, hurting millions of American households, has spurred
calls for last-minute action on farm legislation that has been
languishing for months.

Congressional negotiators on a new five-year farm bill are
deadlocked on the size of potential cuts in food stamps for the
poor, the largest U.S. anti-hunger program, and on reductions in
crop subsidies to farmers.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday announced final rules meant to improve the ability to trace livestock across state lines when there are disease outbreaks.

The regulations, which were laid out as proposals in August 2011, had their genesis in the handful of cases of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, in the United States dating back to 2003.