At USDA, Vilsack focused on rural development

The U.S. Department of Agriculture touches Americans from the field to the cafeteria, with a bevy of programs that include subsidies for farmers and for school lunches. It also has a role in supporting rural communities more generally, with things like broadband internet, telemedicine and microloans for entrepreneurs. It’s a diverse mandate, but it fits…

Read More

Food fights, FLOTUS and GMOs: The top food and field stories from 2014

Harvest Public Media was created four years ago to report on agriculture and food production in the geographic area where the majority of that takes place – the Midwest. This year, my third of counting the top ag stories of the year, I find that the issues taking center stage were set not here, but in the politics, policies and processes of Washington D.C., state legislatures or the ballot box.

Read More

KC area named ‘Climate Action Champion’

Earlier this month, the Kansas City region was named one of 16 Climate Action Champions by the White House and the U.S. Department of Energy. This year’s class of award recipients also includes Boston, Knoxville, Seattle and others.

Read More