Month: June 2021

USDA to implement up to $4 billion in pandemic aid through mid-August Biofuel producers, dairy farmers and meat processors will receive a major portion of up to $4 billion in coronavirus aid that will be implemented over the next 60 days, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Tuesday. He also… Continue reading

Biden tax plan puts U.S. farms at risk, says Boozman Farmers could face huge tax bills if President Biden succeeds in raising capital gains tax rates and eliminating a loophole for inherited assets such as farmland, said the senior Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee. The proposals are unpopular in… Continue reading

Vilsack: Stronger rules on the way for fair play in livestock marketing The USDA will propose three rules to give cattle, hog and poultry producers more leverage in dealing with meat processors in an increasingly concentrated industry, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The initiatives would make it easier for a… Continue reading

Free meals when schools are open, EBT when they’re not, say activists When it reauthorizes child nutrition programs, Congress should provide meals for free to all students at public schools and offer financial assistance to low-income parents to buy food for their school-age children during the summer and holidays, activists… Continue reading

Biden administration will replace Trump clean water rule Shortly after telling senators that he wanted a “long-term, durable solution,” EPA administrator Michael Regan said on Wednesday that the Biden administration would write a new definition of the upstream reach of clean water laws. The process would include repeal of the… Continue reading

Vilsack talks of ‘transformational change’ in strengthening U.S. food system The Biden administration earmarked $4 billion on Tuesday to strengthen the U.S. food system, including an expansion of local and regional food processing capacity. Aiming to increase competition, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he hoped to see “new entries” in… Continue reading

Senators prod USDA for pandemic payments to contract growers Ten weeks ago, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack restarted the USDA’s coronavirus relief program for farmers and ranchers. But payments to contract growers, the farmers who produce hogs, poultry and eggs under contract for the owner of the animals, remain on hold… Continue reading

USDA announces major expansion of emergency food networks The USDA announced on Friday that it will invest up to $1 billion to expand emergency food networks, bolstering the ability of food banks and local organizations to serve in-need communities. It was the first of several “Build Back Better” initiatives planned… Continue reading

Highest food prices since 2011 may persist for months After increasing for 12 months in a row during the pandemic, international food prices are the highest they’ve been since September 2011, said the monthly Food Price Index, released on Thursday. The index surged 4.8 percent in May, its largest monthly… Continue reading