tom vilsack

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced several major developments at the USDA that will help benefit farmers and ranchers across the nation.  Vilsack said the Department wants to provide all farmers with the opportunities they need to continue farming, build and maintain their competitive edge, and access more, new, and better markets.  He says...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is non-committal on supporting a renewed push in Congress for livestock marketing reforms.  Vilsack was careful in recent comments to not to overstep the general support he voiced last year for the Grassley-Fisher bill to boost price discovery and beef industry competition.   “...

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said this week there will be no compromise when it comes to the Mexican corn situation.  The U.S. won’t back down or compromise on its stance against Mexico’s plan to ban imports of genetically modified yellow corn.  Vilsack says the Am...

Last week, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an investment of $9.6 million across the country to help farmers, ranchers, processors, and rural businesses diversify the meat supply.   “We’re putting the needs of farmers, ranchers, and consumers at the forefront of our work to strengthen the resiliency of America’s food supply chain while promoting competition,” he said. “USDA is working on an appr

USDA is investing $9.5 million to support the scale-up of sustainable bioproduct manufacturing in the U.S.  Three projects are getting funded through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Bioproduct Pilot Program.  The program presents an opportunity to spur economic activity in the nation’s rural areas while lowering commercialization risks associated with bringing biobased products to

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said recently it’s premature to ask if billions of dollars in Inflation Reduction Act conservation funds can be transferred to the upcoming Farm Bill, even though the need will likely exist.  The decision will be up to Congress, but Vilsack and the administration will have a say in whether to use some of the Inflation Reduction Act’s $16 billion for programs like

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said he is pleased that Alexis Taylor was finally sworn as the USDA’s Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.  Vilsack noted Taylor, the former Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, has a deep-rooted and impressive career working on matters related to agriculture, trade, and enhancing as many export opportunities as possible for America’s far

Doug McKalip, was confirmed as President Biden’s Chief Ag Trade Negotiator with the U.S. Trade Representative’s office just before Christmas.  He now faces a huge challenge to expand overseas market access.  It’s not a new issue for McKalip, who has roughly 30 years’ experience at USDA, including as an advisor to Secretary Vilsack.   “Recently at USDA, I helped spearh...

Earlier this week, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that the United States is requesting new dispute settlement consultations with Canada under USMCA.  The request is over Canada’s dairy tariff-rate quota, or TRQ, allocation measures.  Since initiat...

On Thursday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA is investing $285 million in critical infrastructure.  The investment seeks to lower energy costs, expand access to clean energy for people across rural America, and combat climate change.  USDA is...