Food and Agriculture

PORTLAND, ME—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) today announced over $1 million in USDA funding to support a number of local food projects throughout Maine, including a $500,000 award to build up Greater Portland’s food processing infrastructure. “Increasing the production and consumption of local food represents a fantastic opportunity for Maine jobs and businesses,” Pingree said. “From boostin... Read more »

“I will dearly miss Gus, who was a good friend and a trusted partner in our shared work to reform the food system. ..." Read more »

"I’m very concerned by the loopholes USDA Office of Inspector General’s found in the verification and inspection process that have allowed non-organic food from other countries to be sold as organic in the U.S.," Congresswoman Pingree said. Read more »

Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and more than two dozen federal lawmakers from across New England sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting that dairy milk be designated as an agricultural commodity eligible for Federal Crop Insurance and that the Risk Management Agency (RMA) to develop additional insurance products for dairy farmers. Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, released the following statement on the FY18 Agriculture Appropriations bill. The House Appropriations Committee passed the bill today. “While I would like to have seen more funding for certain programs in this bill, I’m glad that the funding levels generally did not fall in line with the Trump Admini... Read more »

With three days left until the registration deadline, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is encouraging farmers to sign up for the USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture and make sure they’re counted. “The USDA Census of Agriculture collects important information every five years about the state of farming in America and how it’s changing. In Congress, the data is key to shaping good policy decisions that r... Read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) has been chosen as one of six recipients this year for the 7th annual James Beard Foundation Leadership Award for her support of national policies that promote healthy food, local and regional food systems, and organic agriculture. “I’m deeply honored to receive this year’s James Beard Leadership Award. As a longtime organic farmer and passionate advocate fo... Read more »

Today, U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Thomas Massie (KY-04) and Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Rand Paul (R-KY) re-introduced legislation to make it easier for small farms and ranches to serve consumers. The PRIME (Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption) Act (H.R. 2657/S. 1232) would give individual states freedom to permit intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered ... Read more »

At a hearing today with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree raised her concerns about the deep budget cuts proposed for USDA that would weaken or eliminate many critical programs for rural America--from affordable housing to small business investment. She also urged the Secretary to get behind new areas of opportunity for farmers in Maine and across the country, including bo... Read more »

Reps. Pingree, Newhouse, and Panetta introduce legislation to increase funding for USDA’s flagship organic research program Read more »