Month: October 2023

Biden to launch two-week ‘investing in rural America’ blitz After three rounds of promoting Bidenomics this fall, President Biden will launch an “investing in rural America” blitz at a farm in southern Minnesota on Wednesday to call attention to the billions of dollars being spent on rural development and agricultural… Continue reading

GOP urges swift passage of farm bill Sixty-one House Republicans called on Speaker Mike Johnson for speedy passage of the new farm bill, despite a grim outlook for the legislation expressed by a leading analyst. Work on the farm bill is at an impasse among farm-state lawmakers over crop subsidy… Continue reading

Senate supports USDA rule against discrimination in school meals In a vote that largely followed party lines, the Senate on Thursday defeated a Republican attempt to overturn a USDA rule against discrimination in school food programs on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. “This whole exercise is nothing… Continue reading

Farm bill passage in 2024, later than hoped The new farm bill will not enacted until next year because of continuing disagreements over issues such SNAP benefits and higher crop subsidies, said Senate Agriculture Committee chair Debbie Stabenow on Wednesday. “I am committed to passing a strong, bipartisan farm bill… Continue reading

Farm Bill: ‘There will be an extension’ Congress will have to extend the life of the 2018 farm law into 2024 so it can finish work on its successor, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday. “Most people acknowledge there will be an extension,” although its duration is unclear, he… Continue reading

USDA report finds barriers to farmers in carbon markets More than nine out of 10 farmers are aware of carbon markets but only a fraction of them are participants, said a USDA report on Monday that listed several barriers, including a “limited return on investment as a result of high… Continue reading

Red meat for Republicans, cuts for Democrats in Ag chair’s farm bill wish list To pay for farm bill priorities such as crop subsidies, House Agriculture chairman Glenn Thompson suggested $50 billion in cuts, mostly to climate change and public nutrition programs that are strongly supported by Democratic lawmakers. The… Continue reading

New FDA food chief names top three priorities A month after starting work as the FDA’s first deputy commissioner for human foods, Jim Jones on Thursday listed three areas for attention to promote the health and wellness of Americans: preventing foodborne illness, decreasing diet-related chronic disease through improved nutrition, and… Continue reading

Ag leaders discussing farm bill extension The senior Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee “is having conversations about an extension” of the 2018 farm law into the new year, said a spokesperson on Wednesday. Farm leaders in Congress have said they intend to enact a new farm bill by late… Continue reading

Arkansas orders Syngenta to sell 160 acres of farmland Citing a new state law against foreign ownership of land in Arkansas, state Attorney General Tim Griffin ordered Syngenta, one of the world’s largest seed companies, on Tuesday to sell 160 acres of farmland in northeastern Arkansas within two years. Gov…. Continue reading