Government farm payments are still likely to fall significantly this year, but the cliff won’t be quite as stiff as it once looked like it would be.

Tom Vilsack’s return to USDA has been on hold for reasons because of delays in getting the 50-50 Senate organized. But incoming Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow tells Agri-Pulse she hopes to get Vilsack’s nomination for agriculture secretary approved “as soon as possible” once she takes over the committee.

Ben Maddox has been tapped as Bank of America’s western food, agriculture and wine executive and Governor Gavin Newsom appoints three to the California Water Commission.

President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Virginia Ag Commissioner Jewel Bronaugh as his selection for Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Janet McCabe as deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

A surge of nationwide cheese demand driven at least in part by the Trump administration’s Farmers to Families Food Box program sparked wild swings in dairy markets and fueled a new debate over changes in federal milk pricing policy made in the 2018 farm bill.

Marrone Bio Innovations taps Kevin Helash and Homegrown Organic Farms promotes Amanda Vietti and has brought on Stefaun Avakian.

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish returns to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and USTR selects 10 panelists to serve on a roster to decide State-to-State disputes under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Ryan Findlay is no longer the CEO of the American Soybean Association and Becky Rasdall joins IDFA as vice president for trade policy and international affairs