USDA is ‘lone wolf’ inventing climate program on its own, says GOP
The senior Republican on the House Agriculture Committee accused the USDA of exceeding its authority — “We’re the ones that authorize programs”— by launching a $1 billion initiative to develop climate-smart commodities on Tuesday. A senior Republican on the committee joined the attack, asking, “How can a $1 billion program even be described as a pilot program?”
Consumers blame Covid-19 for higher meat prices
In the first Consumer Food Insights survey, Americans were six times more likely to blame higher meat prices on pandemic-related shutdowns than to blame meatpackers, who the Biden administration blamed. Some 51 percent of respondents said Covid-19 shutdowns were the cause, compared to 8 percent who chose concentration and market power of meatpackers, according to the survey by the Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability at Purdue University.
USDA says it again: 2021 was a record year for farm exports
U.S. farm exports were a record $177 billion in calendar 2021, beating the previous mark by $22.5 billion, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday. It was the second time that the USDA declared 2021 was a record setter. Last November, it said sales were record high in fiscal 2021, which ended on Sept. 30.
Today’s Quick Hits
Swing-district Biden: President Biden will visit the swing district of Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, to promote his “build back better” bill on Thursday. (Axios)
More SNAP for kids: A new report says increasing SNAP benefits by 20 percent for low-income families with children under age 6 and making the child tax credit available to families with no earnings would reduce poverty and help children succeed later in life. (Brookings)
Boost hemp limit: Farmers would be allowed to harvest hemp with a THC content of up to 1 percent, up from the current limit of 0.3 percent, which has been criticized as unduly low, under a bill by Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree. (Rep. Pingree)
Extend dairy signup: With enrollment running at 55 percent of last year’s level, the USDA extended to March 25 the deadline for farmers to sign up for the Dairy Margin Coverage and Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage subsidies. (Farm Service Agency)
Confusion, not lies: Lawyers for Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, 60, indicted for lying about illegal campaign donations, says he was confused and did not lie during FBI questioning, and they want a federal judge to allow an expert witness to testify about “cognitive aging.” (KMTV)
