Rebekah Alvey

Only one state has been effective in reducing food waste through a ban, according to a recent study. State and food waste diversion advocates, however, say there's more to the story. 

USDA does not provide standard, user-friendly guidance to state and local agencies that implement food pantry, assistance programs, and does not effectively track program progress, a recent Government Accountability Office report found. 

Top staff from the House and Senate Ag committees continue their private talks this week on a possible new farm bill, even as lawmakers appear headed to agreement on a stopgap spending bill before heading home to campaign.

The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Jason Smith, is our guest on Agri-Pulse Newsmakers this week. He talks about the tax issues facing Congress next year, and the differences between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris when it comes to trade as well as tax policy.

On to Plan B. House Republican leaders were unable to win passage Wednesday night of a stopgap spending bill that would have kept the government funded at current levels into March. 

Leaders of the Senate and House Ag committees were featured at the annual Friends of the National Arboretum dinner Tuesday night in Washington – and both were separately expressing some optimism about getting a new farm bill yet this year.

More than a dozen ground cinnamon products have been recalled over the last year, after the Food and Drug Administration boosted efforts to monitor and test lead levels, following last year's recall of apple-cinnamon puree products linked with over 500 cases of lead poisoning in children. 

The National Chicken Council has asked USDA for an extended comment period for the agency’s proposed salmonella framework for raw poultry products. 

Employers who use the H-2A program are seeking nationwide relief from a Labor Department rule that has already been enjoined in 17 states. 

House Republicans this week will put a focus on a key part of the Biden administration’s climate policy that former President Donald Trump is promising to undo if he wins the White House.