Tom Vilsack

The government awarded three contracts for 100 million gallons of "drop in" biofuels for the Navy. The renewable fuels would be blended 1-to-1 with petroleum in ships and planes. The Pentagon said as the fuels become more widely available, the Navy will make them a regular part of its bulk fuel procurement. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said rural areas would benefit from expansion of the advanced biofuel sector.

The government will pay up to half of the cost to remove Florida citrus trees infected with the ruinous citrus greening disease and two-thirds of the cost of planting new ones, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Florida is the No 1 citrus state, responsible for more than 60 percent of U.S. production. Citrus is a $9 billion industry for Florida.

The House Agriculture chairman says he expects USDA to test the "work first" format as a way to move poor people up the job ladder and off the food stamp rolls. The approach worked as part of welfare reform, said chairman Frank Lucas during a hearing on employment and training programs associated with food stamps. "These programs are designed to get individuals to work as soon as possible and then offer additional training so they can improve their earnings," he said.

Landowners will be paid $328 million for easements that protect farmland from urban sprawl or restore grasslands and wetlands, said the Agriculture Department. The money will flow to 380 projects totaling 129,000 acres nationwide through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. The 2014 farm law combined three easement programs to form the umbrella ACEP. "What this program does is say, where are the needs out there?" said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack during a teleconference.

With the beef industry unable to agree on reform of the beef checkoff program, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he will act soon on the two biggest issues - adequate funding and the governing structure of the checkoff program. The two issues have been linked throughout three years of fruitless informal discussions among 11 groups representing producers, importers and marketers.

The government announced a new approach to supporting dairy farmers, with enrollment to begin on Tuesday and conclude on Nov 28.

The magnitude 6.0 earthquake in California's Napa wine country damaged buildings and wine held in storage at some wineries.

USDA is giving a thorough examination of how to reorganize its international trade functions, including creation of a new senior-level position, undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack during a teleconference.

The United States is hosting a three day summit with leaders of four dozen nations in Africa that focuses " largely on the economic potential that Africa offers the United States - provided that the two can solve ongoing problems around electricity supply, agriculture, security threats and democratic governance," says the Washington Post.

The government revamped its poultry inspection system so USDA inspectors devote more time to preventing pathogen contamination of meat while processors have more responsibliity for finding quality defects.

The administration will hold four workshops in the coming week with a focus on helping the farm sector prepare for climate change and build its resilience to the hotter weather and more intense storms that are forecast.

The White House announced creation of a $10 billion Rural Infrastructure Opportunity Fund to draw private investment into projects in rural America. The government will identify projects in need of financing and could provide a part of the funds itself or could let private investors handle it entirely. "This is a new way for us to do business," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, which has killed 8 million piglets, could surge again in the fall, "likely killing another 2.5 million pigs over the next 12 months and amplifying an increase in pork prices," says Reuters.

That's how Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack summed up U.S. and EU differences on so-called geographic indicators, the names that tie a food to its home area, whether it's Vidalia onions from Georgia or sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is on a whirlwind tour of Europe this week with the goal of expanding trans-Atlantic agricultural trade.

The Obama administration announced the "Local Food, Local Places" project to provide expert advice to rural communities to use local food systems as an engine for economic growth.

Brooke Rollins is sure to be confirmed by the Senate as Agriculture secretary in the new Trump administration, and she will start with a valuable asset — an ongoing relationship with the president, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.