‘Father’ of organic ag law, Pat Leahy, to retire from Senate
One of the last of the "Watergate babies" elected to Congress in 1974, Vermont Sen. Pat Leahy said on Monday he will retire next year after eight terms in the Senate that included stints as chairman of its Appropriations, Agriculture and Judiciary committees. Leahy shepherded passage of the national organic standards law in 1990 and oversaw expansion of SNAP and the school lunch program.
GMO pre-emption ‘protecting corporate interests,’ says Leahy
Legislation to pre-empt state laws that require special labels on food made with genetically modified organisms amount to "protecting corporate interests," says Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, where a pre-emption bill in on the agenda.
House, Senate bills would triple farm-to-school program
Companion bills in the House and Senate would triple the funding, to $15 million a year, for the farm-to-school grant program, which buys locally grown fresh food to help feed schoolchildren.
New dairy support program is ready for sign-up
The government announced a new approach to supporting dairy farmers, with enrollment to begin on Tuesday and conclude on Nov 28.