Author Jerry Hagstrom reports in The Hagstrom Report:
The Agriculture Department today released a list of what officials consider USDA’s accomplishments in 2023, emphasizing the “projects and partnerships” that the Biden administration has undertaken to help small and medium-sized farmers and small businesses.
In the release, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “For too long, America’s agricultural policies have encouraged farmers to get big or get out, and this in turn has weakened the communities whose local economies are tied to small and mid-sized farms.”
“We’re starting to see the impact of a new way of approaching policies and programs that are better designed for the real needs of rural communities — and the results are promising.
“Over the course of the Biden-Harris administration, USDA has pushed forward with efforts to create revenue-expanding new markets for farmers, help them find opportunity while simultaneously addressing climate change, and build stronger infrastructure that leads to more prosperous farms and communities. In 2023, we saw these changes begin to take hold in tangible ways, which puts extra momentum behind the work we’ll carry out in 2024,” Vilsack said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: MY RURAL AMERICA has long stood for USDA’s need to re-direct priorities and resources to family farmers and rural communities. We applaud this progress.
USDA Highlights 2023 Successes in Serving Farmers, Families, and Communities.