Biden Weighs Pick for Agriculture Chief from Diverse Slate
President-elect Joe Biden's choices for secretary of agriculture are as diverse as the department of 100,000 employees that she or he would represent — and is especially critical this year as USDA provides extra aid for the hungry and oversees food production amid the pandemic. For Biden, the emerging choice between Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio, former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and several other potential candidates seems like another test of his vision for the Democratic Party — a contest between urban and rural and liberals and moderates, with the pick potentially placing an added emphasis on anti-hunger programs, farm subsidies, or worker protections.
Maine Announces $40M Grant Program for Tourism, Hospitality, and Retail Small Businesses
Governor Janet Mills announced an economic recovery grant program to support Maine's tourism, hospitality, and retail small businesses. Backed by $40 million in Federal CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF), the Tourism, Hospitality & Retail Recovery Grant Program is focused specifically on supporting Maine's service sector small businesses, such as restaurants, bars, tasting rooms, lodging, and retail shops, which have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and now face additional challenges with the coming winter months.
Survey of Bankers Shows Concern About Farm Debt and Low Income
A fall survey of ag lenders shows concern about farm income and debt levels, but most bankers expect credit will be available to farmers next year. Nearly 8 in 10 lenders expressed concern about reduced farm income because of low prices. The survey found 87 percent of lenders noted that farmers depended heavily on direct government payments in 2020, which were made to offset economic damage from trade disputes and to make up for the economic impact of the coronavirus.
Sustainable Agriculture Opportunity Zone Fund Closes Omaha, NE Investment
The Harvest Returns Sustainable Agriculture Opportunity Zone Fund recently funded the first tranches of an investment in a vertical farm and restaurant business that will produce locally-consumed food year-round in Omaha, Nebraska. The Sustainable Agriculture Opportunity Zone Fund invests to create a positive impact in the agriculture industry across economically disadvantaged regions of the U.S.
Save America's Restaurants
American cities have sought to keep restaurants in business during the coronavirus pandemic by allowing indoor dining, and a growing number of municipalities and states have imposed curfews on restaurants and bars. A fresh round of federal aid could help keep restaurants in business during the winter months while protecting public health.
Alliance Including Farm Groups Seeks Tax Credits to Fight Climate Change
The government would create a range of tax credits to encourage carbon sequestration in the soil and forests, deploy "digesters" nationwide to convert manure into energy and work more aggressively to reduce food waste if it follows the recommendations of farm, conservation, and food retail groups. Because the alliance built its recommendations around voluntary action and "market-driven opportunities," such as carbon trading, it promoted steps such as the creation of a USDA carbon bank to establish a floor price for carbon sequestration and reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.
It Took a Group of Black Farmers to Start Fixing Land Ownership Problems in Detroit, MI
Providing black farmers with land security was one of the reasons the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN) D-Town Farm launched the GoFundMe campaign. With commercial real estate at a premium and out-of-town speculators holding on to land in Detroit, black farmers feel more at risk of losing access to land they farm on but don't own. The fund is working with the city to modify the process for people who want to buy land through the Detroit Land Bank Authority, which owns about 90,000 parcels in Detroit.
ReVive Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund Launches for Impact Investment into Hydroponic Green Houses
Revive's first Opportunity Zone investment will be in Valley Greenhouses LLC, which will own a 50-acre hydroponic greenhouse facility in Lawton, Oklahoma located in a Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ). The greenhouse will be built and operated by an international greenhouse group, which has completed multiple greenhouses world-wide. The project will meet demand for agricultural products from regional and local produce wholesalers.
|