Agriculture

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) announced that the Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network has been awarded $88,444 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support its efforts to connect school cafeterias with local farmers and growers. The grant is part of USDA’s Farm to School Program. “As schools do more to provide healthy, nutritious food for students, we should do everything possible to help them take advantage of the amazing fresh fruits and vegetables grown by our local... Read more

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene praised an announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that $4.2 million in grants were awarded to Washington state through the USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) Program. These grants will support Washington producers of fresh fruits and vegetables by funding research to improve growing practices and help farmers gain access to new international markets. Specifically, the announcement includes a $250,000 grant to support raspberry producers in Wha... Read more

The federal Food and Drug Administration is shelving a proposed change that threatened to end beer-makers' ability to give away their soggy, used-up grains to farmers for livestock feed. The decision formally announced last week leaves intact a long-standing practice that saves micro-brewers the cost of hauling spent grains to landfills and gives farmers a nutritious source of food for their bovines. “That's great to hear,” said Shawn Loring of Lazy Boy Brewing in Everett, who didn't expect any ... Read more

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene announced the start of a new risk management program for dairy farmers, known as the dairy Margin Protection Program, that she worked to include in the 5-year Farm Bill extension that passed earlier this year. This voluntary program allows dairy farmers to take steps to protect their business from economic risks beyond their control. “I worked hard to ensure the Farm Bill we passed eliminated ineffective dairy programs and offered dairy producers this new voluntary, ... Read more

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene welcomed an announcement from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today that the USDA will begin taking applications from states for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) pilot program, which was included by Rep. DelBene in the Farm Bill reauthorization enacted earlier this year. The provision is based on a bill Rep. DelBene introduced called the Enhancing Employment and Training Through Education Act of 201... Read more

EVERETT — What beer makers don't want, farmers do. It's those soggy used-up grains, a by-product of the brewing process, that farmers relish as feed for their livestock. Brewers give the grain away to those willing to pick it up. This practice, considered sustainable and environmentally responsible, has gone on for years without interference from government. But a federal agency is pondering changes in how animal feed is handled, and brewers, farmers and federal lawmakers are worried it could se... Read more

The federal delegation representing Snohomish County called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to declare a Secretarial Disaster Designation for Snohomish County to assist farmers who have been affected by the State Route 530 mudslide. In a letter sent to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), U.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Jim McDermott (WA-07), strongly supported the request made to USDA by Governor Inslee. Th... Read more

Governor Jay Inslee today announced his decision to preserve existing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for over 200,000 Washington households by providing additional assistance to those who participate in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Congresswoman Suzan DelBene issued the following statement: “Today’s announcement by the Governor is good news for hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians, many of them who are children and seniors on fixed-income... Read more

MOUNT VERNON — A significant piece of the federal farm bill for Skagit County agriculture is the increased and permanent funding for specialty crop research and grant programs. The bill is the first to provide long-term investments for the programs and raises funding 50 percent over levels offered in the last farm legislation, providing $80 million per year to the Specialty Crop Research Initiative and $72.5 million per year, to start, for the Specialty Crop Block Grant program. Most northwest W... Read more

The US Senate today passed a five-year Farm Bill by a vote of 68-32. The bill includes a number of reforms that will reduce the deficit by over $16 billion, with much of the savings coming from reforms to agricultural subsidies, such as the elimination of direct payments. It also includes two initiatives led by Congresswoman Suzan DelBene: 1) An Employment & Training (E&T) pilot that will create programs across the country modeled after Washington state’s Basic, Food, Employment and Training (B... Read more