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Even as congressional Democrats push through a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package, attention is turning to legislation that could be use to fund agricultural climate initiatives: an infrastructure package that could be in the range of $3 trillion.

Advocates for minority farmers say historical discrimination justifies providing payments totaling 120% of debt held by “socially disadvantaged” farmers, as approved by the House Agriculture Committee in its $16.1 billion COVID relief package, part of a larger $1.9 trillion relief bill to be considered by the full House of Representatives.

The nation’s food and agriculture groups are glad to have a familiar face back at the helm of the Department of Agriculture.

China is determined to grow more self-sufficient, but the country is also widely expected to remain a growing importer of meat and grains for years to come as the Chinese economy and demand grows, outstripping production capacity, according to economists and new government forecasts.

The Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm Vilsack as the nation’s Secretary of Agriculture, giving the former Iowa governor another term at the helm of USDA.

The Senate is finally set to vote today on sending Tom Vilsack back to USDA for a new stint as agriculture secretary, more than a month after Joe Biden became president.

Mexico’s Supreme Court is scheduled to rule Wednesday on whether the country’s government has the authority to fully open Mexican borders to fresh U.S. potatoes, potentially settling a major U.S. trade irritation going back about two decades.

The Environmental Protection Agency has flipped its official position in a critical court case for the future of waivers from the nation’s biofuel mandate, offering a signal of the Biden administration’s view on a major aspect of renewable fuels policy.

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing Thursday to consider the nomination of Katherine Tai to be President Joe Biden’s U.S. Trade Representative and point person on the future of trade relations with China.

Tom Vilsack finally gets his Senate vote to join the Biden administration for a second stint as agriculture secretary, and two other nominees important to farmers and ranchers get hearings this week.