Injunction Over Disaster Payments and Injunction Over Disaster Relief
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.
**On behalf of several Texas farmers, the Southeastern Legal Foundation and the Mountain States Legal Foundation filed a preliminary injunction over disaster payments.
Specifically, they’re asking a federal court to stop the USDA from unconstitutionally and unlawfully funneling disaster and COVID-19 relief funds to certain farmers based on race and gender.
They argue USDA provides more money to “socially disadvantaged” farmers like women, American Indians, Asians, and many other groups.
**The USDA’s Forest Service is issuing more than $232 million to support public schools, roads, and municipal services through the agency’s Secure Rural Schools Program.
As the agency invests in ways for forests to generate economic opportunities, it also aims to support the quality of life in rural communities.
Forest Service Chief Randy Moore says the funding helps schools and roads, creating community wildfire protection plans and reimburses counties for national forest emergency services.
**Retail food price inflation varied by locality in 2023, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service.
New data shows food-at-home, or grocery prices, rose the fastest last year in Houston, by 7.8%, followed by Boston, at 7%.
In contrast, food-at-home prices declined by 1.3% in Anchorage, Alaska, and rose by the lowest amount, 1.7%, in Honolulu.
Across the country, food-at-home prices increased by 5.0% on average in 2023.
