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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
USDA announced Wednesday plans to spend at least $6 billion on new pandemic aid programs that reach a broader swath of producers than previous efforts, while putting “a greater emphasis on outreach to small and socially disadvantaged producers, specialty crop and organic producers (and) timber harvesters.”
Lawmakers are looking to pass the first child nutrition reauthorization bill in more than a decade this year by building on the political momentum behind measures to expand access to federally funded meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., when adjusted for productivity, are down by 24% over the past 30 years, but farmers can do better if Congress and the Biden administration amp up assistance, says American Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist John Newton.
Climate policy is a top priority this year for President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats. But it's going to be challenging for the House Agriculture Committee to find a bipartisan compromise.
U.S. farm groups are concerned about the increasing agricultural trade troubles with Mexico and Canada despite the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement and Biden administration officials are stressing that resolving those issues is a priority.
A priority for the USDA in the coming years will be judging the feasibility of setting up, executing and paying for a federal carbon bank to help farmers reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reward them for their actions, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday.
It’s now up to the Senate. The House on Friday voted 246-175 to block the newly enacted $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package from triggering deep cuts in government programs. The cuts become automatic if Congress doesn’t waive PAYGO requirements under a 2011 budget law that was intended to limit deficit spending.
Congressional Democrats will use this week to build their case for two major priorities, a multi-trillion dollar climate and infrastructure package, and a child nutrition reauthorization bill that could be used to increase the number of kids getting free meals.
Janie Simms Hipp, a member of the Chickasaw Nation and head of the Native American Agriculture Fund, will be nominated as general counsel at the Agriculture Department, the White House has announced.
President Joe Biden will nominate Janie Simms Hipp, an agricultural law veteran and member of the Chickasaw Nation, to become the Agriculture Department’s general counsel, USDA’s chief legal officer.
