Articles Tagged with ''Tom Vilsack''

The Agriculture Department announced Tuesday that it accepted about 2 million acres into the Conservation Reserve Program during this year’s general signup, well short of what could be needed to keep CRP from shrinking this year.

The Biden administration will spend $282 million on domestic commodities such as wheat as part of a food aid package for Yemen and five African nations experiencing severe drought and food insecurity, USDA and the U.S. Agency for International Development said Wednesday.

The Biden administration has all but ruled out tariff-slashing market access deals when it comes to its proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, but the U.S. ag sector still hopes the agreement will include a trade pillar that boosts exports to rapidly growing markets that are home to a patchwork of regulatory restrictions and non-tariff trade barriers.

The Senate Agriculture Committee holds a long-awaited hearing this week on a bill to mandate more negotiated trading in the cattle markets, and then the panel launches its preparation for the next farm bill with a field hearing Friday in Michigan, the home state of Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow.

Difficulties in getting containers full of U.S. ag commodities on ocean-going vessels persists and U.S. dairy exporters are still losing money because of the problems, according to the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Milk Producers Federation. That’s why the groups say they’re asking the Biden administration to take more action.

The Biden administration plans to use the month of April to highlight the investments and initiatives included in the 2021 infrastructure package, including a Monday event in Colorado aimed at forest fire management and a Tuesday visit to an Iowa ethanol plant.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack has tested positive for COVID-19, adding his name to a list of recent high-profile confirmations among some of the highest seats in government.

Mexico would allow the import of all U.S. table and chipping potatoes by no later than May 15 under a plan announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

More money is on the way for producers who had previously filed for assistance through Department of Agriculture programs to help feed their livestock after suffering through inclement weather in 2021.