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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Friday, February 28, 2025
Farmers and rural businesses that signed contracts with the Agriculture Department to install renewable energy sources or energy-efficiency technology on their operations in exchange for federal grant funding are seeing funding held up amid a federal funding freeze.
Democrats on the House and Senate Agriculture committees are proposing $10 billion in market relief for farmers as the parties spar over an extension of the 2018 farm bill, Agri-Pulse has learned. House GOP leaders, however, have so far objected to the method used to cover the cost of the farm payments.
The Agriculture Department is making investments worth $163 million in Rural Energy for America grants, loans and technical assistance for 338 projects to install solar panels, wind turbines or other energy sources, and make other kilowatt-reducing improvements for farms and small businesses.
The Agriculture Department on Thursday said it will be distributing $124 million through two programs aimed at expanding renewable energy and fertilizer production.
The Biden administration is forming a new joint program between the Departments of Agriculture and Energy that aims to quadruple the use of wind energy under a federal program.
The Biden administration announced $772.6 million Wednesday to support more than 200 projects in rural communities, addressing high-speed internet, drinking water and wastewater.
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack used his speech at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention to roll out more than $200 million in loans and grants through programs meant to bolster American production of fertilizer and renewable energy.
President Joe Biden and cabinet members, including top USDA officials, start a two-week rural America tour Wednesday to “barnstorm the country" and highlight $5 billion in rural infrastructure and conservation investments.
Fresh off the heels of a nearly $266 million renewable energy announcement from USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is urging a hands-off approach by those outside the department looking to tweak the agency’s funding pools.
House GOP appropriators proposed Wednesday to slash fiscal 2024 funding for USDA by one-third, in part by eliminating some climate-related funding, restricting Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s use of the Commodity Credit Corp. spending authority and expanding work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
