USDA
Third round of pandemic payments begins to flow to farmers and ranchers
House bill would bar racial favoritism at USDA
Motivated by opposition to $4 billion in debt relief for minority farmers, two Republican representatives announced legislation on Thursday to prevent the USDA from considering race or gender in operating its programs. "All American farmers constitute a minority, and they are hurting right now as a direct result of the pandemic," said one of the sponsors, Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah.
Gonzales is named immigration adviser at USDA
Debt relief will be distributed as quickly, carefully as possible, says Vilsack
The USDA will disburse up to $4 billion in Biden-backed loan forgiveness to minority farmers as speedily as possible, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the first-ever House Agriculture Committee hearing on the state of Black farmers. Farm state Republicans said the debt relief, intended as compensation for decades of racism, was itself discriminatory because white farmers are excluded.
USDA hits ‘pause’ on cattle tracking proposal
Nine months after proposing a phase-out of metal and plastic identification ear tags, the USDA decided they can be used indefinitely on cattle that cross state borders, as well as cattle exhibited at fairs and for dairy cattle. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service wanted to make radio frequency identification tags (RFIDs) the only approved tag, on grounds they would be more useful in case of an outbreak of dangerous diseases.
Debt relief is just the first step toward racial equity in agriculture, say senators
Vilsack says a carbon bank fits into USDA’s portfolio
USDA: Student participation in school meal programs dropped by a third last year
Student participation in school meal programs dropped 30 percent in the first nine months of the pandemic, according to new USDA data, leaving kids without meals amid acute rates of food insecurity and draining the programs of critical revenue.
Eskin appointed to No. 2 food safety post at USDA
Sandra Eskin, director of food safety for the Pew Charitable Trusts, was appointed deputy undersecretary for food safety, announced the USDA on Tuesday.
USDA invites ideas on climate-smart ag policy
February storms put a hitch into U.S. poultry production
Biden to sign bill with $4 billion in debt relief for minority farmers
With Republicans complaining of discrimination against white farmers, the House passed a coronavirus bill on Wednesday that would provide an estimated $4 billion in debt relief for socially disadvantaged farmers.
USDA asks, is it time for Food Box 2.0?
State agriculture officials called for continuation of USDA's $5.5 billion food box give-away program, now under review by the Biden administration. "With some enhancements, we can extraordinarily expand the benefits of the program by allowing more producers to contribute and increasing the amount of food we can share with families in need," said Barb Glenn, chief executive of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA).
USDA allows more time to discuss regulation of GE animals
The USDA announced an additional 60 days for public comment on a proposal that originated in the final weeks of the Trump administration to put USDA, rather than FDA, in charge of regulating livestock and poultry created through genetic engineering.
Senate bill would require cash sales of some cattle
To ensure fair prices for cattle producers, the USDA would require meatpackers to buy a specified number of cattle on the spot market and through negotiated "grid" trades under a Senate bill introduced on Tuesday. The bill, similar to legislation filed in September 2020, was backed by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the U.S. Cattlemen's Association.
Equity commission will root out systemic racism in USDA programs, says Vilsack
Climate mitigation ‘designed by farmers for farmers’
Headquarters at home for Vilsack
Like millions of Americans, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is working from home. "I'm still in Iowa," he told reporters on Thursday. "I just got my second shot" of coronavirus vaccine.