USDA
Millions in Congressional funds in jeopardy for Pennsylvania farmers, report finds
Pennsylvania farmers could stand to lose $256 million if Republicans get their way and funding for the programs are eliminated by Congress, according to the report.
USDA promotes rural energy investments in Pennsylvania
SINKING SPRING, Pa. – To promote President Joe Biden’s “Investing in Rural America” event series, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made two visits in the Keystone State on Thursday, touting the latest round of grants in Pennsylvania. The USDA formally announced an additional $3.6 million in grants to help 30 agricultural producers and small […]
Foreign ownership of U.S. farmland probed at U.S. Senate hearing
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators said during a Wednesday hearing that foreign ownership of U.S. farmland is a national security threat that should be further examined. The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry discussed foreign ownership of the nation’s agricultural lands, with testimony from experts and Senate colleagues who have been taking the lead […]
The farm bill is on the verge of expiring. Congress is months away from a new version.
WASHINGTON — As the deadline for Congress to pass a new farm bill looms this weekend, staff members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say it will be months – if not longer – until they reach agreement on a new bill. Lawmakers must rewrite the sweeping farm bill every five years to set […]
Feds pledge more than $1 billion to plant trees in cities
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced hundreds of grants that total about $1.13 billion to plant new trees and maintain them in cities across the country. Tom Vilsack, the federal agriculture secretary and former governor of Iowa, traveled to Cedar Rapids Thursday to highlight the spending, which is being funded through last year’s Inflation […]
‘The internet is no longer a luxury’: $667M from USDA for rural broadband
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend another $667 million on rural broadband loans and grants, the department said Monday, marking the fourth round of Biden administration funding under a program that the 2021 infrastructure law invigorated. Nearly three-quarters of the funding, $493 million, will go toward grants, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a […]
Vilsack pitches ‘forward-thinking’ approach to agriculture in visit to Harrisburg
With the existing federal farm bill set to expire on Sept. 30 and negotiations between lawmakers still ongoing, Vilsack said the department has yet to see draft legislation for a new farm bill from either chamber.
USDA’s climate grants for farms and forests run into Republican buzzsaw
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is spending more than $3 billion to cultivate more American farmers and forest landowners as partners to mitigate climate change — even while some Republicans on Capitol Hill try to stop the program entirely. The administration launched a new farm program, Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities, this year. It is […]
Pa. food policy council aims to improve food security, accessibility
The Pennsylvania Food Policy Council was created by an executive order from former Gov. Tom Wolf in December 2022 in the wake of soaring food prices and the dissolution of pandemic-era nutrition programs.
Ag leaders lobby for better risk management programs at U.S. House farm bill hearing
The farm bill’s commodity insurance programs include the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs, which protect farmers from poor growing seasons and low prices, respectively.
Congressional farm leaders split over work requirements for food aid, climate funds
Thompson suggested the House Agriculture Committee could request the House Appropriations Committee reappropriate Inflation Reduction Act funds to the farm bill baseline, given the House’s jurisdiction over federal spending granted in Article I of the Constitution.
USDA to use outdoors recreation to boost economy around national forests, grasslands
The USDA program is an acknowledgement from the government about the clear economic benefits of the outdoor recreation sector for rural areas, Chris Perkins, the senior director at the industry and nonprofit coalition group Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, said.