Month: June 2023

USDA awards $115 million to boost independent meat processors On Thursday, as part of an administration initiative to increase independent meat processing capacity, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $38 million in grants to processors and $77 million to intermediary lenders to finance the start-up, expansion, or operation of independent processing… Continue reading

EPA says it will revise wetlands rule in line with Supreme Court decision The Biden administration intends to update its “waters of the United States” regulation, which determines the upstream reach of anti-pollution laws, by Sept. 1, said the EPA on Wednesday. The revised WOTUS rule will reflect the recent… Continue reading

To boost sales of higher blends, USDA to put $500 million into biofuel pumps and tanks The Biden administration is the best friend the biofuel industry ever had, notwithstanding gripes that it set the RFS too low, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. Vilsack defended the administration’s record while… Continue reading

Vilsack taps USDA fund as House GOP tries to block his access Declaring it was “an appropriate utilization” of resources, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack allotted nearly $2.7 billion in USDA funds for school meals, food banks, and domestic fertilizer production. House Republicans are trying to block Vilsack’s access to the… Continue reading

Senate panel votes unanimously for more food-assistance funds In a marked contrast to the polarized House, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously on Thursday for larger spending on domestic and international food assistance. Also unlike the House, the bill did not propose new restrictions on SNAP eligibility, a key issue… Continue reading

Biofuel industry says 8 percent increase in RFS is too small The Biden administration on Wednesday called for an 8 percent increase in biofuel consumption through 2025, with lower-carbon “advanced” fuels as the beneficiaries. Corn ethanol would remain the dominant biofuel at 15 billion gallons a year in the updated… Continue reading

Reflecting U.S. goal, G20 ag ministers side with Ukraine in war Pressed by the United States to act, agriculture ministers from most of the world’s leading economies condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and said in a statement that Moscow should allow Ukrainian grain to flow through the Black Sea… Continue reading

Poor nations losing food purchasing power The wealthy nations of the world will spend $1.2 trillion this year on food imports that include meat, fish, coffee and spices, while poorer nations tighten their belts and focus on staple foods such as grains, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. “The… Continue reading

(AG Insider) Toward the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prospect of increased food insecurity was quickly becoming a reality. For Kaia Shivers, an assistant clinical professor of liberal studies with New York University, thinking about how this food insecurity would look in Black communities compelled her to start working… Continue reading