How long will it take for farmers and ranchers visiting Washington to demand that their lobbyists take them to 14th and U and other hot addresses in the New Northwest Washington rather than stodgy Georgetown or even Capitol Hill? The center of the New Northwest is 14th and U, but new restaurants and bars are opening almost daily as far north as W Street and east and south all the way to Seventh Street near the convention center. Read More...

While many Americans take time off for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the staffs of the House and Senate Agriculture committees that write farm bill authorizing legislation and the staffs of the House and Senate Agriculture appropriations subcommittees are likely to be working hard to prepare the new farm bill and the fiscal year 2014 bills for Senate and House members when they return the first week of January. Read More...

The Food and Drug Administration announced Friday it would publish a proposed rule on food adulteration and terrorism, but will exempt animal and pet feed as part of its implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. Read More...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said today that he and Chinese leaders made progress on a number of high-priority issues during the 24th U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade which wrapped up today in Beijing, although details were not released. Read More...

President Barack Obama on Friday formally announced his intention to nominate Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., to be U.S. ambassador to China. The nomination raised the question of whether Baucus would be able to lead the Senate to pass a trade promotion authority bill before he leaves the Senate or whether that legislation would languish. Read More...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has named Brian Ronholm, the deputy undersecretary for food safety, as acting undersecretary, Food Safety News reported this week. Read More...

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Thursday he will support the farm bill nutrition title that is likely to cut $8 billion from the food stamp program over 10 years, DTN, an Omaha-based satellite farm news service, reported. Read More...

The Renewable Fuels Association on Thursday celebrated the sixth anniversary of the signing of the law that expanded the Renewable Fuel Standard by publishing a report on what RFA considers its accomplishments. Read More...

Tours of the White House decorated for Christmas have been taking place in addition to the evening parties which President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have hosted. Read More...

Reacting to criticism from the farm community, the Food and Drug Administration will revise two Food Safety Modernization Act rules and will seek comment on them, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine Michael Taylor announced Thursday.Reacting to criticism from the farm community, the Food and Drug Administration will revise two Food Safety Modernization Act rules and will seek comment on them, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine Michael Taylor announced Thursday. Read More...

The Grocery Manufacturers Association will petition the Food and Drug Administration to allow foods derived from genetically modified ingredients as “natural,” but the Environmental Working Group said FDA should reject the petition. Read More...

Noting that U.S. agricultural exports set a record $140.9 billion in agricultural exports for fiscal year 2013, Agriculture Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services said Thursday that Congress needs to pass a new farm bill that reauthorizes trade promotion programs. Read More...

The Environmental Working Group on Thursday released a report that describes most federal crop insurance spending as wasteful.
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The American Seed Trade Association has named Janice Walters as its director of communications. Read More...

President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced his intention to nominate Sharon Y. Bowen to succeed Bart Chilton as a commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Read More...

The Senate is expected to go out of session today after a series of votes at 10:15 a.m., including one to invoke cloture on the nomination of Janet Yellen to chair the Federal Reserve Bank. Read More...

The Senate on Wednesday voted 64 to 36 to pass a House-Senate budget deal that will set the stage for the appropriations committees to get allocations by the end of the week and prepare a government funding bill by January 15, the date the current continuing resolution expires. Read More...

The Agriculture Department and the Brazil Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (known by the Portuguese acronym MAPA) announced Wednesday that had “agreed to a path forward to amend rules that currently limit bilateral beef trade,” Agriculture Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse announced. Read More...

Unlike most of the Christmas trees in the nation’s capital, the National Christmas Tree, located in the Ellipse near the White House, is a living tree. Read More...

President Barack Obama intends to nominate Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., as U.S. ambassador to China, and Baucus will resign from the Senate before his term is up, USA Today reported Wednesday. Read More...