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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack uses a whiteboard to demonstrate the challenges faced by small and midsized farmers from land consolidation and declining profits during a talk in San Francisco at a National Farmers Union conference on Monday, March 6, 2023. (Courtesy photo from the Farmers Union)

U.S. agriculture secretary unveils initiatives aimed at small and midsized operations
BY: - March 6, 2023

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday announced new steps the Department of Agriculture is taking to recenter U.S. agriculture and benefit small and midsized operations, including a proposed new “Product of USA” labeling rule and an $89 million expansion of the USDA intermediary lending program.  At the National Farmers Union conference in San Francisco, […]

The pork industry shifted dramatically over the past three decades. A USDA report tracks how the industry moved away from small operations to CAFOs, production contracts and specialization. (File photo from March 2021 by Danielle Pycior for Investigate Midwest)

Scaling up: 4 ways hog farms changed since the 1990s
BY: - November 28, 2022

Editor’s note: The following story is a compilation of the five-part series “Scaling Up” by Madison McVan published by Investigate Midwest in September and October. The story examines changes in the pork industry over the last few decades. More contracts. More specialization. More pork production, resulting in decreasing costs. A report issued in August by […]

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