As part of her campaign for President, Vice President Kamala Harris plans to focus on stopping big companies from taking actions that she perceives as raising grocery prices unfairly. This idea is popular with swing voters and supported by progressive groups who believe that corporate greed is making groceries more expensive.

In an announcement of the policy shift Thursday, Harris’s campaign pointed to the meat industry as a cause of high prices but did not provide details of exactly how they are responsible and what she would do to combat it. She is expected to announce a proposal to ban price gouging in the grocery industry in an upcoming speech. Her campaign said Harris’s plan would focus on “setting clear rules of the road to make clear that big corporations can’t unfairly exploit consumers to run up excessive corporate profits on food and groceries.”

Opponents argue the reasons behind rising prices are more complicated. While some blame companies for hiking prices to make more money, economists say other factors played a bigger role. These include problems with supply chains, changes in what people were buying, and government spending during the pandemic.

Food price inflation has slowed down recently, but some experts worry that Harris’s plan could cause more problems. They warn that while companies did make higher profits during the pandemic, much of the price increases were due to strong demand from consumers. Critics believe that trying to control prices too much could prevent the economy from adjusting naturally, which might create bigger issues in the future.

USDA announces $400 million to help farmers combat drought

USDA has announced it is investing $400 million with at least 18 irrigation districts across the West to help farmers continue production while conserving water more effectively. The funds are expected to conserve up to 50,000 acre-feet in water use across 250,000 acres of irrigated land in production.

Senator Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said of the announcement, “Family farmers, water users, and communities across the American West are facing the effects of a 1,200-year drought and a changing climate. This is a five-alarm fire, and Washington ought to treat it that way. With this investment, the Biden administration answered our call to bring resources to bear that will help producers innovate and become more resilient to drought.”

“USDA is taking an ‘all hands’ approach to help address this challenge, including these new partnerships with irrigation districts to support producers,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We want to scale up the tools available to keep farmers farming, while also voluntarily conserving water and expanding markets for water-saving commodities.”

The funding will assist districts to upgrade infrastructure and will pay producers for voluntarily reducing water consumption while maintaining commodity production. All producers receiving funds will be required to commit to maintaining commodity production on the acres affected.

USDA seeking members for new carbon credit advisory council

USDA is looking for members to join a new advisory council created under the Growing Climate Solutions Act. This council will focus on helping farmers and producers get involved in environmental credit markets, such as those for carbon credits. The USDA announced on Tuesday that it plans to establish the Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third Party Verifier Program Advisory Council. It is now accepting nominations for membership on this panel.

The purpose of the council is to clear up confusion in the market and connect producers with the right resources and experts to participate in these credit markets. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that the council will include a diverse group of experts, aiming to help small and mid-sized farmers access verified environmental credit markets. The council will consist of 32 members appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture, with over half being farmers, ranchers, or private forest landowners, and will meet at least once a year.

The council’s role will include reviewing and suggesting changes to programs related to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental credits. This includes updating protocols, setting qualifications for technical assistance providers, and finding ways to make entering these markets easier and less expensive. USDA is accepting nominations for the council until October 15, with members serving two-year terms, though the first group will have staggered terms of one to three years.