Articles Tagged with ''Tom Vilsack''

U.S. farmers are already suffering from high fertilizer costs, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday warned suppliers not to try to take advantage of the chaos from the Russian invasion of Ukraine by raising prices.

The U.S. poultry industry is better prepared this year to protect flocks from highly pathogenic avian influenza and isn’t likely to be threatened by the virus that’s been detected on a few farms and backyard flocks this month, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Thursday.

Companies and farm groups that are trying to recruit farmers to sign up for climate plans often face skeptical producers who fear that most, if not all, of the financial benefit will go to retailers and manufacturers who get to label their products as good for the environment.

The Biden administration is setting lofty goals for its $1 billion initiative to develop marketable climate-smart commodities, while establishing an aggressive timetable to get pilot projects underway before Congress writes the next farm bill.

The ag sector and lawmakers aren’t letting up pressure for another trade deal with China, especially since China’s purchase agreement ended Dec. 31, but the Biden administration still has its focus squarely on the “phase one” deal that was struck during the Trump administration.

The U.S. exported $177 billion worth of agricultural commodities in 2021, firmly besting the record in 2014 by about 15% and overshadowing 2020 totals by 18%, according to new data released by the Commerce Department.

The Biden administration is launching the application process for a $1 billion program that will test ways farms of all sizes can profit from the low-carbon commodities they produce through practices that cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The Biden administration, together with U.S. shippers and the ag sector, are pressuring ocean carriers to stop turning down farm commodity shipments, but it may take Congress to force the issue.

The USDA will fund 60% of the cost of adding a new 25-acre container yard at the Port of Oakland, while also subsidizing ag exporters' shipping expenses, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the Biden administration wants to repeat the project elsewhere.

The Biden administration is out with a fresh batch of officials selected to lead state Rural Development and Farm Service Agency offices.