WASHINGTON, JUNE 28, 2022 – Pull out the grill and your red, white, and blue because the Fourth of July is here. This means gatherings, outdoor festivities, and good times with family and friends. As the meat sizzles on the grill, don’t let food safety fizzle out of your memory.

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2022 – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for a new pilot program created under President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the development of biobased products that have lower carbon footprints and increase the use of renewable agricultural materials, creating new revenue streams for farmers.

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2022 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the next steps in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) efforts to ensure that as part of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, Federal investments benefit communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment.

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2022 – “There is no question that today’s Supreme Court decision will have a devastating impact on the health and autonomy of women in America. Yesterday, the right to privacy was secure, with fifty years of precedent behind it. Today, six Supreme Court Justices took that right away for millions, and jeopardized it for all Americans. I’m particularly concerned about what this will mean for women and families in rural America. Yesterday, their health care options were limited.

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2022 – “I am pleased to see that Congress has taken action to provide much needed support to help USDA’s child nutrition programs serve nutritious meals to America’s children. Throughout the pandemic, the school nutrition professionals who feed our children faced enormous challenges, which persist today, and they desperately need additional resources and continued flexibilities. The deal passed by Congress will ease some of the uncertainty and provide partial relief to our schools, summer sites and child care feeding programs.

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2022 – “USDA’s child nutrition programs provide nutritious meals to America’s children. The school and other nutrition professionals who make these meals possible need additional resources and continued flexibilities as they grapple with the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic. The deal announced yesterday by Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Boozman and Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Foxx would ease uncertainty and bring a measure of relief to our schools, summer sites and child care feeding programs.

“Our wildland firefighters risk their lives every day to protect communities, critical infrastructure, and natural resources – recognizing their sacrifice through greater support is not only the right thing to do, it’s our duty.”

– Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2022 – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) proclamation in recognition and support of National Pollinator Week (June 20 – 26, 2022). Pollinator species, such as bees, other insects, birds, and bats play a critical role in producing more than 100 crops grown in the United States. Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $18 billion in value to agricultural crops annually.

HOLLIS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, JUNE 17, 2022 — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to provide up to $200 million in assistance for specialty crop producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses to obtain or renew a food safety certification in calendar years 2022 or 2023.