Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years. Thursday, October 31, 2024

Food

Vilsack after being announced as ag secy pick

Biden, Vilsack emphasize racial equity

President-elect praises his picks for USDA and USTR
Tom Vilsack pledged to act quickly to tackle racial issues at the Agriculture Department and joined President-elect Joe Biden in promising that climate change would be a top policy priority for USDA.
Read More
Joe Biden and Tom Vilsack

Farm groups welcome return of Vilsack to USDA

Joe Biden's decision to nominate Tom Vilsack to run the Agriculture Department for a second time will give Biden a policy veteran who shares his passion for addressing climate change and already has relationships with critical lawmakers and farm groups.
Read More
DairyCowsGrazing

Dairy leaders pressing for DMC sign-up as deadline nears

Like most dairy producers in late 2019, Ryan Klussendorf of Medford, Wis., was optimistic about 2020 dairy prices and he did not sign up for USDA’s Dairy Margin Coverage program. But after seeing the extreme volatility of this year, he’s not taking any chances for 2021 and said other producers shouldn’t either.
Read More
Farmer harvesting cotton

US farmers count on environmental practices to get edge in foreign markets

U.S. farmers have watched for years as Brazil has become an agricultural powerhouse by converting its vast rainforests and savanna into cropland, with plans to expand even more over the coming decade. Now, American producers are hoping the progress they are making on sustainability will pay off in a competitive advantage for U.S. ag exports in the lucrative European and Asian markets. This is the fifth and final installment of our series,“Agriculture’s sustainable future: Feeding more while using less.”  Part Four looked at the potential for technological innovations to make a significant impact on U.S. agriculture's environmental footprint.
Read More
Feral hogs

Feral swine population a threat to export markets

Earlier this year, Germany faced a $1 billion loss in access to pork export markets after a single case of African Swine Fever (ASF) was detected in a wild boar. The population of feral swine in the United States, estimated between 4-9 million, also poses a threat to export security.
Read More