RFA Ethanol Podcast

USDA Staff Appointments

Chuck Zimmerman

Sec. of Ag Tom Vilsack has made a number of staff appointments including: OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY John Berge-White House Liaison to USDA. Lindsay Daschle-Confidential Assistant to the Secretary. Max Holtzman-Senior Advisor to the Secretary. Grant Leslie-Senior Advisor to the Secretary. David Lazarus-Senior Advisor to the Secretary. Sam Liebert-Staff Assistant to the Secretary. Rohan Patel-Director of Advance for the Secretary. …

USDA

Adelstein Nominated To USDA RUS Admin

Chuck Zimmerman

I just noticed in Broadcasting & Cable magazine that Jonathan Adelstein has been nominated by the Prez to head up USDA’s Rural Utilities Service. He’s an FCC Commissioner currently. Adelstein would be administrator of the RUS program. The White House gave Adelstein props for “efforts to improve rural telecommunication s and broadband” while at the commission. The story says RUS …

Internet, USDA

USDA Recovery Act Website

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s where you can find information on how USDA is involved in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. USDA was appropriated $28 billion (3.5 percent) of the package. The Act: * Provides $19.7 billion to increase the monthly amount of nutrition assistance to 31.8 million people. * Enables expanded opportunities for broadband loans and grants to rural communities. …

USDA

Secretary Vilsack Agriculture Week PSA

Chuck Zimmerman

Our Secretary of Agriculture has recorded a public service message to highlight National Agriculture Week. You can listen to it here: vilsack-agweek-psa.mp3 The picture is Secretary Vilsack with Cookie Monster and Broccoli at the National WIC Association and Sesame Workshop Partnership conference. I like it.

Audio, USDA

Obama Names Choice for USDA Deputy

Cindy Zimmerman

President Barack Obama today announced his choice of Kathleen Merrigan as deputy secretary of the Agriculture Department. Merrigan is no stranger to USDA, having served as administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service under President Clinton from 1999 to 2001. She is currently Assistant Professor and Director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment MS and PhD Program at the Friedman School …

USDA

2007 Census of Agriculture Release Day

Chuck Zimmerman

This is the big day for all you agriculture statistics fanatics. USDA will be releasing the 2007 Census of Agriculture. Yep. Old data. The Census of Agriculture, taken every five years, is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. The Census looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and …

USDA

Secretary Vilsack First Teleconference

Chuck Zimmerman

Our new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, just held his first teleconference and I’ve got it recorded for you. He makes a short opening statement then takes Q&A from select media who could ask questions (I was not one of them). I was interested in things like biofuels and rural development of broadband internet access. Both are mentioned several …

Audio, USDA

Change Coming to USDA

Cindy Zimmerman

Just a few hours after Barack Obama took the oath of President of the United States, the U.S. Senate confirmed seven of his cabinet appointees, including Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture. But, don’t look for an update on the USDA website just yet. Unlike the new whitehouse.gov website, which went live at 12:01 eastern yesterday, the USDA website has …

USDA

USDA Closes Broadband Loan Agreement

Chuck Zimmerman

Let’s hope we see continued commitment to rural development in the new administration in Washington, DC. The outgoing one has sure done a lot in this area, especially to develop broadband which is providing new opportunities in our rural and farm communities. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced today that Open Range Communications has finalized a $267 million loan agreement with …

Internet, USDA

Administration Achievements and IFAJ 2009/AMS Update

Chuck Zimmerman

U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer held a conference call with reporters to discuss accomplishments of the Bush administration. We were on the call and I thought I’d share a segment with you in this week’s program. I’ve been pointing out the increased investment in rural broadband through the Rural Development department here on AgWired since we got started …

Audio, IFAJ, USDA, ZimmCast