TOM VILSACK

Recommendations include making it easier for farmers to qualify for conservation programs to making the language in Farm Service Agency loans more accessible. A final report is due by the year's end.

A federal law that boosted nutrition standards for school meals may have begun to help slow the rise in obesity among America's children.

The proposed standards would reduce weekly sodium limits and emphasize products that are primarily whole grain.

The new standards, if implemented, would limit added sugars and sodium and emphasize whole-grain and domestically-produced products.

U.S. agriculture officials on Friday proposed new nutrition standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars, with a focus on sweetened foods such as cereals, yogurt, flavored milk and breakfast pastries.

U.S. Agriculture officials have proposed new nutrition standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars.

GOP members of the House Natural Resources Committee warned federal agencies that they were planning vigorous oversight into various climate and energy programs.

The Biden administration is directing $930 million toward reducing wildfire dangers in 10 western states by clearing trees and underbrush from national forests.

Organic dairy and other livestock farmers are calling for emergency federal aid as they grapple with skyrocketing organic feed costs in part from the war in Ukraine and steep fuel and utility expenses.

The federal government has announced another $325 million for agricultural projects that are intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

President Joe Biden signed a bill into law making a rail strike illegal, preventing workers from walking off the job weeks before the holiday season.

The Agriculture Department has announced more than $223 million in grants and loans to help small- and mid-sized meat processing plants expand.

Mitch Landrieu is the man entrusted with promoting President Joe Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure plan to the nation.

There are 49 recipients across 24 states, who will recieve grants and loans to enable rural communities to access high-speed internet.

The Agriculture Department has announced $759 million in grants and loans to enable rural communities to access high-speed internet.

The federal government has announced a program to provide $1.3 billion in debt relief for about 36,000 farmers who have fallen behind on loan payments or face foreclosure.

President Joe Biden announced his administration's plans to crackdown on fees and increase competition across various industries during a speech at the White House Monday.

The agency will once again tap obscure legislation from the Great Depression to provide funds for more commodity foods and to connect food charities and schools with local farmers, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says.

A railroad work stoppage could begin late Friday and cost the U.S. economy at least $2 billion daily in lost productivity.

Federal officials announced plans Thursday to spend $401 million in grants and loans to expand the reach and improve the speed of internet for rural residents, tribes and businesses in 11 West and Central U.S. states.

The Biden administration wants the government to plant more than a billion trees across millions of acres of burned and dead woodlands as officials struggle to counter climate change's increasing toll on the nation’s forests.

Biden vented to aides after an ethanol announcement designed to calm gas prices, questioning the policy’s effectiveness — a reflection of his broader irritation at the inability to tame inflation.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday unveiled $2 billion in new funding to strengthen food supply chains hard hit by the pandemic.

As parents scramble to find scarce baby formula and the government races to boost production and imports, some advocates say the U.S. should do more to encourage breastfeeding.

A U.S. military plane brought more than 70,000 pounds of hypoallergenic baby formula as part of an administration initiative to quickly address a national shortage of the food source.

The formula was transported from Europe via military plane.

A military plane carrying enough specialty infant formula for more than half a million baby bottles arrived Sunday in Indianapolis.

Georgia's senior congressman is facing his toughest challenge from Republicans in more than a decade.

The U.S. baby formula shortage has sparked a surge of interest among moms who want to donate breast milk to help bridge the supply gap as well as those seeking to keep their babies fed.

Jeff and Gina O'Connor welcomed President Joe Biden to their Kankakee farm on a day that started early, with Jeff putting in 15-20 acres of soybeans.

President Joe Biden tours a corn and soybean farm outside Kankakee and talks about efforts to confront rising prices and help farmer before a stop in Chicago to address the electricians union.

President Joe Biden is vowing to help American farmers try to ease a global spike in food prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden tours a Kankakee farm before a stop in Chicago.

Some grain elevators are so full that farmers trying to sell their crops are being turned away.

Iowa was Barack Obama’s unlikely launching pad in 2008 to become the nation’s first Black president.

The Gridiron dinner has led to at least 67 covid cases among guests including Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, according to new data from the organizers.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says dramatic increases in the price of farm fertilizers have prompted him to look into the causes and whether farmers have been subjected to unfair practices.

The investment comes after the Biden administration pledged to slash climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture sector in half by 2030.

Vice President Kamala Harris returned to her home state during challenging times for the White House to highlight funding for federal wildfire programs.

The Biden administration says it will significantly expand efforts to stave off catastrophic wildfires that have been torching areas of the U.S. West by more aggressively thinning forests around “hot spots” where nature and neighborhoods collide.

A judge on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order that details how picketing workers at the Deere & Co. plant in Davenport must conduct themselves. In seeking the injunction Wednesday, Deere officials alleged that striking workers had disrupted access to the Davenport Works plant and put others at risk. District Court Judge Marlita Greve ordered the union to allow only four picketers at a time near the gates of the plant.

Federal health officials are rethinking their approach to controlling salmonella in poultry plants in the hope of reducing the number of illnesses linked to the bacteria each year.

Nations, companies and corporations are pledging billions of dollars to feed the world in connection with an ambitious United Nations food systems summit.

At the first meeting of a new White House council on U.S. economic conditions, participants are highlighting at least 18 actions taken to help consumers and potentially lower prices.

The government is putting $700 million toward repaying food system workers who suffered disproportionately from COVID-19.

It’s one of the nation’s most iconic marketing slogans, but today the checkoff program that created the “Beef.

“The American consumer is deceived at the meat counter and our checkoff funds do not do anything to help create clarity or answer the question of where was that sirloin born, raised and harvested,” said Karina Jones, a Nebraska cattle rancher and field director for the R-CALF USA trade group that is seeking to end the checkoff. Opponents of the beef checkoff program, which was established by federal law in 1986, are urging cattle producers to a sign a petition calling for a referendum vote on terminating the program. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last month granted an extension until Oct. 3 for them to collect the required signatures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The average benefits for people in the SNAP program will rise more than 25% above pre-pandemic levels. The increase begins in October, available immediately and indefinitely to 42 million people.

Starting in October, food assistance benefits will increase by an average of 25% above pre-pandemic levels.

The Biden administration is overhauling the basic formula for food aid, adding $19 billion in annual costs to the program.

The Biden administration has approved a significant and permanent increase in the levels of food stamp assistance available to needy families—the largest single increase in the program’s history.

The Biden administration has approved a significant and permanent increase in the levels of food stamp assistance available to needy families.

Democrats in Congress are pushing for a federal jobs program that would tackle climate, land use, infrastructure, and more. Here's why it's so urgent.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be issuing $307 million in grants and low-interest loans to modernize rural water infrastructure across 34 states and the territory of Puerto Rico.

The Biden administration plans to issue a new rule to protect the rights of farmers who raise cows, chickens and hogs against the country’s largest meat processors as part of a plan to encourage more competition in agriculture.

Veteran forester Randy Moore has been named chief of the U.S. Forest Service, the first African American to lead the agency in its 116-year history.

The Department of Agriculture is sending $1 billion to the country’s food bank networks, seeking to expand the reach of the system and revamp the way food banks acquire and distribute aid.

The Biden administration has proposed funding for dozens of conservation and recreation projects across the country as it allocates $2.8 billion in grants and programs authorized by a landmark conservation law.

An Iowa farmer and farmer county supervisor has become the first Democrat to announce he is running for Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley's seat.

Across the country 15,000 to 18,000 farm loans taken out by minority farmers could be forgiven at a cost of $4 billion.

For Black and minority farmers, the American Rescue Plan could represent one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in decades.

U.S. officials said Thursday they will try to stamp out wildfires as quickly as possible this year as severe drought tightens its grip across the West and sets the stage for another destructive summer of blazes. Large fires were active Thursday in Arizona, California and New Mexico and more than a half-million acres already have burned this year nationwide.

A nutrition expert who pioneered innovative ways of raising fish rich in micronutrients and fatty acids and incorporating them into diets in developing countries has won the World Food Prize.

The Biden administration has detailed steps to achieve its goal of conserving about one-third of America’s lands and waters by 2030.

The Biden administration is expanding a program to feed up to 34 million schoolchildren during the summer months.

Hiring at the Kansas City site remains well below the roughly 550 high-paying jobs local leaders had anticipated. However, he said those frustrations have dealt more with reports published by other USDA agencies, and that some farmers may be confusing them. For example, a two-year research project on pollinators such as honeybees was shelved because the entire team working on it left the agency rather than move to Kansas City. In October 2016 — before Trump's first year in office — ERS had 318 permanent employees, according to USDA data. “And here in the United States, what we do with groups like that — we can’t send them to Siberia, so we send them to Kansas City.”

They worry that what the administration is pitching as a bold step to confront warming could turn into a giveaway to Big Ag. As the Biden administration reviews every sector of the economy for its impact on climate, agriculture is a rich target. It is one of the nation’s largest drivers of global warming, accounting for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. Advertisement“The Environmental Defense Fund is still in early days of trying to figure out how to structure a carbon bank,” said Callie Eideberg, the group’s director of agricultural policy. “Lots of environmentalists got on board believing it has got to be better for the environment than fossil fuels,” he said.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack believes China is making good on promises it made as part of the landmark phase one trade deal it signed with the U.S. last year. Vilsack said that the deal allows for market conditions to dictate how much Beijing is required to purchase from U.S. farmers. The additional purchases are supposed to be in addition to the quantity of goods and services Beijing bought from the U.S. in 2017. Specifically, China agreed to purchase $12.5 billion worth of agricultural goods in 2020, followed by an additional $19.5 billion in 2021. Still, some reports note that China hasn't purchased the sums it promised before the Covid-19 pandemic, even if the rules of the trade deal allow for changes to the purchase amounts based market conditions.

(Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden's Cabinet is starting to fill out, with nominees for agriculture secretary and United Nations ambassador gaining Senate approval Tuesday. “And that’s what we intend to do.”Schumer couldn’t resist a jab at former President Donald Trump, saying that all Biden’s nominees are “undoubtedly qualified for their positions, a stark departure from the caliber of nominees the Senate was made to consider during the previous administration.”But one of Biden's nominees, Neera Tanden to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget, is clearly in trouble in the evenly divided Senate. Currently California's attorney general, Becerra appeared Tuesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “I'm not sold yet,” Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, the ranking Republican on the health committee, said, addressing Becerra. ___INTERIORRep. Deb Haaland, Biden's nominee to lead the Interior Department, fielded sharp questions from Republicans over what some called her “radical” ideas that include opposition to fracking and to the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2020, file photo former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who the Biden administration chose to reprise that role, speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – The Senate on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to confirm Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary, his second run at the Cabinet post. The former Iowa governor spent eight years leading the same Department of Agriculture for former President Barack Obama's entire administration. “We’re going to be a USDA that represents and serves all Americans,” Vilsack said after the vote. AdWith systemic racial inequity now a nationwide talking point, Vilsack also envisioned creating an “equity task force” inside the department.

AdJohn Boyd Jr., a Virginia farmer who is president of the National Black Farmers Association, has voiced his concerns during several conversations with the nominee. AdSome Black farmers want Biden to sign an executive order they drafted halting foreclosures on Black-owned farms and making other civil rights reforms. But Vilsack's supporters contend lending to Black farmers was prioritized during his time at the department. At the beginning of Obama's first term, USDA made 557 direct farm loans to Black farmers, representing less than 2.4% of all direct loans. By 2015, that number had risen to 945 loans, with nearly 3.4% of direct loans going to Black farmers.

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa Gov. AdThe records show Reynolds has supported policies Iowa Select has sought, made several appearances for the corporation and its charity, and routinely spoken with Jeff Hansen. Ad“From the top of the gold dome to the Governor’s office, you’ll be treated to a tour unlike any other!” it said. Weeks after he won the auction, Reynolds was a keynote speaker at Lynch's annual charity banquet in Decorah. Iowa Select spokeswoman Jen Sorenson said the company feels “an important responsibility” to educate elected officials on Iowa's multibillion-dollar animal agriculture industry, saying it leads to better policy.

"But I do think he is going to be confirmed and hopefully, he will change and bring to the forefront the issues facing Black farmers." Civil rights leaders have long criticized the Agriculture Department for discriminatory practices against Black farmers. An average of 820 acres per day were seized from Black farmers between 1950 and 1969. In addition, Black farmers were also frequently shut out of USDA subsidies and farm lending programs. He also thanked New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker and other lawmakers for sponsoring the Justice for Black Farmers Act, a bill designed to strengthen accountability within the USDA and pave the way for Black farmers' inclusion in farming subsidies.

Tom Vilsack, President Biden's nominee for secretary of agriculture, pledged Tuesday to focus on climate change initiatives and work to address racial inequities in agricultural assistance programs. If anything, this was an understatement, since Vilsack has already served as secretary of agriculture — for an eight-year stint during the Obama administration. Tom Vilsack testifies remotely during his Senate confirmation hearing on Feb. 2, 2021. "That's great, assuming you have a grocery store. But if you don't have a grocery store, what then?"

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2020, file photo former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who the Biden administration chose to reprise that role, speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – Tom Vilsack, President Joe Biden's nominee for secretary of agriculture, pledged Tuesday to focus on climate change initiatives and work to address racial inequities in agricultural assistance programs. Vilsack, who testified before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, would bring much on-the-job experience to the position. In addition to serving two terms as the governor of Iowa, he spent eight years as President Barack Obama's Agriculture Secretary. But if you don’t have a grocery store, what then?”AdVilsack seems to enjoy bipartisan support and faced no serious criticism from Republicans on the committee.

Black farmers question USDA priorities as Black-owned farms decrease in the U.S. U.S. Department of Agriculture nominee Tom Vilsack faces criticism from Black farmers for not doing enough under the Obama administration to address systemic racism in farming. Meanwhile, the number of Black-owned farms in the U.S. continues to decline. Founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, John W. Boyd Jr., joins CBSN's Tanya Rivero to discuss his experience and why he has hope for the Justice for Black Farmers Act.

His Cabinet picks help demonstrate how he plans to deliver. Many have already begun meeting with interest groups and advocacy organizations, and his transition team has had what’s been described as an “open-door policy” toward advocacy groups for months. It’s a sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, which was dominated largely by white men with little experience in Washington. Biden’s aides say that was one of the goals he set in filling out his Cabinet: to signal that his presidency means a return to competent, stable leadership government. While Salguero recalled meetings with the Trump administration on key issues, he said the Biden transition team’s outreach already has gone further.

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2020, file photo, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, of S.C., speaks during a news conference about COVID-19, on Capitol Hill in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden brings more Capitol Hill experience than any president in decades. Biden's team swiftly adjusted, introducing Black, Latino and Asian American nominees as the president-elect vows to build the most diverse administration in history. Biden’s team incensed Hispanic and Asian and Pacific American lawmakers with its handling of Cabinet choices from their communities. “Democrats are always lecturing Republican senators about approving future Biden Cabinet nominees even if we don’t agree with them,” Grassley said.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – Shortly after President-elect Joe Biden’s victory last month, Cabinet hopeful Marcia Fudge pointedly noted that Black people are often typecast into positions such as housing secretary. He’s pledged to nominate the most diverse Cabinet in history and restore experience at beleaguered federal agencies. The GOP has barely acknowledged Biden's victory so the cooperation of its senators in the confirmation process is far from certain. “That’s why we are worried.”One prominent feature of Biden’s picks so far: deep ties to the Obama administration. Brent Colburn, a former Obama administration official who served in several agencies, encouraged Democrats to consider the bigger picture as they judge Biden's Cabinet.

President-elect Joe Biden has selected Vilsack to reprise that role in his administration. Vilsack “has the necessary qualifications and experience to steer the agency through these turbulent times,” said Rob Larew, the president of the National Farmers Union. Then mayor of Mount Pleasant in southeast Iowa, Vilsack volunteered for the up-and-coming Biden before he exited the presidential race. Despite that, in 2007, after his own brief presidential campaign, Vilsack endorsed Hillary Clinton, even with Biden also running. In his endorsement, Vilsack called Biden “a man with empathy, and a man who has the heart of a president.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):3:55 p.m.Several of the latest picks announced by President-elect Joe Biden are emphasizing the diversity of the backgrounds as they prepare to join an administration Biden has promised will reflect the varied experiences of Americans. Tom Vilsack, Biden’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture, noted he grew up in an orphanage near Pittsburgh. Biden spoke while introducing Vilsack, Fudge and three other top picks for his administration on Friday. ___3:05 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden says the American public should have confidence in a coronavirus vaccine that may soon begin to become available. Biden fills Cabinet with former White House leaders— Hundreds of GOP members sign onto Texas-led election lawsuit— Joe Biden, Kamala Harris named Time magazine’s Person of the Year

Susan Rice, the Biden administration's choice to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council, speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. – President-elect Joe Biden on Friday introduced five top picks for his new administration, drawing on leading names from the Obama White House while also tapping an Ohio congresswoman and a congressional committee veteran. “If we come out of the box on jobs, jobs, jobs, I feel great. She worked closely with Biden when he was Obama's vice president and won't require Senate confirmation — which could have faced stiff Republican opposition. Rice and Fudge are African American and Tai is Asian American, reflecting Biden's promise to choose a diverse Cabinet that reflects the makeup of the country.

President-elect Joe Biden is nominating former President Barack Obama's White House chief of staff Denis McDonough as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Increasingly deep into the process of selecting Cabinet members and other senior staff, the incoming Biden administration has a distinctly Obama feel. There's Denis McDonough, former President Barack Obama's chief of staff who Biden announced on Thursday would be nominated as the secretary of veterans affairs. Susan Rice, Obama's former U.N. ambassador and national security adviser, was named the director of Biden's White House Domestic Policy Council. Jeff Zients, who did stints as acting Office of Management and Budget director and a top economic adviser in the Obama White House, will return as Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator.

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2020 file photo, former national security adviser Susan Rice takes part in a discussion on global leadership at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. President-elect Joe Biden is naming Susan Rice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. The move marks a surprising shift for Rice, a longtime Democratic foreign policy expert who served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser and U.N. ambassador. In selecting Rice and McDonough, Biden is continuing to stockpile his administration with prominent members of the Obama administration. In choosing Rice to oversee the White House council, advisers said Biden is signaling the importance of domestic policy in his early agenda. McDonough was previously Obama’s deputy national security adviser, including during the Navy SEAL raid in 2011 that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, and was a longtime congressional staffer.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is set to nominate Katherine Tai to be the top U.S. trade envoy, according to two people familiar with his plans. Biden's selection of Tai, who is Asian American, reflects his promise to choose a diverse Cabinet that reflects the makeup of the country. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Tai earlier oversaw China trade enforcement for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, setting U.S. strategy in trade disputes with China. Biden’s trade representative will inherit a trade war with China, put on pause by an interim trade pact in January that left many of the hardest issues unresolved and U.S. taxes remaining on $360 billion in Chinese imports. As the top trade staffer at Ways and Means, Tai handled negotiations last year with the Trump administration over a revamped North American trade deal.

Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge is President-elect Biden's pick to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development, two people familiar with the decision told CBS News. Mr. Biden has also chosen Tom Vilsack as his agriculture secretary, according to a person familiar with the decision. If confirmed, Fudge, who represents parts of Cleveland and Akron and is a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, would be the second Black woman to lead the department. Patricia Roberts Harris held the job under Jimmy Carter, becoming the first Black woman to be a member of the United States Cabinet. Fudge currently serves on the Committee on House Administration, House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Education and Labor.

Secretary of Agriculture and former governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack joins CBSN with insight on the Clinton-Kaine ticket and Donald Trump's campaign rhetoric.

Senator Pat Roberts' ringtone interrupted Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack while he was speaking at a Senate Finance Committee hearing.

The cell phone of Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, disrupts Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, blasting out a popular song from "Frozen."