Category: Farm Report

McConnell may sidetrack USDA, other federal funding bills in Senate dispute The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a mammoth USDA-FDA funding bill on Wednesday that includes $7 billion in disaster funds for crop and livestock losses in 2020 and this year. Almost immediately after the 25-5 vote, Senate Republican Leader Mitch… Continue reading

Euphoria fades as farmers fret over inflation, rising costs America’s large-scale farmers and ranchers expect rampant inflation and sharply higher costs in the year ahead, said a Purdue University poll on Tuesday. The monthly Ag Economy Barometer said farmer confidence was at its lowest level in a year despite high… Continue reading

Senate committee to vote on $7 billion in disaster aid for farmers Farm-state senators celebrated the first step of including $7 billion for disaster relief in the annual USDA-FDA funding bill, with a crucial vote looming on Thursday in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Action in the Senate mirrored efforts in… Continue reading

Senate approves first Biden-era executive at USDA On a voice vote, the Senate confirmed agricultural law expert Janie Hipp, who promised to be “a big voice at the interdepartmental table” in dealing with cattle prices and biofuels, as USDA general counsel. She was the first of President Biden’s nominees for… Continue reading

Climate programs will be voluntary, incentive-based, says USDA nominee The USDA’s climate mitigation initiatives will be built on a simple rule: “If they don’t work for producers and landowners, they’re not going to work for the climate,” said Robert Bonnie, the Biden nominee to run the USDA’s crop subsidy and… Continue reading

USDA puts $67 million to new program for heirs’ property owners The Department of Agriculture on Thursday will announce $67 million in funding for owners of heirs’ property, aiming to address a leading cause of land loss among Black and low-income farmers. “The key here is for it to work,”… Continue reading

House panel approves $8.5 billion disaster bill for agriculture Responding to calamities that range from drought in the West to floods in the Southeast, the House Agriculture Committee approved an $8.5 billion disaster relief bill on Tuesday to cover farm and ranch losses in 2020 and this year. Producers would… Continue reading

Committee clears Biden nominee Moffitt for vote in Senate Jennifer Moffitt, who would give farmers more leverage through USDA rules in dealing with meat processors, is one step away — a favorable vote in the Senate — from becoming agriculture undersecretary for marketing. Carbon credit market needs better standards –… Continue reading

ERS: Nearly $58 billion to farmers in pandemic year When crop insurance indemnities and unemployment benefits are counted, the government sent $57.7 billion to farm operations and farm households in 2020, while the pandemic sent the U.S. economy into recession, said a working paper by USDA economists. It was the… Continue reading

Party-line committee split may not halt vote on BLM nominee President Biden’s choice to run the Bureau of Land Management will face a confirmation vote in the Senate without the committee endorsement given to nearly all nominees. After a heated debate that one senator called “a skunk fight,” the Senate… Continue reading