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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Friday, January 10, 2025
A landmark use of USDA farming data shows that cover crops and no-till practices can make a significant difference in whether growers can get their crops planted in wet years.
Senate Ag Committee members used a hearing on farm bill conservation programs Wednesday to examine the Conservation Reserve Program more deeply as Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux touted his "working lands" approach to the program.
An increase in capacity for technical assistance within the Natural Resources Conservation Service is necessary as the agency looks to integrate $18.5 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding into its conservation programs, but the agency will likely need to look at ways to expand its roster of non-government experts as it struggles to bring in enough qualified professionals to fill its internal workforce needs.
As is the case in the months leading up to the debate over a new farm bill, members of the House and Senate Ag Committees are dropping legislation to signal their policy priorities.
The Congressional Budget Office plans to issue new estimates of farm bill spending before lawmakers move a new bill later this year, according to a Senate source.
Hunting and angling groups enter the farm bill debate looking to protect funding for Title II programs and ensure fish and wildlife conservation efforts are given the same stature as soil and water within Agriculture Department programs.
A sanitation company tasked with cleaning meatpacking plants for Cargill, JBS, Tyson Foods and five other companies has agreed to pay $1.5 million in penalties for employing at least 102 children in hazardous jobs, the Labor Department says.
The Agriculture Department will begin receiving applications for the Conservation Reserve Program general signup on February 27 with the hopes that it reaches the 27-million-acre cap set for this year.
