In an interview with Agri-Pulse, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said he’s open to helping aspiring Black farmers acquire the acreage they need by tapping federal land holdings. Vilsack made clear that his goal as secretary is to address the impact of a legacy of discrimination against minority farmers. It’s no longer an issue of just compensating producers who were the victims of discrimination themselves.
Take note: An Agri-Pulse analysis of nearly $24 billion in Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payments shows how they have been distributed far more widely than traditional forms of government farm assistance. Still, half the money has gone to 5% of the recipients.
We’ll have a lot more on that CFAP analysis, plus a report on our interview with Vilsack, in our weekly newsletter and at Agri-Pulse.com today. We also begin a series looking at lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. We start with rural broadband.
Vilsack on climate: It’s not just the money
In our interview, Vilsack indicated the administration is prepared to ask Congress to significantly increase spending for conservation programs if it’s clear the money is needed to combat climate change. But he’s concerned USDA’s staffing challenges around the country could limit the department’s ability to expand the programs.
Conservations programs “can be directed in creative ways to support climate-smart agricultural regenerative practices. … We need to use them in that way, and to the extent that we can convince Congress that there's a need for additional resources, we should be prepared to make that case,” Vilsack said.
But, but, but: He added, “We don't want the resources to outpace the capacity of our personnel to handle the resources. It's not about just about money, it's about people.”
Vilsack worried about rural vaccinations
He's concerned that rural Americans aren’t getting the COVID-19 vaccine at the rates that are needed to stop the spread of the virus. In a recent poll, nearly three in ten rural residents said they would either “definitely not” get vaccinated or would do so “only if required.”
“If we don't get a majority of us vaccinated, it’s just going to continue to cripple our efforts in a lot of different areas,” Vilsack said.
Broadband pushed as Dems look to pass stimulus
The Senate could take up as early as today the House-passed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill that includes minority farmer debt relief and billions in new aid for the food supply chain.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D- N.Y., told reporters Tuesday afternoon that he has the votes to pass the bill.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, has made a late push this week to get funding for rural broadband included. King says $50 billion is needed, but he told reporters Monday evening that he was open to splitting funding between this bill and a future infrastructure measure.
It wasn’t clear on Tuesday that King’s idea was going anywhere, though Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., told Agri-Pulse that broadband funding is something she would “absolutely” support. “The COVID crisis has shown us, whether it’s children in school, telemedicine, or small businesses trying to operate, we have to have comprehensive high-speed internet across the country,” she said.
Farmers see increase in alternative proteins
A majority of farmers see sales of alternative protein growing in coming years. According to the monthly Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, 55% of farmers surveyed expect meat and dairy alternatives to take 10% of the protein market.
The farmers also were asked what the impact on farm income would be if plant-based alternatives captured as much as 25% of protein sales. About four in 10 farmers said they would expect farm income to decline by at least 10%.
By the way: The survey indicates farmers remain bullish in the short term on the farm economy. February’s Current Conditions Index value of 200 was near its all-time high.
EPW mulling two top enviro nominees
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is hearing more about the Biden administration’s environmental priorities – think climate change — at a hearing today featuring nominees for chair of the Council on Environmental Quality and deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Brenda Mallory is the administration’s choice for CEQ. She’s currently director of regulatory policy at Southern Environmental Law Center and was a counsel to CEQ during the Obama administration.
Janet McCabe is the deputy administrator nominee. Now an Indiana University professor, McCabe served as the agency’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation during the Obama administration.
Take note: Neera Tanden on Tuesday asked President Biden to withdraw her nomination to head the all-important Office of Management and Budget. It was clear Tanden didn’t have the votes.
Grassley supportive of Tai for USTR
Unless Katherine Tai says “something crazy” in a written submission to the Senate Finance Committee, she will get the support of Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, a member of the panel that held a hearing last week on her nomination to be the next U.S. Trade Representative.
Grassley praised Tai’s previous work as an adviser to the House Ways and Means Committee, stressing he had “nothing but good things to say” about her work that intersected with the committee when Grassley was chairman.
But Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, another committee Republican, had some critical words for Tai during her testimony at the hearing last week. Tai refused to confirm that she would support a hypothetical free trade agreement with no tariffs, quotas or trade barriers. Toomey said her answer worried him about her goals in future negotiations.
Senators call on ITC to rule against harm from phosphate imports
Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran and 10 of his GOP colleagues are urging the International Trade Commission not to impose countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco and Russia.
“The imposition of duties … on phosphate fertilizers would result not only in higher input costs for U.S. farmers but also potentially limit their options for applying necessary crop inputs,” the senators say in a letter to ITC Chairman Jason Kearns.
The ITC is weighing claims that domestic producers are being harmed from subsidized imports and a decision is expected this month.
He said it: “It is hard to think of anything that would do more damage to our foreign policy and diplomacy than me doing that.” – Secretary of State Antony Blinken – a musician who has posted his recorded music online – responding to a suggestion by Hillary Clinton that he “jam with other foreign ministers around the world, and even have a public performance on the eighth floor of the State Department where we do all of the entertaining?”
Blinken joined Clinton on the latest episode of her podcast that was aired Tuesday.
Questions? Tips? Contact Philip Brasher at philip@agri-pulse.com
