(AG Insider) Black-owned farmland could expand sevenfold under a bill filed by three Democratic senators on Thursday to reverse decades of discriminatory practices by the Agriculture Department, sometimes called “the last plantation.” The Justice for Black Farmers Act would enable Black farmers to acquire up to 160 acres apiece at no charge… Continue reading

USDA exempts family farms from limit on farm subsidy recipients In a reversal, the USDA said on Wednesday that family-run farms are not subject to a rule that tightens eligibility standards for crop subsidies — the opposite of what it announced three months ago. A small-farm advocate criticized the “correction,”… Continue reading

Alliance including farm groups seeks tax credits to fight climate change The government would create a range of tax credits to encourage carbon sequestration in the soil and forests, deploy “digesters” nationwide to convert manure into energy, and work more aggressively to reduce food waste if it follows the recommendations… Continue reading

Boost SNAP benefits by 15 percent, says Fudge, potential USDA nominee On the same day President-elect Joe Biden urged Congress to pass additional coronavirus relief, Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge said on Monday “it is long past time to increase SNAP benefits by 15 percent” and devote additional funds to other… Continue reading

U.S. and global ag trade resilient in face of pandemic Partly because food is indispensable, agricultural trade has been remarkably robust despite the disruptions of the pandemic, said Ohio State professor Ian Sheldon during the university’s annual agricultural outlook conference. Inventories of key staples are at high levels worldwide so… Continue reading

China on track for $31 billion in U.S. ag imports over 12 months While China may not meet the first-year target under the “phase one” trade agreement, it is buying huge amounts of U.S. food, agriculture, and seafood products that could total $31 billion over 12 months, said Iowa State… Continue reading

Biden review of USDA may have a climate mitigation perspective Robert Bonnie, an Obama appointee at the USDA and now the head of an initiative to identify agriculture’s role in mitigating climate change, will lead a review of the Agriculture Department to prepare the way for the incoming administration, said… Continue reading

One of our country’s greatest treasures is our veterans.   The monuments we have erected, in Washington, DC and across our great country is to remind us of their sacrifices for our freedoms and American ideals are a small and simply unequal token to the honor and reverence they deserve…. Continue reading

Farm income cushion for 2021: Higher commodity prices Crop and livestock prices have rebounded from coronavirus lows last spring and could bolster farm income as massive federal payments recede in 2021, said economists at a farm conference on Monday. Cortney Cowley of the Kansas City Federal Reserve cautioned “the path… Continue reading

Women dominate list of potential nominees for agriculture secretary Obama-era officials and lawmakers top the list of potential nominees for agriculture secretary in the Biden administration, and, for the first time, most of the contenders are women. Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, co-founder of the One Country Project… Continue reading