Items Tagged with 'USDA'

Conservation districts across the country are waiting on the federal government to reimburse them for work done through contracts now under review as the Trump Administration tightens its scrutiny over Biden-era climate and diversity initiatives

The Agriculture Department is lifting a freeze on clean energy funding programs but giving applicants 30 days to modify their proposals to remove unspecified references to DEI and “climate mandates.” A notice obtained by Agri-Pulse laid out options for revising projects.

The California Ag Leadership Foundation added Davidson Pattiz, CEO of Zenith Insurance Company, as a board member. Marla Livengood was named Cal Cities’ regional public affairs manager for the Central Valley Division. 

President Trump appointed Josh F.W. Cook as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in California and the Pacific Southwest. Wilbur Ellis promoted Kayla Allen to senior credit analyst.

USDA has sharply lowered its forecast for food inflation this year as price declines for dairy products and pork are expected to help offset sharply higher prices for beef and eggs.

USDA named Alec Varsamis deputy communications director. A veteran of the first Trump administration, he was press secretary and acting communications director for then-Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue. Since then, Versamis has worked at agencies Ketchum and Veno Group in account supervisor roles focused on agriculture, food and ingredients as well as crisis and issue management communications. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco. 

USDA has suspended millions of dollars in Commodity Credit Corporation funds originally destined for food banks across the country through the Emergency Food Assistance Program. Senate Democrats are challenging the USDA decision, claiming it would have a "significant and damaging impact" on millions of people.

The Agriculture Department on Wednesday announced a $280 million program to pay Texas producers seeing a shortfall in Rio Grande water deliveries from Mexico. 

The Agriculture Department's National Agricultural Statistics Service will reinstate its July Cattle and County Estimates for Crops and Livestock reports, both of which ended last year due to budget constraints.

The Agriculture Department will continue distributing federal funding to the University of Maine after concluding in a Title IX investigation that the institution does not allow transgender athletes on its women’s sports teams.

India’s demand for imported animal feed could increase significantly in coming years depending on how fast the population’s income grows and domestic production expands, according to a USDA study.