Few employees out of compliance, as USDA vaccination rate rises
Seven of every eight USDA employees are partially or fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and there are few holdouts against President Biden’s order to get vaccinated or seek a waiver, said the White House on Thursday. Slightly more than 2,000 of the USDA’s 92,000 employees have not responded to the presidential directive, according to White House data.
Guaranteed loan program would expand capacity of food supply chain
The Biden administration will provide up to $1 billion in loan guarantees to expand capacity “in the middle of the food supply chain,” with the end result of fairer prices for farmers and more consumer access to healthier foods, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday.
Higher prices, smaller exports for U.S. wheat
U.S. wheat exports are slowing due to high prices and rising global production, said the Agriculture Department on Thursday. “U.S. export prices are expected to remain elevated [for] the rest of 2021/22, further diminishing U.S. competitiveness,” said the USDA’s monthly WASDE report.
Today’s Quick Hits
E15 regulatory fix: To get around an appellate court ruling against a Trump-era waiver for the summertime sale of E15, ethanol groups said the EPA should require refiners to produce less-evaporative fuel so that the blend of 15 percent ethanol and gasoline would still meet clean air regulations. (Growth Energy)
USDA state directors: The White House announced four appointees to serve as state directors of USDA agencies, including former state treasurer John Perdue to be Farm Service Agency state director in West Virginia. (White House)
Conservation cuts: Although the Conservation Stewardship Program, created in the 2008 farm bill, is the USDA’s largest “green payment” program, its funding is now less than $1 billion a year, down from $2 billion when it was new. (Center for Rural Affairs)
Tyson automation plans: The largest U.S. poultry processor, Tyson Foods, said it would spend more than $1.3 billion on automation capabilities over the next three years to offset a labor shortage in the meatpacking industry. (Reuters)
Vote put off: The Senate Agriculture Committee postponed to “a later time” a meeting that was scheduled for Thursday to vote on the nominations of Chavonda Jacobs-Young to be USDA undersecretary for research and Margo Schlanger to be USDA assistant secretary for civil rights. (Senate Ag)
