Cover Photo: Hogs swimming through floods in Duplin County, NC. NPR | Kelly Guerin Earlier this month Hurricane Dorian tore through the Southeast United States and the Bahamas. It devastated the Carolinas, spawning nearly two dozen tornadoes and leaving 418,000 people without power in the region. Of particular concern is the massive flooding in North Carolina, a state which…
Nathan Rosenberg is a visiting scholar at the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic and Bryce Wilson Stucki is an independent researcher and journalist focusing on food and agriculture. Last July, the Trump administration announced a major new subsidy program designed to help farmers weather America’s ongoing trade war with China. That initiative—dubbed the Market Facilitation Program (MFP)—has become the…
For now I ask no more / than the justice of eating.”—from the poem “The Great Tablecloth” by Pablo Neruda The United States plays a key role in the fight against global hunger with its many international food assistance programs under the Farm Bill. The Food for Peace Act, which Congress reauthorizes in the Farm Bill, directs the most prominent…
This blog post reflects the data presented in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. It is intended to provide a general overview of some of the findings of that data. Please note, the Census of Agriculture often uses inconsistent methodologies making comparisons between years challenging. “We can all use the Census to tell the tremendous story of U.S. agriculture and how…
Ms. Gaesser is currently pursuing a master’s degree in agriculture, food, and environment at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. About every five years, Congress passes an omnibus Farm Bill governing an array of agricultural and food programs. The historically bipartisan process has become more contentious in recent cycles, however, due to an increasingly polarized…
Environmental issues ranging from water pollution to biodiversity loss to soil erosion remain an ever looming presence. However, many people may be unaware of the role that agriculture plays in many of these problems. Unfortunately, there are few mandatory regulations dictating how agricultural land use interacts with the environment. Instead, mitigating agriculture’s impact on the environment rests largely on the…
Originally published at American College for Environmental Lawyers Cross-posted with permission from the author Roughly every five years, Congress revises and renews the Farm Bill to fund our nation’s food security, nutrition, and farm conservation programs. The 2018 Farm Bill, which passed with large bipartisan majorities in both chambers, is surprisingly climate-conscious. Its successes will serve as a foundation upon…
The 2018 Farm Bill just passed the House (368-47), after passing the Senate yesterday (87-13). The Bill now goes to the President’s desk. Here is the 10,000 foot view of the 2018 Farm Bill as it relates to FBLE priorities: Food Waste FBLE is thrilled to see that all of the provisions in the House and Senate drafts of the…
Cross-posted from the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation Blog. 40 percent of food in the U.S. goes to waste each year, costing billions of dollars, preventing wholesome food from getting to people in need, and causing tremendous ecological harm. The 2018 Farm Bill represents a crucial opportunity to address food waste in a way that benefits farmers, consumers,…
Recently, USDA has taken a particular interest in mental health concerns in rural America. This two part blog post will address what USDA is doing to address both the opioid crisis and farmer suicide. Farmer Suicide In 2016, the CDC reported that among various occupational groups, suicide rates were highest in the farming, fishing, and forestry (Triple-F) industry at 84.5 suicides…