USDA promised to invest in regional markets. Now, it’s happening
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has said many times since taking office that the agency would invest in local and regional markets in an effort to make the food system more…
Read More...The Bureau of Land Management begins evaluation of plans for sage-grouse conservation
In order to protect the long-term health of sage-grouse populations, review new science and comply with court direction, the Bureau of Land Management is beginning a process to consider updates to the…
Read More...Interior and Agriculture Departments Take Action to Strengthen Tribal Co-Stewardship of Public Lands and Waters
During the White House Tribal Nations Summit, President Biden announced that the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture have created the “Tribal Homelands Initiative.” This collaborative effort will improve…
Read More...Feds reverse Trump-era rule that dramatically reduced critical habitat for spotted owls
The USFWS recently announced a decision to maintain protections on over 3 million acres of forest habitat deemed critical for the survival of the threatened northern spotted owl. Those protections,…
Read More...What’s in the Build Back Better Act for ag?
The reconciliation bill includes $28 billion for conservation, $2 billion for ag research and $12 billion for farmer debt relief. According to a fact sheet released by the House Agriculture Committee, the…
Read More...Feds and conservation groups reach agreement on Canada lynx
More than 20 years after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deemed the Canada lynx a threatened species, the agency has agreed to prepare a recovery plan for the elusive,…
Read More...Senators urge emergency protections for wolves in U.S. West
A group of Democratic lawmakers on Thursday urged the Biden administration to enact emergency protections for gray wolves in the U.S. West in response to Republican-backed state laws that make…
Read More...USDA conservation vacancies pose challenge for Biden agenda
The trillion-dollar budget bill pushed by the Biden administration would pour billions of dollars into the Agriculture Department’s conservation programs at a time when the agency’s field staff is already…
Read More...More protections for Mexican wolf proposed
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to amend management regulations for Mexican wolves in Arizona and New Mexico. The proposed changes would remove limits on the current number…
Read More...USDA Announces Initial Supporters of Sustainable Productivity Growth Coalition
USDA Secretary Vilsack announced that more than 50 organizations and countries have officially declared their support for the Sustainable Productivity Growth for Food Security and Resource Conservation (SPG) Coalition, which…
Read More...