Farmers & Rural Communities
Progressive Farmer: CAFOs Lose Environmental Exemption
Court Vacates FSA Policy Exempting Medium-Sized CAFOs From Environmental Review
Reuters: USDA rule exempting medium-sized factory farms from environmental scrutiny vacated
A federal judge on Tuesday vacated a rule that exempted medium-sized industrial livestock farms from undergoing environmental reviews before receiving government loans, after finding what she called severe problems with…
District Court Strikes Down Carveout for Medium-Sized Factory Farms
Today in a victory for rural community, sustainable agriculture, and animal welfare groups, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the United States Department of…
The American Prospect: Farmers Pay Big Ag to Lobby Against Them
The checkoff program, intended for marketing promotion but used as a slush fund for consolidated agricultural interests, is facing pressure for reform.
The next Farm Bill can only be “climate-smart” if it reduces agricultural reliance on pesticides, says diverse coalition
Today, 50 organizations sent a public letter to the House Agriculture Committee and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, calling for a transformative 2023 Farm Bill. They urged…
Law360: Racial Bias Suit Dropped After Aid Cut For Minority Farmers
A group of white farmers led by Texas’ agriculture commissioner has abandoned its claim that a federal loan relief program for minority farmers is racially discriminatory, after President Joe Biden — in a…
Reuters: Analysis: Biden debt relief plan disappoints Black farmers for avoiding race
Some Black farmers say they are disappointed by a new U.S. agriculture debt relief program that stands to save thousands of farmers from foreclosure, after the plan failed to specifically…
Agri-Pulse: This time, USDA will have broad latitude to aid farm debtors
More than a year after courts forced the Agriculture Department to shut down a debt forgiveness program for minority farmers, Congress is set to give USDA wide open authority to…
The Fern: Today’s Quick Hits
A U.S. district court judge in Texas ruled that the National Black Farmers Association and the Association of American Indian Farmers can intervene in a lawsuit by Texas Agriculture Commissioner…