Articles Tagged with ''National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition''

Oregon Ag Secretary Alexis Taylor has been nominated by the Biden Administration to be the trade undersecretary at USDA and Prime Time International co-founders announce retirement.

The Biden administration has tapped Alexis Taylor as the Department of Agriculture’s trade undersecretary and Stacy Dean as undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services.

Early in the pandemic, federal funding boosted efforts to get farm-fresh produce to people in need of food. Nearly a year after the Farmers to Families Food Box program ended, some participating distributors, farms, and food banks have found ways to continue reducing food waste, expanding markets and increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables for people who turn to food banks or pantries.

Producers, lawmakers, and administration staffers all agree on the benefits of the technical assistance provided by Agriculture Department conservation officials. The only issue is getting the funding – and the people – to make it happen.

The USA Poultry & Egg Export Council named its next president and CEO and the Biden administration has named a handful of appointees to oversee the Agriculture Department's farm and rural development programs at the state level.

A potential “climate-smart” label for food and USDA’s authority to fund large-scale pilot projects using the Commodity Credit Corporation was among the many issues addressed in nearly 400 comments submitted on USDA’s proposed Climate-Smart and Agroforestry Partnership Initiative.

A provision of congressional Democrats' Build Back Better Act that would pay producers $25 per acre to plant cover crops is getting serious attention from sectors in the agriculture industry with ambitious climate goals, though others are unsure of how effective the measure will be in comparison to existing programs.

Farmers and food companies are under pressure from their customers and federal officials to expand the use of digital tracking methods as a way to curb foodborne illness outbreaks and document that the products were grown with sustainable practices. Farm groups, however, are concerned about the privacy of the data that is being generated.

Now that the Senate has reached a deal to increase the federal debt limit, Democrats can turn their attention back to passing President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says a federal investment aimed at the middle of the food supply chain should improve economic conditions for producers and consumers alike.