Supplemental dairy aid: The USDA will make $580 million in retroactive payments through the Dairy Margin Coverage subsidy to small and midsized farms that expanded production during the past two years and that enroll in the program by Feb. 18, 2022. (USDA)
Vote on ag nominees: The Senate Agriculture Committee is set to vote Thursday on the nominations of Chavonda Jacobs-Young to be USDA undersecretary for research and Margo Schlanger to be USDA assistant secretary for civil rights. (Senate Agriculture)
Fertilizer price probe: A farm advocacy group called on the Justice Department on Wednesday to investigate whether recent increases in fertilizer prices violate antitrust laws. (Family Farm Action Alliance)
Solar grows at airports: Twenty percent of U.S. public airports have built solar farms in the past decade, generating power — and cash — by installing collectors on idle land and providing an in-town alternative to rural solar sites. (New York Times)
Vilsack in Ohio: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is expected to discuss sustainable aviation fuel and USDA efforts to expand meat processing capacity during a visit to Ohio on Thursday. (FERN’s Ag Insider)