Articles Tagged with ''produce''

Senate negotiators look to finalize and advance a bipartisan infrastructure bill this week, while the House debates a package of appropriations that would sharply increase funding for USDA, EPA and other departments and agencies important to agriculture.

Amid the panic-buying that characterized the earliest weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the people growing the food flying off shelves enjoyed an unexpected upturn in sales. The sudden switch to retail was relatively easy and profitable for some organic producers and suppliers.

Surging demand for safe, locally-produced fresh vegetables is prompting investors and young entrepreneurs to plant indoor farms that are reaching consumers through some of the nation’s largest retail chains.

The United Fresh Produce Association has launched its latest survey of compensation information for the fresh produce industry.

As students return to classrooms — or return to distance learning — the school lunch program is operating under unprecedented uncertainty, which is set to trickle down to commodities such as dairy and produce that rely on the lunch trays to carry a good portion of their demand. 

When the U.S. hit Mexico with tariffs on its steel and aluminum exports in 2018, the Mexicans retaliated with their own tariffs on U.S. cheese, pork, apples and potatoes. Now, some U.S. farm groups are warning the Trump administration Mexico will retaliate if the U.S. uses tariffs again – this time to counter Mexican shipments of fruits and vegetables.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Commerce will hold two virtual hearings to issues involving foreign trade practices and seasonal and perishable produce markets.

Farm groups are appealing to the Agriculture Department to relax payment rules and extend the signup deadline for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, citing the lagging pace of payments to farmers.

Major farm groups are working to ensure that a new coronavirus relief package provides more specific directions to the Agriculture Department on how to distribute $20 billion in additional relief.