Farm Programs:
Payments and Loans to Foreign Owners of U.S. Cropland
RCED-87-81BR: Published: Mar 19, 1987. Publicly Released: Apr 3, 1987.
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In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the extent of the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) farm program payments and loans to foreign individuals and entities that owned U.S. cropland.
GAO found that: (1) USDA estimated that farm program costs would reach $72 billion for a 3-year period ending in 1988, with a large part of the funds going to producers for taking cropland out of production; (2) the total payments to foreign owners of U.S. cropland totalled $7.73 million, or about 0.4 percent of the total payments made in the counties studied; (3) the median payment to foreign individuals and entities was $8,472, while foreign corporations received a median payment of $12,862; (4) foreign owners took out price-support loans of about $12.3 million; (5) Congress introduced two bills to prevent foreigners from receiving farm program payments and loans, but took no action on either bill; and (6) GAO draft legislation could adversely affect some U.S. producers who share foreign-owned rented farms, but would not affect foreign owners who rent their U.S. farms to producers.
Sep 16, 2020
Agriculture Spending:
Opportunities Exist for USDA to Identify Successes and Challenges of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program to Inform Future EffortsGAO-20-711R: Published: Sep 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 16, 2020.
Sep 14, 2020
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USDA Market Facilitation Program:
Information on Payments for 2019GAO-20-700R: Published: Aug 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 14, 2020.
Aug 10, 2020
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National Bio and Agro-defense Facility:
DHS and USDA Are Working to Transfer Ownership and Prepare for Operations, but Critical Steps RemainGAO-20-331: Published: Jul 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 10, 2020.
May 7, 2020
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Food Safety:
FDA and USDA Could Strengthen Existing Efforts to Prepare for Oversight of Cell-Cultured MeatGAO-20-325: Published: Apr 7, 2020. Publicly Released: May 7, 2020.
Apr 13, 2020
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Priority Open Recommendations:
U.S. Department of AgricultureGAO-20-288PR: Published: Apr 6, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 13, 2020.
Dec 23, 2019
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Nutrition Assistance Programs:
Agencies Could Do More to Help Address the Nutritional Needs of Older AdultsGAO-20-18: Published: Nov 21, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 23, 2019.
Dec 6, 2019
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Imported Seafood Safety:
Actions Needed to Improve FDA Oversight of Import Alert Removal DecisionsGAO-20-62: Published: Nov 6, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 6, 2019.
Nov 12, 2019
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Irrigated Agriculture:
Technologies, Practices, and Implications for Water ScarcityGAO-20-128SP: Published: Nov 12, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 12, 2019.
Oct 28, 2019
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Dairy Cooperatives:
Potential Implications of Consolidation and Investments in Dairy Processing for FarmersGAO-19-695R: Published: Sep 27, 2019. Publicly Released: Oct 28, 2019.
Sep 9, 2019
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Date Labels on Packaged Foods:
USDA and FDA Could Take Additional Steps to Reduce Consumer ConfusionGAO-19-407: Published: Sep 9, 2019. Publicly Released: Sep 9, 2019.
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