After criticism, acting homeland security chief admits humanitarian…

"I am proud of the work that's being done," Duke told a press conference in San Juan this afternoon upon arriving in the U.S. territory. "Clearly, the situation here in Puerto Rico after the devastating hurricane is not satisfactory."

Bill Increases Ag Promotion Funds

This week, Iowa Senator Joni Ernst along with Senators King, Donnely, and Collins introduced bipartisan legislation increasing the funding for the USDA export promotion programs. The Cultivating Revitalization by Expanding American Agricultural Trade and Exports Act aims to revitalize the export promotion programs, which it claims have added $28 for every dollar invested in the last 40 years.

USDA, House agriculture staff stable after car accident

An Agriculture Department employee and two staff members on the House Agriculture Committee are in stable condition after a car accident south of El Campo, Texas. The staffers were taken to a local hospital after the accident, which occurred following an event with farmers who had been affected by hurricane Harvey.

Megan Provost Joins Farm Foundation As VP/Policy & Programs

MEGAN PROVOST JOINS FARM FOUNDATION AS VP/POLICY & PROGRAMS Sep. 20, 2017 Source: Farm Foundation news release Farm Foundation President Constance Cullman today announced that Megan Provost will join the Farm Foundation as Vice President of Policy and Programs effective Oct. 2, 2017. "We are pleased to add Megan's expertise in food and agriculture policy issues to the Foundation program team," said Cullman.

So Much Winning! Foodstamp Usage Dropping More Each Month Trump’s In WH

Since Trump took office in January, food stamp usage has declined every single month, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA is now reporting that SNAP decreased by 1.3 million users, going from just over 42,690,000 users to 41,310,000 users from January to June.

USDA Approves $9M Loan For New Justice Center In White Pine Co.

The Department of Agriculture Rural Development program has approved a $9 million loan to White Pine County to help finance the construction of a new justice center that will include a 38,000-square-foot courthouse. The current White Pine County Courthouse was built a century ago in Ely and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

US continue supporting agrarian reform beneficiaries in Agusan

The United States Department of Agriculture in partnership of East West Seed Company continue supporting the agrarian reform beneficiaries in an effort to increase their farm and food production, Department of Agrarian Reform regional spokesperson Joie I. Ceballos told The Manila Bulletin on Monday. Twenty-five ARB members of DoA a Rosario CLOA Holders Vegetable Producers Association in Agusan del Norte have undergone an eight-month training on communal vegetable farming implemented by Winrock International in Caraga under the Philippine Cold Chain Project funded by USDA.

COLUMN: American farmers, consumers trapped in the organic net

The organic industry's multibillion dollar revenues are driven entirely by negative marketing, stoking fear of genetically modified organisms . A handful of consumers might still buy organic groceries believing them to be purer, more nutritious and easier on the environment.

USDA: Help On Way For Households Hit By Irma

USDA: HELP ON WAY FOR HOUSEHOLDS HIT BY IRMA Sep. 15, 2017 Source: USDA news release American families coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma will receive much needed nutrition relief, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced. Notably, packages of American grown and produced nutritious USDA Foods will be available across hurricane-stricken areas in Florida.

FDA delays some safety requirements for produce under FSMA to make them less complicated, costly

FDA is pushing back the compliance dates for most agricultural water testing standards outlined in the Food Safety Modernization Act's Produce Safety Rule to "simplify our approach to make compliance less burdensome and less costly, while still being protective of public health," the agency's commissioner announced Sept. 12. Speaking to attendees at the annual conference for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in New Orleans, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recognized that "agricultural water can be a major conduit of the pathogens that contaminate produce," such as those that lead 2006 E. coli outbreak in bagged spinach that sickened 200 people nationwide and killed three.

A Blue Badger in Trump Country

Later, Baldwin heard from constituents concerned about President Donald Trump's proposed cuts to the very same USDA program. She vowed to fight those and other suggested funding reductions from her perch on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

USDA helps with Harvey’s aftermath

Many parts of the federal government are hard at work helping state and local officials cope with the massive problems Hurricane Harvey has created. While it isn't the lead agency for rescue efforts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is playing an important role in facilitating recovery from this immense natural disaster.

How free school lunches are a free lunch for Democrats

Having found a federal program that provides funding, America's largest public school system is offering free lunches for students regardless of family income. In New York City's public schools, 75 percent of students enrolled already qualify for free lunches -- which is one of the highest rates of participation in the whole country.

Hunger Declines, But Budget Cuts Could Reverse Progress

New data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed that 12.3 percent of U.S. households were food insecure in 2016, declining further from a peak of 14.9 percent in 2011. Bread for the World warned that significant cuts to programs that help people living in hunger and poverty could reverse the progress that has been made.