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The United Soybean Board reflected on the challenges and highlights of 2020 and elected new leadership during their board meeting this week.

Tom Vilsack pledged to act quickly to tackle racial issues at the Agriculture Department and joined President-elect Joe Biden in promising that climate change would be a top policy priority for USDA.

A new rule is designed to give packers and producers clarity on what constitutes “undue or unreasonable preference” in the meat sector, but some already say it will need an update under the Biden administration.

A bipartisan group of senators negotiating a $908 billion coronavirus relief package is circulating a summary of the plan that allocates $13 billion for the agriculture sector. The document was obtained by Agri-Pulse.

Joe Biden's decision to nominate Tom Vilsack to run the Agriculture Department for a second time will give Biden a policy veteran who shares his passion for addressing climate change and already has relationships with critical lawmakers and farm groups.

The Georgia Democrat and Pennsylvania Republican poised to take the reins of the House Agriculture Committee next year have shared priorities, but different timelines and approaches.

Like most dairy producers in late 2019, Ryan Klussendorf of Medford, Wis., was optimistic about 2020 dairy prices and he did not sign up for USDA’s Dairy Margin Coverage program. But after seeing the extreme volatility of this year, he’s not taking any chances for 2021 and said other producers shouldn’t either.

While the total damage amounts from California’s 2020 wildfire season is not yet known and several fires continue to burn, rural businesses such as farms, ranches, and others in the agricultural industry are faced with the continued threat of losing the insurance policies that protect the financial aspects of daily operations.

USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced Dec. 2 that it would require farms nationwide to follow the “one in four” requirement for prevent plant coverage.

Over 5 million unserved rural homes and businesses in 49 states, along with the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, will get highspeed internet access through the Federal Communications Commission’s Phase I Auction of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.