Ethanol Exports Higher and USDA Addresses Food Systems

Ethanol Exports Higher and USDA Addresses Food Systems

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.

**The USDA will create an “Equity Commission.”

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the new panel will work to dismantle “barriers historically underserved communities have faced in accessing USDA programs and services.”

The USDA is soliciting nominations for membership on the commission, which is part of the goal to address “discrimination and disparities in the agricultural sector.”

**U.S. ethanol exports in August saw substantial improvement from the prior month’s slump, expanding 56%.

Canada was the top destination for the fifth straight month with imports of 33.9 mg, the largest volume since March, and 42% of the August U.S. ethanol export market.

Larger markets included South Korea, up 86%, the United Kingdom, up fivefold, Peru, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and Mexico.

Former key destinations Brazil, China and India were again nearly absent.

**In an effort to address food systems challenges from the pandemic and others going back decades, Ag Secretary Vilsack announced USDA plans for another $100 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The funding would leverage hundreds of millions more in lending through community and private lenders to expand meat and poultry processing capacity and finance other supply chain infrastructure.

He says these investments will help deliver more opportunities and fairer prices for farmers and address bottlenecks in the food supply chain.

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