U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addresses the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention and trade show in Salt Lake City on Jan. 22, 2024. (Photo by Kyle Dunphey/Utah News Dispatch)
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced millions in funding on Monday for renewable energy and domestic fertilizer projects.
Vilsack spoke during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention and trade show, which was in downtown Salt Lake City this year. He touted the Inflation Reduction Act while sounding the alarm over the loss of small operations and wealth consolidation in the agricultural industry.
Since 1981, Vilsack said the country has lost 437,300 farms and over 141 million acres of farmland.
“Those are farm families that are no longer in the farming business, which means that in all likelihood their families are no longer in those small communities,” Vilsack said. “The question I ask all of you today is whether we’re OK with that?”