Washington, D.C
Farmer Veteran Coalition Launches Office in Washington, D.C.
Nonprofit supporting veterans transitioning into agriculture begins presence in nation’s capital for greater access to policymakers and federal agencies
Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Veterans transitioning into agriculture. (Photo: USDA, Public domain)
WACO, Texas — The Farmer Veteran Coalition has launched a virtual office in Washington, D.C., which will enable the nonprofit greater access to policymakers and federal agencies to better serve its members.
Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Veterans transitioning into agriculture. It has more than 52,000 members nationwide.
“By establishing a presence in Washington, D.C., FVC aims to strengthen its engagement with lawmakers, federal agencies, and other national organizations that influence agricultural and Veterans’ policies,” said FVC Chief Executive Officer Jeanette Lombardo.
“This office will more effectively facilitate our active involvement in legislative discussions, ensuring that the needs of Farmer Veterans are considered in agricultural and Veteran affairs policies. This will help FVC advocate more effectively for funding, training programs, and resources that empower our members.”
Lombardo said this exposure will facilitate stronger partnerships, increase awareness of the challenges faced by Farmer Veterans, and provide greater opportunities to influence policy changes that promote economic stability and success for Veterans entering the agricultural sector.
Through its office, FVC will actively participate in discussions regarding agricultural funding, access to land and capital, behavioral health resources, ag careers, food insecurity in military communities, and business development programs, she said.
It will also provide a platform for Farmer Veterans to share their experiences and insights with key decision makers, ensuring that policies reflect the real-world challenges and needs of beginning farmers and ranchers. Lombardo was appointed recently to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Beginning Farmer and Rancher Advisory Board.
Lombardo noted that Washington, D.C., is home to numerous nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, and industry leaders that align with FVC’s mission of mobilizing Veterans to feed America.
“This new office will enable FVC to forge stronger alliances with organizations such as the National Farmers Union, American Farm Bureau Federation, Farm Credit and other Veteran support groups,” she said. “By working collaboratively, FVC can create a united front in advocating for policies that benefit both the agricultural and Veteran communities.”
Beyond policy advocacy, the office will serve as a hub for connecting Farmer Veterans with valuable resources, she said, including grant opportunities for their farms, business training, and mentorship programs.
The launch of FVC’s office in Washington, D.C., represents a new chapter in the organization’s mission to empower Farmer Veterans, Lombardo said. By bridging the gap between grassroots efforts and national policy, FVC is positioned to create lasting change that benefits Veteran farmers, their families, and the broader agricultural community.
Based in Waco, Texas, Farmer Veteran Coalition’s mission is to assist service members and Veterans transitioning out of military service into careers in the agriculture sector or assist them with starting their own farms or ranches. Established in 2009, FVC’s in-house programs include the Farmer Veteran Coalition Fellowship Fund small grant program, the nationally recognized Homegrown By Heroes label for Veteran-grown products, and national and regional conferences.
As the nation’s largest nonprofit assisting veterans and active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces embark on careers in agriculture, FVC works to develop a new generation of farmers and food leaders. This is done through expanding viable employment and career opportunities with support and collaboration of the farming and military communities. For more information, visit www.farmvetco.org or follow them on Facebook and Instagram at @FarmerVeteranCoalition and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@farmvetcoalition/videos.
–Farmer Veteran Coalition
Washington, D.C
Storm Team4 Forecast: A chilly, gusty Sunday before a cool start to the week
4 things to know about the weather:
- Chances of rain in the morning
- Gusty Sunday
- Chilly Monday
- Temps will rise again through the work week
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
After a nice and warm Saturday, changes arrive for part two of the weekend.
The first half of your Sunday will have a chance for showers. Winds will pick up with our next system and are expected to gust to about 20-30 mph. Cooler air will settle in, and lows Sunday night fall into the 40s.
Highs temps Monday will reach only into the mid to upper 50s.
However, temperatures will rise through the week, so you won’t need your jackets every day.
QuickCast
SUNDAY:
Showers, then partly cloudy
Wind: NW 10-15 mph
Gusts @ 30 mph
HIGH: Lower 60s
MONDAY:
Partly cloudy
Wind: NW 10-15 mph
Gusts @ 25 mph
HIGH: Upper 50s
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
Washington, D.C
‘It’s a twilight zone’: Iran war casts deep shadows over IMF gathering in Washington
The most severe energy shock since the 1970s, the risk of a global recession and households everywhere stomaching a renewed surge in the cost of living – hitting the most vulnerable hardest.
In a sweltering hot Washington DC this week, the message at the International Monetary Fund meetings was chilling: things had been looking up for living standards around the world. But then came the Iran war.
“Some countries are in panic,” said the fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, addressing the finance ministers and central bank bosses in town for the IMF and World Bank spring meetings. “The sooner it [the Iran war] ends, the better for everybody.”
Such gatherings are not typically used to fight geopolitical battles. “You don’t get people shouting at one another at these things,” one senior figure remarked. But, as a record-breaking April heatwave swept the US capital, no one could ignore the mounting damage from the Iran war.
Those familiar with the mood over breakfast at a meeting of the G20’s representatives on Thursday, which included Donald Trump’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, and the outgoing US Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell – said the atmosphere in the room was sombre amid an open exchange of serious views.
“It is such a twilight-zone meeting,” said Mohamed El-Erian, a former IMF deputy managing director who is now chief economic adviser at the Allianz insurance group. “There are several shadows hanging over it: one is the shadow that comes from concern about the global economy as a whole.
“The second is that some countries are going to be particularly hard hit, and it’s mostly countries that very few people are talking about. But the third concern is the adding of insult to injury: the fact that the US, which started a war of choice, is going to be hit, but by a lot less than elsewhere in relative terms.”
Before Thursday’s breakfast, Rachel Reeves had started her day with an early-morning jog. Joined by her counterparts from Spain, Australia and New Zealand for a run down the iconic National Mall, she posted an Instagram selfie with a not-so-subtle dig: “Friends that run together – work together.”
A day earlier, the chancellor had told a CNBC conference that she thought “friends are allowed to disagree on things” as she criticised Trump’s Iran war as a “mistake” and a “folly” that had not made the world safer.
Speaking at a venue just steps away from the White House, before a one-on-one meeting with Bessent, she said this “fair message” was needed because UK families and businesses were feeling the pain from higher energy prices triggered by the conflict.
Those close to Reeves insist her meeting remained cordial. Britain and the US have significant shared interests in AI, financial services and trade. The chancellor also said the UK government had little time for the Iranian regime.
But with the IMF having warned on Tuesday that the Iran war could risk a global recession – in which Britain would be the biggest G7 casualty – it was clear Reeves had travelled to Washington ready to pick a fight.
“I’m struck by how vocal she has been and the words she used,” said one global financier. “We know the disagreement between Bessent and [European Central Bank president] Christine Lagarde earlier in the year. But that was in private.”
At a cocktail party held at the British ambassador’s residence for hundreds of diplomats and financiers – including the Bank of England’s governor, Andrew Bailey, the chief executive of Barclays, CS Venkatakrishnan, and dozens of senior figures – this transatlantic tension, weeks before King Charles’s US state visit, was a major topic of conversation.
The other, in the balmy residence gardens, was one of its former occupants, Peter Mandelson, as revelations about the former ambassador’s appointment threatened to further rock the UK government.
Before the war, the agenda for the IMF had been about global cooperation; the adoption of AI, jobs and work to eradicate poverty. Each of those tasks had now been complicated, but not least the task of countries working together.
For many at the meetings, the focus was on forging closer global cooperation without the world’s pre-eminent superpower.
“Everybody is talking about how you hedge against American decisions,” said David Miliband, the former UK foreign secretary, who now runs the International Rescue Committee. “You can’t do without them, because they’re 25% of the global economy. But, in a lot of fora, they’ve pulled out.
“So everyone has to think, how does one structure international cooperation? The old west is not coming back. And so everyone has to figure out how to position themselves for that world.”
For those gathering in Washington, there was irony in the fact that they were meeting in the halls of institutions founded, under US leadership, to promote global cooperation after the second world war. The whole idea of the Bretton Woods institutions was to avoid the dire economic conditions and warfare of the 1930s and 1940s. Yet this year’s meeting was taking place amid these intertwining problems.
In their conversations about the best economic policy response to the shock of conflict, the economists also knew the real power to make a difference lay two blocks across town from the IMF and the World Bank – behind the security cordons and construction equipment blocking the White House from public view. “It is not clear they can do anything about it,” said El-Erian.
Still, with a booming economy driven by AI – including Anthropic’s powerful Mythos model, the topic of much conversation – most countries cannot afford to completely break off US ties.
“People want to find ways to insulate themselves from the mess. But, on the other hand, they admire the US private sector,” El-Erian said. “The best way I’ve heard it put, is: they want to go long the private sector and short the mess. But it’s almost impossible to do.”
Washington, D.C
Rosselli opens in DC, serving classic Italian flavors from chef Carlos
Washington, D.C. (7News) — Rosselli is the newest restaurant to open in DC.
Bringing in classic Italian flavors, Chef Carlos explained how he hopes his food is a unique addition to the Italian food scene in the DMV.
Chef also demoed a signature dish with Brian and Megan.
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You can learn more and book your table here.
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