U.S. Department of Agriculture
Under Secy. Moffitt says her objective is to ensure producers have access to USDA dollars: “We see there’s a need for qualified technical expertise to capture the projects for producers and MPPTA will address that.”
The President signed legislation on March 15 which provided funding for the federal government for fiscal year 2022. This includes the budget for USDA, which received a 4.4 percent increase year over year.
Ted McKinney, NASDA CEO, led the climate conversation with a diverse list of speakers. From wildfires to water quality, each corner of the nation spoke to their state’s ag adversity, and their work in overcoming it.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance is partnering the USDA to bring the Port of Seattle a 49-acre pop-up site that will accept both dry and refrigerated agricultural products for temporary storage.
Secretary Vilsack supports attorney generals search for answers. He says once the market studies are completed, “we may learn additional steps we can take.”
As the Ukraine crisis continues to grab the world’s attention, President Biden’s State of the Union address declared the U.S. is in a better place than it was a year ago, while agriculture was left largely unmentioned.
Expect Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to dominate the State of the Union address tonight. As for issues affecting agriculture, there may be few details offered, says USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Congress returns Monday, but to a very different situation due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is expected to be one of the key issues President Biden talks about during his State of the Union address.
Soybean exports in 2022 are likely to hit 2.15 billion bushels. USDA says the increase of 100 million is in part due to the current drought in South America.
In 2021, the first year the program was made available, producers enrolled 12.2 million acres of cover crops in PCCP, capturing a collective $59.5 million in premium subsidies.