Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack heads to Capitol Hill this week amid a deepening partisan stalemate over how to fund a new farm bill, and USDA will release results of the latest Census of Agriculture, providing a fresh detailed look at trends in farming and ranching.
Vilsack has clashed with House Republicans in particular over his use of the Commodity Credit Corporation to fund the Partnerships for Climate-Smart initiatives. Committee Chairman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, R-Pa., has floated the idea of capping or eliminating USDA’s Section 5 spending authority as a way to fund the next farm bill.
In addition to defending his use of the CCC, Vilsack has also pushed back on GOP proposals to fund farm program expansions through cuts to nutrition spending or reallocation of conservation funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Vilsack could be asked to expand on an idea he’s floated in recent weeks of using the CCC to address challenges farmers are facing this year with slumping prices for some commodities.
House Democrats last week issued a list of policy priorities that ruled out using IRA funding or nutrition assistance to fund improvements in the commodity title or increased spending in other areas of the farm bill.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in recent interviews has repeatedly pushed back on the GOP funding recommendations, saying she is prepared to retire from the Senate without passing a farm bill rather than to allow those proposals to go forward.
Speaking on the latest edition of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Mike Seyfert, president and CEO of the National Grain and Feed Association, said “we've seen some hard, hard lines being drawn” in the past week but that “there is still real effort and a real commitment” by the leaders of the House and Senate Ag committees to pass a bill this year.
Still, “farm bills are always built on compromise” and compromise “has been a dirty word in the broader body, both the House and the Senate, here in this Congress and in recent years, and I do think that's making it tougher,” Seyfert said.
Vilsack is expected to return to Capitol Hill in a few weeks to appear before Stabenow’s committee.
On Thursday, Vilsack will also headline USDA’s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum. The plenary session Thursday will feature Chief Economist Seth Meyer’s presentation of USDA’s outlook for the farm economy; a panel with three state agriculture commissioners; and a second panel with farmers and industry experts entitled, “New Horizons: How Science, Technology, and Innovation are Positioning Farmers and Ranchers to Prosper.”
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Ahead of the forum on Tuesday, USDA will release results of the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The census, which is conducted every five years, provides detailed data on U.S. agriculture down to the county level. All farm operations with sales of at least $1,000 in agricultural products in 2022 are included in the census.
The latest survey, which was launched in December 2022, included new questions about the use of precision agriculture, hemp production, hair sheep and internet access. The survey is conducted both online and with paper questionnaires.
The 2017 census showed the average age of U.S. farm producers had climbed to 57.5 years, up from 56.3 years in 2012, and that just 105,453 farms accounted for 75% of all sales in 2017, down from 119,908 in 2012,
On Monday, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Torres Small and White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi will announce a new USDA program under President Joe Biden’s American Climate Corps, which is aimed at training a new generation of professionals to work in conservation and climate-related sectors. They will be joined by Kim LaFleur, president of the National Association of Conservation Districts and AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith.
Here is a list of agriculture- or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere (all times EDT):
Monday, Feb. 12
National Association of Conservation Districts annual meeting, San Diego, through Thursday. Managing Editor Spencer Chase is speaking and serving as a moderator.
Washington International Trade Conference, hybrid event, through Tuesday.
Tuesday, Feb. 13
8:30 a.m. – House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party hearing, Growing Stakes: The Bioeconomy and American National Security," Boston.
Noon – USDA releases the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
Wednesday, Feb. 14
10 a.m. – House Agriculture Committee hearing with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, 1300 Longworth.
10 a.m. – House Small Business Committee hearing, “Burdensome Regulations: Examining the Impact of EPA Regulations on Main Street,” 2360 Rayburn.
3 p.m. – USDA releases Agricultural Projections to 2033.
Ambassador Doug McKalip will travel to Guatemala City, Guatemala to hold bilateral meetings with Guatemalan counterparts and will also address the U.S. Grains Council at their Annual International Marketing Conference and Membership Meeting.
Thursday, Feb. 15
USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum, through Friday, Arlington, Virginia.
8:30 a.m. – USDA releases Weekly Export Sales report.
Friday, Feb. 16
For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.
