On Friday, February 4, USDA announced the partial deregulation of genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets, allowing widespread planting to go forward. The decision follows on the heels of the recent decision to deregulate GE alfalfa despite earlier indications from USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack that safety conditions would be placed on the release. GE sugar beets […]
Archives for February 2011
Senate Appropriations Committee Membership
On February 4, the Senate Appropriations Committee announced its membership for the 112th Congress, including subcommittee assignments for members of both parties. The full Senate Appropriations Committee, comprised of 16 Democrats and 14 Republicans, has seven new Republican members. The new membership list for the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and […]
UCS Releases Report on Climate Impact of Pasture Beef
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has released “Raising the Steaks: Global Warming and Pasture-Raised Beef Production in the U.S.,” a report on reducing the climate impact of the U.S. beef industry. The UCS report focuses on pastured beef and makes recommendations for reducing the overall climate impact of pastured animals, first by reducing emissions […]
New ‘FoodCorps’ Program Recruiting “Next Generation of Food Leaders”
FoodCorps, a new national service program focused on addressing childhood obesity through building healthy school food infrastructure, will begin accepting applications for 2011-2012 service members early next week. FoodCorps is looking to recruit young adults for a yearlong term of public service beginning in mid-August 2011. The new program, an offshoot of Americorps, will work […]
Agriculture Targeted for 14 Percent Cut By House GOP
On Thursday, February 3, House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced that next week he will set a budget ceiling for all discretionary federal government spending for the current fiscal year (FY 11) of $1.055 trillion, a figure $32 billion lower than the current short-term “continuing resolution” (CR) the government is operating on. The […]
New Tool for Farmers Market Managers
The Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) and the Wallace Center at Winrock International, with support from USDA Risk Management Agency, released the “Market Manager & Organizer FAQ” in January 2011. The FAQ list works as an online guide to aid current and prospective farmers market managers and organizers looking to develop, expand, and improve their organizations. This […]
Upcoming USDA Program and Grant Deadlines
In case you haven’t kept track of all of the blogs we’ve posted about USDA conservation and competitive grant programs over the past few months, here is a handy summary of the USDA programs with upcoming enrollment or application deadlines: Sign-up Deadlines for USDA Conservation Programs: Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Organic Initiative, administered by USDA’s […]