Articles Tagged with ''Agriculture Department''

Leading farm groups united with two major environmental groups to release on Tuesday more than 40 policy proposals aimed at helping farmers benefit economically from reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions while helping growers become more resilient amid climate change.

President-elect Joe Biden says he has assured world leaders that labor unions and environmentalists will be “at the table” when he's negotiating any new trade deals.

A dizzying array of ongoing research projects, with sponsors ranging from the Energy Department to multinational food industry giants, may determine whether carbon credit markets can become a reliable, meaningful source of income for farmers.

Now that a COVID-19 vaccine could be on the horizon, the food and restaurant industry is appealing to the government to prioritize inoculating their workers.

Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, is backing Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., to be the next chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Fudge’s staff confirms to Agri-Pulse. Fudge would be honored to serve as secretary of agriculture, if offered the position, an aide said.

Robert Bonnie, who oversaw USDA natural resource programs during the Obama administration, is leading the department’s transition effort for President-elect Joe Biden, while several EPA alumni are assisting with setting up the new administration’s operations at that agency.

Multinational giants in retail, agribusiness, meat processing and food manufacturing, along with the largest restaurant chains and leading apparel brands, want U.S. farmers and ranchers to produce food and fiber more sustainably. This is the first of a five-part Agri-Pulse series that looks in-depth at how reductions in greenhouse gas emissions could have far-reaching effects on American farmers and ranchers.

President-elect Joe Biden is moving forward with his transition with promises to move on his climate proposals that involve farmers in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Over the weekend, the president-elect went live with a transition website - BuildBackBetter.com - that includes a summary of Biden’s top policy priorities, starting with getting COVID-19 under control.

Farms that use H-2A workers will be allowed to pay them significantly lower wages under a sweeping overhaul of the program’s wage regulations announced by the Labor Department on Monday.

A federal judge orders USDA to continue collecting farmworker wage data, agreeing with farm labor groups that challenged the suspension of the survey that is used to set minimum wage requirements for H-2A workers.