We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Terms and Cookie Policy
Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Tuesday, May 07, 2024
USDA has approved a landmark new revenue insurance plan for dairy producers, and companies are likely to bring out additional new products for the livestock industry now that Congress has lifted an underwriting cap, says USDA’s chief economist.
The Senate confirmed Bill Northey as USDA’s undersecretary for farm programs after Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, dropped a hold he had kept on the nomination for four months in a dispute over biofuel policy.
A top USDA official was met with boos and derisive laughter when he attempted to sell anti-hunger activists and food banks on the Trump administration’s proposal to convert a portion of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to food boxes.
President Trump takes another stab this week at settling a biofuel policy dispute that has embroiled a key USDA nominee, and his administration will step up its defense of proposals to clamp down on federal nutrition assistance.
Amid depressed farm income, American farmers will produce record amounts of meat, poultry and milk this year while slightly increasing plantings of major field crops, according to the Agriculture Department.
The government headed to a partial shutdown this weekend after Senate Democrats, demanding a deal on legal status for DACA recipients, blocked passage of a House-passed measure that would have kept agencies funded until Feb. 16.
Some new studies suggest that proposals to restrict the amount of crop insurance subsidies that larger, high-earning farmers receive could push the least riskiest farmers out of the program, or force them to restructure in ways that would allow them to skirt the limits.
The Trump administration’s task force on rural prosperity is calling for expanding broadband essential to improving the rural America by removing regulatory barriers and providing new incentives for private investment.
A series of pending decisions from USDA and Congress over coming weeks could leave milk producers with a significantly stronger new financial safety net, if the actions fall the way the industry hopes.