Steve Davies

The Agriculture Department is working to get some new coronavirus relief assistance to farmers as soon as possible, but much of the work may not be completed before President-elect Joe Biden takes office in two weeks.

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+.

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Monday evening that USDA is going to extend the Farmers to Families Food Box Program to a fifth round, this one worth $1.5 billion.

USDA will buy another $1.5 billion of food to continue the Farmers to Families Food Box program, the department has announced.

The 117th Congress is officially underway with the swearing in of new members Sunday. The House includes a number of new members who could play a role in shaping food and agriculture policy, considering its importance to their districts.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to register dicamba for use on soybeans and cotton is facing another lawsuit from the same groups that succeeded in convincing an appeals court to vacate registrations earlier this year.

The Agriculture Department proposes to take over the Food and Drug Administration's oversight of gene-altered animals, a potential victory for livestock groups seeking to speed approval of genetic modifications.

Frontline essential workers, including those in the food and agriculture industry, should be in the second group to receive COVID-19 vaccines, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Sunday.

Congress faces a midnight deadline to keep the government funded. As of Thursday evening, it wasn’t clear whether lawmakers would be asked to pass a very short-term stopgap spending bill to provide the time they need to pass a massive bill that would include both government funding for fiscal 2021 as well as a big new COVID aid package.