Author: The Farm Report

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

Convert SNAP to block grant SNAP “is in dire need of reform,” and the solution is to turn the program into a block grant that requires states to share the cost of benefits, said a group speaking for conservative House Republicans. The Republican Study Committee budget package also said lawmakers… Continue reading

Legislative rider directs USDA to block farmland purchases by four nations To foil foreign adversaries, the Agriculture Department should “take such steps as may be necessary” to prevent them from buying U.S. farmland, said the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, despite questions about whether the USDA has the authority to… Continue reading

House panel targets farmland sales to foreign adversaries To protect U.S. farmland, the government would collect a 60-percent excise tax on purchases by foreign adversaries — citizens and companies from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela — under legislation approved by the House Ways and Means Committee on… Continue reading

Rural broadband projects get $714 million in USDA grants and loans The White House announced $714 million in USDA grants and loans to expand access to high-speed internet service in 19 states from South Carolina to California on Monday. With the new round of funding, the USDA has put $2.45… Continue reading

Key lawmaker proposes 60-percent tax on land purchases by U.S. adversaries The United States would block foreign adversaries from snatching up agricultural land by putting a 60-percent excise tax on purchases by people and companies from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela under a bill sponsored by the… Continue reading