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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Sunday, September 15, 2024
A revised climate funding package Democrats are pushing through the Senate this weekend scraps a debt relief program for minority farmers that was blocked by the courts and replaces it with new programs earmarked for “distressed” USDA borrowers as well as farmers the department has discriminated against.
The climate funding package that Senate Democrats expect to pass this weekend will include $4 billion in drought-related funding for the Bureau of Reclamation.
Global prices for food commodities dropped sharply in July, led by declines in vegetable oil and grain markets, but food costs overall remain 13% above the level a year ago.
Leading farm groups are making another appeal to senators ahead of their August recess to reach agreement on reforms to the H-2A visa program for farmworkers.
The landmark climate deal Democrats hope will clear Congress in coming days would upend the coming debate over the next farm bill, satisfying demands for new conservation spending but leaving farm groups still scrambling to fund enhancements in commodity programs.
Robert Bonnie, who’s overseeing USDA’s work in ramping up climate-smart agriculture as undersecretary for farm production and conservation, is making the case that technology will be critical to ensuring farmers can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining global food supplies.
The Biden administration improperly increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits without filing a formal report to Congress first, the Government Accountability Office has decided.