White House starts ‘rural infrastructure tour’ loaded with dollar signs President Biden launched a “rural infrastructure tour” on Monday to deliver billions of dollars in funding for rural America with senior officials visiting 30 communities in April. “These generational infrastructure investments will provide rural communities across America affordable high-speed internet,… Continue reading
War drives UN food index to highest level ever The UN index of food prices, already at a record high, rose by 12.5 percent in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with world wheat prices soaring nearly 20 percent, said the Food and Agriculture Organization. Wheat prices were so high,… Continue reading
War in Ukraine may trigger severe world food crisis — USAID The Biden administration is preparing to tap an emergency food aid fund because of the ripple effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on hunger in Africa and the Middle East, a U.S. Agency for International Development official told… Continue reading
Vilsack sees ‘no significant’ gains from opening Conservation Reserve The United States stands ready to provide food aid overseas if it is needed in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a letter to grain merchandisers. At the same time, the letter closed the… Continue reading
U.S. farmers pursue soybean profits, shrug at tight wheat stocks American farmers say they will plant more soybeans — a record 91 million acres — and less corn and spring wheat despite tight global wheat supplies that have been compounded by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine are… Continue reading
USDA inaugurates livestreaming of ‘secretary data briefings’ With the arrival of the internet, the Agriculture Department made its vast library of reports and analyses available to the public, from the closely watched monthly crop estimates to assessments of the impact of the pandemic on meatpackers. The USDA went a step… Continue reading
USDA closes loopholes on origin of organic dairy livestock After years of lobbying by organic farmers, the Agriculture Department tightened its rules on how dairy animals — cattle, goats and sheep — enter organic production, in the name of fairness to farmers and consumers. The new “origin of livestock” rule… Continue reading
SNAP enrollment up, costs down in 2023 Food stamp enrollment will remain high well into 2023 due to the lingering effects of the pandemic and its disruption of the U.S. economy, said the Agriculture Department in its proposed budget for the new fiscal year. It estimated an average 43.5 million… Continue reading
USDA says food inflation rate to soar, highest since 2008 Prices for common elements of the U.S. diet, from poultry and dairy to fruits and vegetables, are rising at double or triple their usual rate, said the government in forecasting the highest annual food inflation rate in 14 years. The… Continue reading
To avert food shortage, U.S. and allies will boost food aid and grow more Global food shortages are a real possibility as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Biden told reporters while meeting with allies in Brussels on Thursday. Western leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von… Continue reading
USDA News & Features Organic Food Features