Environment

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Two judges on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals expressed skepticism Friday that USDA's Farm Service Agency needed to conduct a more thorough analysis of the environmental impacts of granting a loan guarantee to build a broiler chicken facility in Maryland.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is gearing up to provide technical and financial assistance to help farmers and ranchers in California make improvements in their operations that can lead to improved air quality.

Tom Vilsack is expected to have little trouble getting confirmed to another term as agriculture secretary. It's a good thing, because he'll have a lot to do the minute he walks in the door, starting with implementation of the COVID package just enacted.

Even as President-elect Joe Biden pushes for electric vehicles, the biofuel industry argues he can also make progress on his climate goals by expanding biofuel usage mandates, embracing a low carbon fuel policy and increasing vehicle emissions standards.

Farmers painted a slightly more optimistic picture of their expectations in December but still have a handful of policy concerns as the country prepares for a new administration and Congress.

The Chesapeake Bay continues to face challenges to its health from water and air pollution, leaders of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation said in releasing its biannual report Tuesday, which gave the estuary’s health a D+.

The trade association for the nation’s fertilizer producers is adding a cache of members with a slightly different set of interests to its growing organization.

The coronavirus pandemic was top of mind for nearly every aspect of the global economy in 2020, and farm policy stakeholders were keeping a close eye on Agri-Pulse’s coverage of the virus and legislative efforts to lessen its blow throughout the year.

Increased availability of high-speed internet in rural areas can help boost crop yields and lower fertilizer, seed, and fuel costs, according to a Federal Communications Commission study.