Confirming Two Key Ag Officials and Specialty Crops Remain Uninsured
**Two years after taking office, agriculture groups through Farmers for Free Trade call on the Senate to confirm two key agricultural trade officials in the Biden administration.
The coalition sent a letter to Senate leaders calling for the confirmation of Doug McKalip as Chief Ag Negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative's Office, and Alexis Taylor as USDA Undersecretary of Agriculture for Trade.
The coalition urged the Senate to confirm the duo during the current lame-duck session.
**A new report from the Farm Journal Foundation finds that increased U.S. investments in agricultural development and innovation are needed to make global food systems more resilient.
While climate change impacts agriculture worldwide, its effects are "substantially more severe" in warm regions, including Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The new report follows the United Nations' COP27 conference earlier this month, where leaders discussed the impact of climate change on the global food system and solutions to make agriculture more resilient.
**Specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables and nuts, make up almost one-third of total crop sales in the U.S., but many specialty crop acres remain uninsured.
American Farm Bureau Federation economists recently examined specialty crop coverage.
AFBF has made expanding insured commodities to include specialty crops one of its priorities for the 2023 farm bill.