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Food and Agriculture

Pingree Leads 35 Bipartisan Members of Congress in Push for Seafood-Focused Priorities in Next Farm Bill

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today led 35 bipartisan members of Congress in a letter to Agriculture Committee leaders of the House and Senate urging the establishment of a new Office of Seafood Policy and Program Integration at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); support for seafood procurement from small and midsize seafood…

Rep. Pingree Touts 16 USDA Grants, 2 Loans Worth Over $30 million for Midcoast Maine Businesses

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Today Maine’s First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced 16 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants and loans worth a total of $2.1 million for businesses in midcoast Maine. The infusion of rural development funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed by Congressional Democrats and signed by President…

VIDEO: Pingree Raises Concerns Over Maine’s Meat Processing Backlog with USDA Secretary Vilsack

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Vilsack Portland 9

In a House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee hearing today with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) shed light on challenges Maine farmers are facing amid meat processing backlogs. Pingree, a longtime farmer and member of both the House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee, asked…

$100,000 USDA Grant Awarded to Support Maine’s Organic Market, Pingree Announces

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a longtime organic farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, today announced federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to strengthen and expand the organic market in Maine. Crystal Spring Community Farm in Brunswick was awarded $100,000 through the USDA…

Pingree Announces Nearly $250,000 to Expand Local Meat Processing in Maine

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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a longtime farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, today announced a $249,615 federal grant to expand meat processing operations in Kennebunk. The grant will help Short Creek Meats LLC expand the capacity of its ready-to-eat packaging line and…

Good Shepherd Food Bank President to be Pingree’s 2024 State of Union Guest

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CP and SOTU Guest Heather Paquette

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a senior House Appropriator and member of the House Agriculture Committee, today announced Heather Paquette, president of Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, as her 2024 State of the Union Guest tomorrow night. With President Joe Biden expected to highlight his efforts to curb “shrinkflation” greed among big corporations and stave off harmful…

VIDEO: In Hearing with Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, Pingree Emphasizes Need to Support Farmers in Face of Worsening Climate Crisis

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In a House Agriculture Committee hearing today with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree sounded the alarm on the urgent need to support farmers in Maine and across the county facing challenges due to climate change. The hearing comes on the heels of devastating and costly storms in…

Pingree, Beyer, and Lawler Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Soil Health and Sustainability on Farms

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U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Don Beyer (D-Va.), and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) introduced the Innovative Practices for Soil Health Act, bipartisan legislation to improve soil health on farms and support sustainable alternatives to annual agriculture by improving United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs to ensure they are better able to…

King, Pingree Announce Nearly $640,000 Grant to Strengthen Maine Organic Dairy Market

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dairy farm cows

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced a $639,449 federal grant for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). The Organic Market Development Grant (OMDG), awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), will help fund MOFGA’s project to strengthen consumer and institutional demand for local organic dairy…

Pingree, Molinaro Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Organic Dairy Farmers

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, a longtime organic farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee, and Congressman Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) today introduced bipartisan legislation to support organic dairy farmers in Maine and across the country. The Organic Dairy Data Collection Act would enhance data collection at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)…

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