While grants and funding continue to be announced for small packing plants and legislation to support small producers is a priority to some congressmen, Biden recently announced his “Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe and Secure American Bioeconomy.”
What does this mean?
The overarching idea to “advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing towards innovative solutions in health, climate change, energy, food security, agriculture, supply chain resilience, and national and economic security,” sounds novel in the grand scheme of things; however, livestock producers must be wary.
The push towards lab-grown meat might have just gotten stronger.
The action plan for this focus includes a report submitted by the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the heads of appropriate agencies, “assessing how to use biotechnology and biomanufacturing for food and agriculture innovation, including by improving sustainability and land conservation; increasing food quality and nutrition; increasing and protecting agricultural yields; protecting against plant and animal pests and diseases; and cultivating alternative food sources.
Now, I find other parts of that statement valuable, however the addition of “cultivating alternative food sources” makes my eye twitch.
As an Executive Order, the ball is rolling and no one can stop it. It will be interesting to see what federal funding is announced in the coming months.
As a livestock producer, I feel it’s increasingly important to share what you do and how you do it.
