Boost SNAP benefits by 15 percent, says Fudge, potential USDA nominee On the same day President-elect Joe Biden urged Congress to pass additional coronavirus relief, Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge said on Monday “it is long past time to increase SNAP benefits by 15 percent” and devote additional funds to other… Continue reading
U.S. and global ag trade resilient in face of pandemic Partly because food is indispensable, agricultural trade has been remarkably robust despite the disruptions of the pandemic, said Ohio State professor Ian Sheldon during the university’s annual agricultural outlook conference. Inventories of key staples are at high levels worldwide so… Continue reading
China on track for $31 billion in U.S. ag imports over 12 months While China may not meet the first-year target under the “phase one” trade agreement, it is buying huge amounts of U.S. food, agriculture, and seafood products that could total $31 billion over 12 months, said Iowa State… Continue reading
Biden review of USDA may have a climate mitigation perspective Robert Bonnie, an Obama appointee at the USDA and now the head of an initiative to identify agriculture’s role in mitigating climate change, will lead a review of the Agriculture Department to prepare the way for the incoming administration, said… Continue reading
One of our country’s greatest treasures is our veterans. The monuments we have erected, in Washington, DC and across our great country is to remind us of their sacrifices for our freedoms and American ideals are a small and simply unequal token to the honor and reverence they deserve…. Continue reading
Farm income cushion for 2021: Higher commodity prices Crop and livestock prices have rebounded from coronavirus lows last spring and could bolster farm income as massive federal payments recede in 2021, said economists at a farm conference on Monday. Cortney Cowley of the Kansas City Federal Reserve cautioned “the path… Continue reading
Women dominate list of potential nominees for agriculture secretary Obama-era officials and lawmakers top the list of potential nominees for agriculture secretary in the Biden administration, and, for the first time, most of the contenders are women. Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, co-founder of the One Country Project… Continue reading
Scott, seeking to chair House Ag, calls for racial justice and economic equality Nine-term Georgia Rep. David Scott asked House Democrats to name him Agriculture Committee chairman with a call on Thursday for racial justice and economic equality in agriculture, rural economic development, and a safety net for hungry Americans…. Continue reading
New chairs on the way for Senate and House Agriculture panels Southerners could lead both of the Agriculture committees in Congress as a result of Tuesday’s general election, which trimmed the majorities Republicans hold in the Senate and Democrats hold in the House. Rep. David Scott of Georgia was first… Continue reading
Peterson, ag committee chair, defeated after three decades in House Michelle Fischbach, a well-financed Republican and former Minnesota lieutenant governor endorsed by President Trump, soundly defeated House Agriculture chairman Collin Peterson in a strongly conservative western state district, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s election. The blunt-spoken Peterson was a… Continue reading
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