Washington DC

Partisan gridlock and fallout from the November election could again force Congress to kick key decisions for agriculture into 2025.  It’s not just the Farm Bill, but USDA and other spending bills stuck in months of political gridlock in a narrowly divided Congress that could still be stuck even in a post-election lame duck session.  A $26 billion...

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a study on replacing the Lower Snake River Dams.  DOE said the Pacific Northwest Regional Energy Planning Project will be an 18-month study, exploring how utilities in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana can deal with future power needs in the event that the Snake River dams are removed.  The stu...

The USDA is investing $1.7 billion for purchasing local and regionally produced foods and domestically produced foods for emergency food assistance.  These investments, made possible by the Commodity Credit Corporation, will help American producers by ensuring they have the certainty of access to local and regional markets as well as the financial benefits that come with selling directly to instit

With no new Farm Bill in place after the 2018 Farm Bill deadline passed on September 30th, there are already impacts on U.S. farmers and ranchers.   “Most of the impacts won't be felt until the new crop year, or for dairy producers, the impact will be felt beginning January 1," said Sam Kieffer, vice president of public policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation.  "But imm... Read Mo

Food giant Kraft Heinz is leveraging its logistics partnerships to help the nonprofit bring food to communities in need across Europe. When Kraft Heinz was facing challenges in delivering food for nonprofit Rise Against Hunger, the company set out to leverage its existing procurement network through the Kraft Heinz Rise Together Procurement Program...

The recommission of a nuclear power plant in Michigan.  How is it connected to a USDA program?   “Over $1.3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act, investments that breaks down to over $650 million to Wolverine Power Cooperative and over $675 million to Hoosier Energy,” noted Agriculture Deputy Secretary, Xochitl Torres Small.     Under Rural Development’s...

A Codex committee has made progress on guidelines for preventing and controlling food fraud. The draft guidance has been sent to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for adoption, which will meet in Switzerland in November.   The United States chaired the electronic working group. Foo...

Last week, the USDA held the department’s final Equity Commission meeting.   “Our programs are only as good as they do reach people, and that's what this work, this work of equity, which is for everyone is all about,” said Deputy Agriculture Secretary, Xochitl Torres Small.  She noted the work of the...

The Agriculture ministers of the G7 nations met in Italy this weekend.   “We have a shared goal which is at the end of the day I'm more productive resilience and more sustainable agriculture and food system," noted Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack.  He added not ...

The Food and Drug Administration reached a significant milestone when it approved its reorganization and created its new unified Human Foods Program, also known as HFP.  It is one of the most significant reorganizations in FDA’s history.  The new model...