One in seven rural Americans lived in poverty during 2020 pandemic Nearly 6 million people in rural America had incomes below the poverty line during the pandemic year of 2020, an increase of 315,000 from the preceding year, according to a Census Bureau estimate released on Tuesday. The annual Income… Continue reading

House panel approves $66 billion ag bill; change in ‘stepped-up basis’ is abandoned The Democratic-controlled House Agriculture Committee approved its $66 billion part of President Biden’s $3.5 trillion “build back better” bill on a party-line vote Monday, with Chairman David Scott saying he was confident that $28 billion will be… Continue reading

Price tag for new nutrition and ag spending nears $100 billion During congressional committee work on the Biden administration’s $3.5 trillion “build back better” bill, majority-party House Democrats approved a $35 billion expansion of child nutrition programs last week and were expected to vote on Monday for an additional $66… Continue reading

Critics say a lack of diversity among nutrition professionals skews America’s understanding of dietary health In the U.S., the field of dietetics and nutrition — and, accordingly, the corps of professionals who shape how Americans understand dietary health, in part by helping draft the national dietary guidelines — has a… Continue reading

Q&A: Yolanda Soto says Covid-19 helped boost the market for imperfect produce The Covid-19 pandemic upended the food supply chain in 2020, but massive quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico kept flowing into the border town of Nogales, Arizona. Not all of it made it to American tables,… Continue reading

Vilsack sets $700-million program to help farm and meatpacking workers Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday announced a new $700 million grant program to provide direct financial relief to U.S. farm and meatpacking workers hit hard by Covid-19. But it was unclear whether undocumented immigrants, who make up roughly half… Continue reading

Booker sees budget reconciliation advancing debt relief for farmers of color With a historic program to provide debt relief for farmers of color tied up in litigation, attorneys, advocates and policymakers say that Congress should use the budget reconciliation process to avoid further delay in providing essential relief to minority… Continue reading

(AG Insider) In the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, a nascent but significant movement is underway to protect the rainforest by connecting small-scale producers tapping rubber trees with multinational brands, reports The New Republic. The links give settlers and indigenous groups a means to make a living from the forest, although… Continue reading

Highest farm income in eight years, but one-third comes from government Higher prices for corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, and broiler chickens — top U.S. ag products — will boost net farm income to $113 billion this year, the highest since 2013, estimated the Agriculture Department on Thursday. Income would be… Continue reading

Ag leaders urge Covid-19 vaccinations in rural America While nearly half of urban Americans are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the rural rate is much lower — less than four in 10. “We still have so far to go,” said the leaders of 30 farm and agribusiness groups on Wednesday in… Continue reading