Articles by Philip Brasher

A Purdue University food safety scientist, Charles R. Santerre, has been named a senior policy adviser in the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, where his assignments are expected to include helping coordinate the administration’s work on agricultural biotechnology. 

House GOP leaders hope to pass a farm bill this week over likely unified Democratic opposition, but Republicans head into the debate divided over critical amendments on sugar policy, crop insurance and other issues.

With a farm bill floor debate looming next week, House members have filed more than half a dozen amendments attacking various aspects of the crop insurance program and others seeking to tighten rules for commodity subsidies and to roll back the sugar program.

USDA Chief of Staff Heidi Green announced today that she will return to Georgia after helping Secretary Perdue during his first year in office. Her replacement will be a familiar face to many in agriculture.

President Donald Trump told key lawmakers Thursday that the tighter work rules for food stamp recipients in the House GOP farm bill move "in the right direction," but he stopped short of threatening to veto legislation that doesn't include them.