Congress

The National Potato Council has a new president, and he comes from the Pacific Northwest. On Tuesday, Jared Balcom of Pasco, WA, was elected to serve a NPA’s 2022 president and head the grower-led organization’s Executive Committee. The elect ...

Farmers and ranchers can now anonymously report potentially unfair and anti-competitive practices in the livestock and poultry sectors. The USDA and the Justice Department launched an online tool late last week to make it easier for farmers to file those reports ...

Renewable energy will once again be a top farm issue this year, as Congress and the Administration grapple with climate and sustainability needs. “We’re going to also focus on renewable energy; US biofuels play an important role.” The Am ...

As Congress considers the President's Infrastructure Bill and the budget Reconciliation Bills, some lawmakers have talked about possibly cutting back on what the administration has proposed for spending for those bills. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said some of those proposed cuts worry him, because of the impact they could have on the USDA ...

The Department of Agriculture has accepted 2.8 million acres in offers for enrollment into the Conservation Reserve Program in 2021. This year, almost 1.9 million acres in offers have been accepted through the General CRP Signup, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency has accepted over 897,000 acres for enrollment through the Continuous Signup. T ...

The lack of broadband mapping remains a key hurdle to the successful rural deployment of internet technology, but one industry hand says efforts underway to figure out where the gaps are, are now moving at top speed. Rural Broadband Association CEO Shirley Bloomfield said no one really knows where the unserved and underserved areas are ...

The August recess is a chance for members of Congress to reconnect with their constituents. American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said it’s also the perfect time for farmers and ranchers to talk to their legislators about agriculture. ...

A bipartisan climate bill supported by several food and agriculture groups is making its way through Congress. Andrew Walmsley, director of congressional relations with the American Farm Bureau, called the Growing Climate Solutions Act a remarkable bill ...

Members of the produce industry will come together face-to-face at the 2021 Annual Washington Conference on September 20-22 in Washington, D.C. “After a year of virtual events, we’re thrilled to bring our industry back together in person for one of the most important events of the year,” said United Fresh Chairman Danny Dumas. “It’s our opport ...

A coalition of agriculture groups and universities are calling on Congress and the Biden administration to increase funding for agricultural research. The groups say an increase of $40 billion is needed for agricultural research. In separate letters to President Joe Biden and House and Senate leadership, the groups say, “We strongly support a robust investment of at least $40 billion, for agricu