Rural

RSS

Thousands of producers hoping to implement more conservation practices on their farms are lining up for government assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives and Conservation Stewardship programs, as the Agriculture Department touts the promises of climate-smart agriculture as a mitigator of climate change. But these programs, despite their billion dollar budgets, aren’t equipped to deal with this demand, forcing the agency to turn away the majority of applicants.

The annual gathering of some of the most recognizable commodity groups in ag policy was perhaps as notable for what it didn’t include as what it did.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has now spread to 14 states and more than 7.6 million birds, with the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s announcement that a commercial layer flock in Wisconsin had been infected.

With the government finally funded for fiscal 2022, lawmakers can turn their attention to other policy issues and begin work on funding legislation for FY23.

The Department of Agriculture is looking to award grants into U.S. fertilizer production and plans to give more time for interested parties to submit their applications for a round of funding to promote climate-smart commodities.

President Joe Biden is set to sign a bill reforming the funding and operation of the U.S. Postal Service, with provisions aimed at improving service in rural areas.

The top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee is calling on Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to delay signup for the Conservation Reserve Program because of the war in Ukraine.

Congressional leaders announced agreement early Wednesday on a $1.5 trillion, government-wide spending bill for fiscal 2022 that includes new funding for rural broadband expansion and authorization of a cattle contract library at USDA to address concerns about market power in the beef sector.

Debates over whether farmers should be able to repair their high-tech machinery on their own that once raged in state legislatures are now spilling into the halls of Congress, the White House and courtrooms across the U.S.

USDA is taking additional steps to provide relief to historically underserved farmers and other producers holding direct loans from the Farm Service Agency.