Lawmakers shrug at Grassley call for livestock reform – October 8, 2021

Lawmakers shrug at Grassley call for livestock reform

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley urged reauthorization of mandatory price reporting, telling the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday that it is the ideal vehicle for ensuring cattle producers get a fair price from meatpackers. But few committee members got on board with the idea, preferring to switch topics and complain that the USDA’s proposals for fair play in the marketplace would boomerang and mean lower sales prices.

Snyder is named EPA ag adviser

Ron Snyder, with a background in traditional and sustainable agriculture, will serve as the EPA’s agriculture adviser, announced administrator Michael Regan on Thursday. Snyder said he would pursue “practical, science-based solutions that protect the environment and ensure a vibrant and productive agricultural system.”

Today’s Quick Hits

Offices to stay open: “I suspect we will do what needs to be done to keep offices open,” responded Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack when asked if service at USDA local offices would be affected by a requirement that federal employees be vaccinated against Covid-19. (FERN’s Ag Insider)

School food overseas: Ten projects to feed schoolchildren in countries from Guatemala to Senegal will receive $248 million through the McGovern-Dole program this fiscal year. (Foreign Agricultural Service)

Bears Ears restored: President Biden will sign proclamations restoring the boundaries of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts national monuments, all cut back during the Trump years. (White House)

Stronger environmental rules: The Biden administration plans to reinstate three major provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impact of projects including mines, highways, and pipelines. (CNN)

Equity grants: The USDA announced three awards totaling $25 million to encourage historically underserved farmers and ranchers to take part in agricultural programs. (USDA)

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