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
On Earth Day, USDA Invests Nearly $800 Million in Critical Infrastructure to Combat Climate Change Across Rural America WASHINGTON, April 22, 2022 – Today, in honor of Earth Day 2022, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing nearly $800 million in climate-smart infrastructure… 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
U.S. to connect rural areas with development funding The U.S. government will put field staff in more than two dozen rural communities to provide a link between local leaders and federal economic development programs, said the White House on Wednesday. The Rural Partners Network will be run by USDA but… Continue reading
Egg farm losses from bird flu top 20 million With the discovery of bird flu on a Pennsylvania egg farm, more than 20 million egg-laying hens have died in outbreaks of the viral disease this year, according to USDA data released on Monday. Wholesale prices for eggs were at least… Continue reading
Ag groups urge USDA to take over regulation of GE animals Calling it a step for “much-needed innovations,” 11 agricultural organizations urged an Agriculture Department takeover of federal regulation of genetically engineered food animals, now in FDA’s hands. The Trump administration proposed the transfer — over FDA objections — in… Continue reading
Despite inflation, taste matters more than price to food shoppers, says report Americans say they are spending an additional $15 a week on food but that inflation is less important to them at the grocery store than buying good-tasting food, according to a survey by Purdue University. “At present, consumer… Continue reading
Plenty of eggs, although pricey, as bird flu hits more farms Nearly 5 percent of the egg-laying hens in the United States have died in outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the past six weeks, said USDA data on Wednesday. Egg prices were rising faster than the overall rate… Continue reading
Grocery prices rocketed up by 10 percent in past year From meat to milk, grocery prices galloped higher, rising by 10 percent in the last 12 months, said the Labor Department on Tuesday. It was the biggest increase in food-at-home prices in 41 years, according to the monthly Consumer Price… Continue reading
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