WIC

The FY ’26 Ag appropriations process has kicked off in Congress and once again, the process is partisan.  Subcommittee Chair Andy Harris launched the markup, announcing the GOP’s $25 billion bill.   “…a $1.1 billion or 4.2% decrease from FY ’25 ...

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...

Participating in SNAP, or ordering SNAP foods on-line isn’t new, it’s a service that’s been available for a while.  Deputy Under Secretary for Food Nutrition and Consumer Services Stacy Dean said the USDA program has grown very rapidly.   “In March of 2020 ...

American Dairy Coalition, recently announced federal policy priorities and an action plan for 2023.  American Dairy Coalition CEO Laurie Fischer said, “Our ongoing efforts have been focused on raising awareness of short- and long-term challenges.”   One k...

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service announced proposed changes to the foods prescribed to participants in WIC.  These science-based revisions incorporate recommendations from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.   “USDA ...

The USDA is extending a key funding flexibility in the WIC program that’s allowed state agencies and their infant formula manufacturers to work together to provide more options for needy families.  Under this flexibility that’s now extended to the end of October, USDA is covering the added cost of non-contract formula to make it financially feasible for states to allow WIC participants to buy alte

With conversations over the 2023 Farm Bill set to begin in earnest in the coming months, many in the farming community are asking if the farm portions of the legislation and nutrition segments be separated.  Todd Nash, President of the Oregon Cattleman’s Association said he doesn’t have an issue with those nutritional elements, such as SNAP and WIC being included in the Farm Bill.   But what he ..

The federal government this week extended a series of waivers to provide WIC families with additional infant formula options through the end of the year.  The Department of Agriculture extended the waivers to December 31st, or 60 days after the expiration of the state’s COVID-19 major disaster declaration.  The waivers w...

House Democrats introduced a bill that would reauthorize child nutrition programs. Those programs include school meals, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as WIC, and a host of smaller programs.   According to the Hagstrom Report child nutrition programs haven’t gotten reauthorized since 2010’s Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.  The School Nutritio...

Earlier this week, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow called on the USDA to address the infant formula shortage for those relying on WIC. The Michigan Democrat said, "Millions of Americans rely on the WIC program to get baby formula for their children, so the current shortages are extremely concerning for parents across our country ...