USDA Announces Additional Farm Service Agency and Rural Development State Directors Release & Contact Info Press Release Release No. 0029.22 Contact: USDA Press Email: press@usda.gov WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2022 – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to appoint five U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regional positions, including four Farm Service Agency (FSA)… Continue reading

Supply chain issues, not profiteering, to blame for high prices, says pork industry report Although the White House blames big meatpackers for driving up food prices, the real culprits are higher costs and labor shortages all along the supply chain, said a pork industry report on Wednesday. Four packers control… Continue reading

VIA USDA.GOV – USDA Invests $1 Billion to Improve Community Infrastructure for People Living in Rural Towns Across the Country Funding Will Increase Access to Health Care, Education and Public Safety for the People Who Call Rural Communities Home Release & Contact Info Press Release Release No. 0028.22 Contact: USDA… Continue reading

Judge delays Prop 12 enforcement on California retailers California cannot enforce Proposition 12 against food retailers until it issues overdue regulations to assure they sell pork only from farms that comply with the animal-welfare law, said a Superior Court judge on Tuesday. The meat industry cheered the ruling, but state… Continue reading

Supreme Court will hear Idaho challenge to clean water law The Supreme Court opened the door to a possible revision of wetlands regulations by agreeing to decide whether Michael and Chantell Sackett can build a house in the Idaho panhandle. Justices will hear the case even though the Biden administration… Continue reading

Largest U.S. farm group opposes cattle market quotas While supporting more transparency in cattle prices, the American Farm Bureau Federation draws the line at requiring meatpackers to buy slaughter cattle on the cash market, said president Zippy Duvall. Mandatory purchases are a prime feature of the leading Senate bill for… Continue reading

Agriculture has ‘unfinished business’ in Sino-U.S. trade, says Vilsack Although China purchased a record amount of U.S. farm exports over the past two years, it wasn’t enough to comply with the “phase one” agreement that de-escalated the Sino-U.S. trade war, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday. “We obviously have… Continue reading

More competition will reduce meat prices in fight against inflation, says Biden Acknowledging “we need to get inflation under control” as part of the economic recovery from the pandemic, President Biden said on Wednesday that the administration will inject competition into the highly consolidated meat industry to bring down prices… Continue reading

New wildfire strategy targets ‘firesheds’ near towns Responding to a “wildfire crisis” in the West, the Biden administration will double or even triple its efforts to thin forests and prevent fires that would threaten communities, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in Phoenix on Tuesday. The 10-year plan will focus on… Continue reading

Hemp industry pivots toward grain and fiber After a brutal shake-out that chopped hemp acreage in half in two years, the industry is focusing on hemp as a source of grain and fiber, a less profitable but possibly steadier market than cannabinoid (CBD) oil, used in food, beverages and dietary… Continue reading