Senate Confirms Three Key USDA Nominees
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate confirmed three nominees for critical positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). These nominees were included as part of a package of 48 subcabinet level nominees, all of whom received bipartisan support when they were considered by their respective committees. USA Rice reports, the final confirmation vote on the package of nominees was 51 to 47. The three USDA nominees include Richard Fordyce to serve as the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation; Dudley Hoskins to serve as the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs; and Scott Hutchins to serve as the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics. “We are excited that Richard, Dudley, and Scott are finally getting approved by the full Senate so they can head these key farmer-facing mission areas at the USDA,” said Peter Bachmann, USA Rice President and CEO.
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Farmers And Millers Advocate to Save Food for Peace
The U.S. has a long history of administering the largest, most reliable, and effective food assistance programs in the world and through the flagship Food for Peace program, American agriculture has fed more than four billion people in more than 150 countries. However, USA Rice reports, that in January, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the previous home of Food for Peace, was integrated into the U.S. Department of State as part of the Executive Order Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid. Since then, there has been a dramatic decline in purchases of rice and other commodities for international food aid. In response, legislation was introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives by Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and John Hoeven (R-ND), as well as Representatives Rick Crawford (R-AR), Tracey Mann (R-KS) and others that would move Food for Peace completely to the USDA, which has a proven track record of administering the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program and Food for Progress.
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High Interest Rates Could Reshape Agriculture’s Future
“Yeah, you can buy dirt…
And thank the good Lord for it…
‘Cause he ain’t makin’ any more of it.”
The lyrics above are from the 2021 hit country song “Buy Dirt,” which voices a mantra that lives within every farmer, because those who farm view land as more than a commodity: It’s their livelihood and legacy. According to Farm Journal, persistently high interest rates are a key reason. The current agricultural downturn owes its roots to many reasons: low commodity prices, high input prices, tariffs, trade disputes, etc. An Iowa corn farmer pencils out a purchase on quality farmland priced at $11,467 per acre. Current financing is at 7.6% interest the annual debt service alone costs $777 per acre on a 30-year loan with 20% down. Total production costs, excluding land costs, reach $595 per acre. Here’s the devastating math: the same acre generates roughly $814 in gross revenue from corn. For a total net loss of -$558 per acre. Renting identical land for $271 per acre results in a $52 annual loss per acre.
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Farmers Report Grim Economic Outlook
An overwhelming majority of corn growers from across the United States say that the nation’s farm economy is possibly already in a crisis or on the brink of one, according to a new survey released by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). “Farmers are in a lot of economic pain right now” said Illinois farmer and NCGA President Kenneth Hartman Jr. We need members of Congress to act fast to remove barriers to markets. Passing legislation for the year-round, nationwide sale of higher blends of ethanol would be an important first step in addressing this problem.” In the survey of 1,034 farmers conducted by Farm Journal from Aug. 28 to Sept. 10, nearly half (46%) indicated that they believe the United States is on the brink of a farm crisis. A total of 80% of those surveyed indicated they believe the farm economy maybe or ‘is’ on the brink of a farm crisis.
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Migrant Farmworkers Sue Seed Corn Company Over Wages and Housing
Seven migrant farmworkers from Texas claim they were recruited to work in Iowa, where they were paid illegally low wages and forced to live in substandard housing, says Iowa Capital Dispatch. The workers are suing Remington Seeds, which operates a seed corn processing facility; and Javier Chapa, a Texas labor broker who runs Chapa Global Contracting. Chapa was allegedly hired by Remington to recruit, house, and supervise migrant farmworkers in Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas. Their lawsuit claims the defendants violated the law that requires employers to pay American workers, such as the plaintiffs, the same wages paid to foreigners enrolled in the H-2A program, which allows foreign nationals to fill temporary agricultural jobs. The plaintiffs allege that Chapa concealed the fact that he was employing higher-paid foreign nationals in a seed corn processing plant in Nebraska, and that Chapa also refused to let the plaintiffs take the higher-paying Nebraska jobs.
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Departments of Interior and Agriculture Announce Wildland Fire Service Plan to Modernize Federal Wildfire Response
The Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture announced the coordinated action to create the U.S. Wildland Fire Service to modernize wildfire management nationwide. Fire seasons are longer, fire intensity is increasing, and suppression and recovery costs are soaring. Wildfires pose risks to national security, public health, energy and water supplies. “Time and time again, we have witnessed the devastating consequences of wildfires caused by mismanagement and a lack of preparedness,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. The Department of the Interior issued Secretary’s Order 3443, which directs the establishment of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service with a plan for implementation in January 2026. The Department of Agriculture also released its own memorandum that outlines plans to modernize and strengthen America’s wildfire prevention and response system. We are taking bold action to modernize wildfire response systems, streamline federal wildfire capabilities, and strengthen their effectiveness.
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