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Food and Agriculture

Pingree, Newhouse, Bonamici Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Solve School Food Waste

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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) along with Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) today reintroduced the bipartisan School Food Recovery Act. The bill will create a new program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support schools working on food waste reduction projects. Pingree and Newhouse…

Pingree Announces $375K+ Federal Grant for Maine Project Aimed at Ending Hunger by 2030

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WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Community Food Project grant has been awarded to the Cumberland County Food Security Council (CCFSC). The grant, totaling $376,619 in federal funds, will be used for CCFSC’s four-year project, titled “Maine Meat and Justice on the…

Pingree, 12 Members of Congress Urge USDA to Aid Struggling New England Dairy Farmers Following Danone Contract Cancellations

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WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and 12 members of Congress representing New England today wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging the Department to increase support for dairy farmers in the region who are grappling with an uncertain future due to the cancellation of their contracts by Danone, a multinational food company and…

VIDEO: Pingree Secures Recognition for Wild Blueberries as Part of National Blueberry Month

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Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) urged the House Agriculture Committee to support a resolution recognizing National Blueberry Month and the contributions of the blueberry industry. Pingree worked with the resolution’s sponsor, Rep. Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), on an amendment to ensure this resolution (H.Res.…

Pingree Calls House Agriculture Reconciliation Bill a ‘Win’ for Climate Research, Forest Resilience, Renewable Energy

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WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, today called the panel’s markup of the agriculture provisions of the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation legislation a “win” for climate research, renewable energy, and the nation’s forests. The bill specifically includes $7.75 billion for climate-focused agricultural research;…

Pingree Welcomes $700M in USDA Pandemic Relief for Farm and Food Workers

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WASHINGTON, DC—Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $700 million will soon be available to help farm and meatpacking workers who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will be available through the USDA’s new Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant program. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), who is an organic farmer and…

Pingree, Brownley, Kuster, Booker Introduce Bills to Incentivize Sustainable Practices in Food Consumption

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Today, Congresswomen Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Julia Brownley (D-CA), and Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH) introduced two bills, the Zero Food Waste Act and the Cultivating Organic Matter through the Promotion Of Sustainable Techniques (COMPOST) Act, to reduce the amount of food wasted in the U.S. and to redirect food waste to composting projects. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)…

Pingree Announces $300K USDA Grant for UMaine to Build Agricultural Resiliency through Culinary Training

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded the University of Maine a $300,000 grant to build agricultural literacy through immersive culinary experiences for Maine’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Culinary Arts Instructors, encouraging use of Maine grown, processed, and produced foods in their programs and…

Pingree Calls for Free School Meals

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) joined legislation to expand on the success of the universal free school meals approach recently extended by the USDA to bring long-term relief to millions of food-insecure families. The Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021 would permanently provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all…

Reps. Pingree and Massie Introduce Bipartisan PRIME Act to Empower Local Livestock Farmers, Meet Consumer Demand

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Today, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) re-introduced the PRIME (Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption) Act to make it easier for small farms and ranches to serve consumers. Companion legislation has been introduced in the United States Senate by Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Rand Paul (R-KY). The PRIME Act would give individual…

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