USDA

chickens

New federal rule seeks to curb ‘deceptive practices’ in poultry production

BY: - November 8, 2023

Federal ag officials are poised to enact new disclosure requirements for the poultry industry to give chicken growers a better understanding of their potential profits. The changes are meant to address some long-standing complaints by farmers who are contracted by large companies to grow chickens for meat, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said Wednesday. Most […]

Katy Rogers, the farm manager at Teter Organic Farm and Retreat Center in Noblesville, Indiana, inspects produce growing in one of the high tunnels at the farm on June 21, 2022. Members of Congress are pushing to expand a USDA program aimed at organic farmers. (NRCS/USDA photo by Brandon O’Connor)

As consumers flock to organic foods, lawmakers urge more federal grants for farmers

BY: - October 10, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers are pushing a bill that would boost support for organic farmers amid rising demand for their products. U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Angus King of Maine in the Senate, alongside U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree of Maine and Annie Kuster of New Hampshire in the House, introduced the Organic Market […]

A farmer harvests soybeans in a large combine

The farm bill has expired. Congress is months away from a new version

BY: - October 2, 2023

As the deadline for Congress to enact a new farm bill passed this weekend, staff members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say it will be months — if not longer — until they reach agreement on a new bill. By averting a federal shutdown, at least until mid-November, Congress kept some critical government agricultural programs […]

chickens

Was that chicken cutlet grown in a lab? These states want you to know.

BY: - August 31, 2023

Select U.S. restaurants have begun serving laboratory-grown chicken, spurring long wait times for reservations by diners curious to taste it. In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave final approval for a few California-based companies to begin selling lab-produced chicken across the country. While it may be years before lab-grown meat is available at grocery […]

a butterfly lighting on a sunflower

USDA to provide $33M for agriculture projects at 19 HBCU land-grant institutions

BY: - July 24, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture Monday announced $33 million in funding to 19 Historically Black Colleges and Universities designated as land-grant institutions to support research and education projects. The funding through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will support 82 projects in sustainable farming practices such as reducing use of plastics, enhancing […]

a farmer with a tablet in a cornfield

U.S. Department of Agriculture to spend $300M to boost climate data in farming, forestry

BY: - July 12, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend $300 million to better measure the effectiveness of techniques to lower carbon emissions in farming and forestry, the department said Wednesday. The funding comes from a $20 billion allocation for climate-smart agriculture in the climate and social policy law Democrats in Congress passed along party lines and President […]

chickens

The U.S. is undergoing its worst bird flu outbreak ever. Is a poultry vaccine the answer?

BY: - May 15, 2023

WASHINGTON — The deadliest outbreak of bird flu in U.S. history is prompting growing concern in Congress, and Department of Agriculture researchers are awaiting the preliminary results of four trials of vaccines for poultry. Some lawmakers are warming to the idea of a vaccination campaign, long considered a fringe idea due to the cost and […]

a tractor in a cornfield

Congressional farm leaders split over work requirements for food aid, climate funds

BY: - April 26, 2023

WASHINGTON — Three of the four top agricultural leaders in Congress are emphasizing writing a farm bill that meets the needs of all rural Americans, but they diverge sharply over food assistance work requirements pushed by U.S. House Republicans as well as uses of Inflation Reduction Act conservation funds.  Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, […]

Limits on foreign ownership of U.S. farmland gain support in Congress, despite skepticism

BY: - March 20, 2023

WASHINGTON — Bipartisan momentum is building in Congress to restrict China and other foreign adversaries from purchasing U.S. farmland, a reflection of a similar push by some states as well as apprehension over Chinese spy balloons, rising land prices and growing international competition. “Foreign ownership of agricultural land threatens small family farms and the overall […]

Members of U.S. Senate agriculture panel spar with Vilsack over USDA spending, response

BY: - March 17, 2023

WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack bristled at complaints from both Democrats and Republicans of unchecked departmental spending and delayed support for farmers during a Thursday U.S. Senate oversight hearing. He also lobbied Congress to provide a farm bill that will balance large-scale productivity with the needs of small and mid-sized producers, a theme the […]

U.S. agriculture secretary unveils initiatives aimed at small and midsized operations

BY: - March 7, 2023

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday announced new steps the Department of Agriculture is taking to recenter U.S. agriculture and benefit small and midsized operations, including a proposed new “Product of USA” labeling rule and an $89 million expansion of the USDA intermediary lending program.  At the National Farmers Union conference in San Francisco, […]

U.S. Senate panel spars over elevated food assistance spending in upcoming farm bill

BY: - February 17, 2023

Republican lawmakers balk at administration’s plan to spend more on combating hunger WASHINGTON – Members of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee split along party lines on Thursday as they tussled over financial accountability in farm bill nutrition programs.  The main point of contention was the Department of Agriculture’s 2021 changes to the […]