Rural revamp: The USDA’s Equity Commission released a report offering 66 recommendations to “further advance equity at USDA.”
The report argues the USDA “admitted discrimination during the critical period (1981-1985)” that determined funding access. Underserved farmers were unable to secure subsidies that helped improve land productivity.
The recommendations focus on priorities including supporting farmworkers and their families, strengthening research and extension programs, and enhancing rural development operations.
The commission’s goals include:
- Improve Customer Experience through institutionalizing customer feedback, service delivery, and program design
- Transform and adequately fund the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
- Offer non-loan alternatives to prevent heirs’ property and fragmented land, easing access to USDA programs
- Ensure equitable funding to community-led land access and transition projects
Ah SNAP: Other goals outlined by the commission include expanding outreach to underrepresented communities to become approved SNAP vendors. The aim is to improve nutrition access in food deserts.
Soundbite: “USDA remains committed to charting a future that creates, not diminishes, opportunity and key to this success is the hard work and dedication of the Equity Commission and its recommendations that will make forward-looking, long-lasting, and transformational progress.” — USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack
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Congress to EPA: What’s Your BEEF with Meat Packers?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering new regulations that take aim at meat and poultry processors.
And some members of Congress have a BEEF with the EPA’s proposals.
The proposed rules: In late January, the EPA released the details of its proposed “Clean Water Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point source category.”
Huh?
Basically, the EPA formally published its proposals to combat wastewater contaminants that come from slaughterhouses.
Okay… that makes more sense.
At the heart of the rules proposal is a concern from environmental groups about nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants that originate from slaughterhouses. In some cases, the wastewater goes directly into waterways. In other cases, the water goes to municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
But not everyone is on board with the EPA’s suggestions…
Congress responds: Last week, two U.S. representatives—Eric Burlison (MO) and Ron Estes (KS)—pushed back against the EPA and introduced the “Banning EPA’s Encroachment of Facilities (BEEF) Act.” If passed and signed by President Biden, the law would prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the rule.
According to the lawmakers, the proposed rules place undue burden on small processors—costs that can be absorbed by larger companies.
Soundbite: “The… proposed regulation isn’t just an attack on family-run small businesses, it’s an attack on rural communities,” said Burlison. “These meat and poultry processors are the lifeblood of our communities. The BEEF Act… lets these hardworking Americans do what they do best, produce safe, affordable food for our families.”
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