Author: The Farm Report

Strong Senate support for Torres Small as Agriculture deputy secretary President Biden’s nominee for the No. 2 post at the Agriculture Department, Xochitl Torres Small, easily cleared a procedural hurdle on a 79-8 Senate roll call on Monday, opening the door to a confirmation vote expected on Tuesday. The granddaughter… Continue reading

Playing corn ethanol as Trump card in Iowa Former president Donald Trump, ignoring his own mixed record on biofuels, said at a rally in western Iowa that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his most viable challenger for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, “totally despises Iowa ethanol and ethanol generally.” Trump, who… Continue reading

Farmers skeptical of farm bill as Prop 12 slayer Large-scale farmers and ranchers are slightly more optimistic than they were last month that Congress will pass a farm bill this year, but they doubt it will be a vehicle for overturning California’s Proposition 12 animal welfare law, said the Ag… Continue reading

SNAP error rate soars to highest in years The error rate of SNAP over- and underpayments — 11.54 percent — “is unacceptable and threatens the integrity of the program,” said the leaders of the Senate and House Agriculture committees, who oversee food stamps. The error rate in fiscal 2022 was… Continue reading

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