House Republicans embrace ‘pretty radical’ farm bill ideas — Vilsack
Most of the Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee — 21 of 29 — support "pretty radical" farm bill proposals at a time when only a bipartisan bill is sure of enactment, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. "It just underscores the difficulty of getting to a farm bill" when control of Congress is almost evenly divided, he said.
Agriculture continues to grow in tribal nations
Agriculture in Indian Country was a nearly $6.5 billion industry in 2022, according to the most recent Census of Agriculture, up from $3.5 billion just five years earlier. Cattle ranching was the most common form of agriculture production, occurring on 39 percent of farms operated by Native Americans, said Erin Parker, executive director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University of Arkansas School of Law, speaking during the second-annual State of Native Agriculture Address.
USDA restricts use of ‘Product of USA’ label to U.S.-grown meat, poultry, and eggs
Under a new rule, food processors will be able to put "Product of USA" on packages of meat, poultry, and egg products only if the animals were born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States, announced Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. Until now, the labels could be pasted on foreign meat that was processed in America.
USDA issues fair play rule on livestock marketing, part of White House competition drive
Farmers will have stronger protections against deceptive contracts and retaliatory tactics from meat processors under a new USDA rule on market integrity, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The new rule, which takes effect on May 6, is part of a USDA initiative for transparency and fair play in livestock marketing.
USDA awards $196 million for local food production and marketing
As part of President Biden's initiative to strengthen U.S. supply chains, the Agriculture Department announced $196 million in grants, loans, and loan guarantees to projects to expand domestic food and agriculture production on Monday. The awards range from loan guarantees to expand a nut processing plant in California and develop a 35-acre tomato greenhouse and processing plant in South Carolina, to 170 smaller grants across the country.
Second round of USDA awards aims to expand domestic fertilizer production
Seventeen new projects will receive funding from a $900 million grant program created to expand U.S. fertilizer production in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, announced Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. Fertilizer prices soared on fears of wartime disruptions in shipments from Russia, the world's largest fertilizer exporter.
States underfunding Black land-grant colleges, say Vilsack and Cardona
Two members of the Biden cabinet called on 16 states to provide more equitable funding to the historically Black land-grant universities that were established under the so-called Second Morrill Act of 1890. "The longstanding and ongoing under-investment...disadvantages the students, faculty, and community" surrounding the schools, wrote Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in letters to each of the governors.
Vilsack: Farm bill ‘is not the only tool available’ to expand ag economy
The Biden administration is broadening the U.S. agricultural economy through climate-smart and bioproduct initiatives while Congress is seemingly stymied over the new farm bill, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. He warned against raiding conservation funding to pay for higher reference prices for corn, soybeans, and other row crops, a leading goal of farm groups.
To boost sales of higher blends, USDA to put $500 million into biofuel pumps and tanks
The Biden administration is the best friend the biofuel industry ever had, notwithstanding gripes that it set the RFS too low, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. Vilsack defended the administration's record while announcing an additional $450 million to encourage the sale of higher blends of biofuels, such as E15, through installation of dispensing pumps, storage tanks and related equipment.
Rural broadband projects get $714 million in USDA grants and loans
The White House announced $714 million in USDA grants and loans to expand access to high-speed internet service in 19 states from South Carolina to California on Monday. With the new round of funding, the USDA has put $2.45 billion into rural broadband through its ReConnect program in the past 18 months.
USDA aid to financially distressed borrowers tops $1 billion
The Agriculture Department announced an additional $130 million in assistance to financially distressed borrowers on Monday, boosting total farm loan relief for producers to approximately $1.1 billion since last fall. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Congress wanted aid delivered quickly "and that is what we are delivering to help producers across the country stay on their land."
USDA puts part of its climate windfall into land stewardship
Four popular USDA land stewardship and working lands programs will receive an additional $850 million this year to handle the perennial crush of applications for assistance, said the Biden administration on Monday. The outlay will be the Agriculture Department's first use of the $19.5 billion earmarked for its conservation programs in the climate, health and tax law passed last summer.
USDA tops $7 billion in pandemic aid in four months
With Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement of coronavirus aid to logging and timber hauling businesses, the USDA will near $7.4 billion in allotments of pandemic assistance since the Biden administration put its mark on the relief programs. The aid ranges from “top …
Senators prod USDA for pandemic payments to contract growers
Ten weeks ago, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack restarted the USDA’s coronavirus relief program for farmers and ranchers. But payments to contract growers, the farmers who produce hogs, poultry and eggs under contract for the owner of the animals, remain on hold and lawmakers from poultry …