Food and Agriculture

Congresswoman Pingree held a roundtable for stakeholders from Maine's dairy industry on December 15 to get their feedback on how federal programs are working for them.  With her is USDA Farm Services Agency Deputy Administrator Brad Pfaff, who oversees some of these programs.  The event was the second she held to collect feedback from Mainers ahead of Congress' upcoming… Read more »

Congresswoman Pingree talks with a group of contract poultry farmers about the unfair practices large processors have subjected them to. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today applauded the release of new Farmer Fair Practice Rules by the USDA Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).  The new rules will help level the playing field between poultry farmers and… Read more »

Farmers in five counties to get access to emergency assistance, including loans Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said today that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared five counties in southern Maine as a disaster area because of the recent drought.  Cumberland, Androscoggin, Oxford, Sagadahoc, and York Counties are all part of the disaster area, making farmers in those… Read more »

Rosemont Market receives $65,000 to double local food sales, and Somali Bantu Community receives $395,000 to reduce food insecurity  ​ Today Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced that Portland-based Rosemont Market will receive a $64,922 Local Food Promotion Grant from the USDA.  The program is making $26.8 million in investments this year, thanks to… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today announced two USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grants that would benefit Maine—one to Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport to train organic dairy farmers and another to fund an Armed to Farm veteran farmer training in Maine.   “Farming is hard work and a tough business, especially when you’re just starting… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree spoke out against a bill that would require a complicated labeling scheme on foods containing GMO ingredients. The US House is taking up a bill today, recently passed by the Senate, that would allow manufacturers to place a QR code on the package of food containing GMOs. A QR code requires a smartphone and a special app to access ingredient information through a website. Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree testified before the House Agriculture Committee today to kick off the first-ever Congressional hearing focused on the problem of food waste in the United States. "When good food goes to waste on the farm, it means the resources used to grow that food—fuel, labor and water—is also wasted.  When it goes to waste in a local restaurant it means… Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today welcomed news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has agreed to reevaluate the standards for foods labeled "healthy."  Pingree has been pushing the FDA to update those standards since KIND Snacks and leading nutrition and public health experts filed a Citizen Petition last December, asking FDA to reevaluate its requirements to emphasize the… Read more »

Loan program will help farmers buy refrigerated trucks, storage and processing facilities, thanks to legislation written by Pingree Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a big expansion of a loan program that will now help small farmers acquire refrigerated trucks and mobile processing and storage facilities so they can more… Read more »

After the U.S. Senate voted to block the DARK Act, an anti-GMO labeling bill, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree issued the following statement:   "The DARK Act goes against the 90% of Americans who think that food containing GMOs should be labeled and its defeat in the Senate is a win for consumers.  Now we should move forward with a reasonable bill that requires clear, simple… Read more »