‘Farmers do more’ to mitigate climate change Farmers are ready to act on global warming “and we need to help them do more,” said Senate Agriculture chairwoman Debbie Stabenow at the committee’s first hearing on the 2023 farm bill, held at Michigan State University. “We’ve seen the overwhelming popularity of… Continue reading

Boost U.S. wheat production to fill in for Ukraine The Biden administration said it would put $500 million into farm supports, boosting U.S. wheat production by up to 18 percent and expanding production of food grains and edible oils in an effort to fill the gap created by warfare in… Continue reading

Packers say: ‘We’re not to blame for high meat prices’ The chief executives of the nation’s four largest meatpacking companies said on Wednesday that they were not the cause of surging meat prices at the grocery store, which are up by 15 percent in a year. And they told a… Continue reading

Cattle market reformers see resistance from big ag groups A band of senators from the Midwest and northern Plains, with the best chance in years to inject transparency into the consolidated cattle market, pressed on Tuesday for a federal mandate for meatpackers to buy more cattle for cash, rather than… Continue reading

Vilsack – to talk about next steps on climate change The USDA will seek maximum impact from the $1 billion that it will put into climate-smart pilot projects, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday, but he demurred at discussing next steps for agriculture in mitigating global warming. “We’ll see… Continue reading

USDA relocated research agencies despite warnings of high staff attrition In 2019, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the government would save $300 million over 15 years by moving two research agencies to Kansas City from the District of Columbia. However, congressional auditors now say USDA’s selection process was flawed and… Continue reading

California weighs farmwork in wildfire areas As California braces for another brutal fire season, farming communities across the state are weighing what it will take to save their harvests — and who, exactly, should bear the brunt of the risks. In places like Sonoma County, those risks are increasingly shouldered… Continue reading

Help vulnerable nations buy food, FAO chief asks rich countries The world should create a fund of up to $25 billion to help poor nations deal with the surge in food prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization on Wednesday…. Continue reading