Urban Democrats join House Agriculture Committee
Although the House Agriculture Committee's name screams "rural," three of its new members are urban Democrats: Reps. Bobby Rush from Chicago, Ro Khanna from Silicon Valley, and Luis Correa from Orange County, California.
Tyson shareholders reject proposals on human rights, corporate transparency
At its annual meeting on Thursday, Tyson Foods shareholders rejected three proposals that would have increased investor oversight of the company's operations. Tyson also reported lower-than-expected sales in the first quarter as well as ongoing pandemic-related worker absenteeism and turnover.
Low market prices mean less land planted to cotton, says survey
U.S. cotton growers plan to reduce plantings by 5 percent this spring because of lingering low prices caused by the pandemic, said the National Cotton Council on Thursday at its annual meeting.
House panel to vote on SNAP extension and minority farmer debt relief
Following President Biden's lead, the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee proposed an extension until Sept. 30 of the temporary 15 percent increase in SNAP benefits on Tuesday. Chairman David Scott also included a sweeping proposal for the government to pay off USDA loans and USDA-guaranteed loans held by socially disadvantaged farmers "to put our Black farmers in a better position" after decades of discrimination. <strong> No paywall </strong>
Tyson faces investor pressure over handling of Covid-19 pandemic
Tyson Foods investors attending its online annual shareholder meeting this week will consider several proposals to increase oversight of the company, all of which stem from the company’s handling of the Covid-19. Thousands of Tyson workers have contracted the virus and dozens have died at plants around the country.
Multibillion-dollar debt relief for minority farmers is backed by House committee
The House Agriculture Committee approved a landmark $4 billion program of debt relief for socially disadvantaged farmers on Wednesday despite Republican objections that the aid was an unconstitutional form of reverse discrimination. Chairman David Scott, a Georgia Democrat, said minority farmers deserved the help because they had been overlooked in the mammoth trade war and coronavirus relief programs that began in 2018.
How a venerable soup kitchen in Portland, Maine, kept feeding the hungry as Covid-19 ravaged the city
In March 2020, Covid-19 forced the Preble Street soup kitchen in Portland, Maine, to close its dining room for the first time in 39 years. But, as Christian Letourneau reports in FERN's latest story, published with Eater, the soup kitchen staff went mobile, tracking and delivering meals and other services to the growing ranks of the hungry and homeless who scattered across the city as shelters and other aid operations shut down or restricted access. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
To feed burgeoning hog herd, China uses wheat, rice and corn
Growers back checkoff program for industrial hemp
House Ag panel will start with climate change
FRAC says free school breakfast is crucial to addressing hunger, academic performance
Nearly a year into the pandemic, school closures have taken a harsh toll on American kids. Virtual classes have left many behind academically, and losing access to school meals has increased child hunger across the country, as replacement programs have failed to meet rising need. As children return to the classroom, school breakfasts will be critical in both curbing hunger and improving academic outcomes, according to the Food Research & Action Center’s (FRAC) annual Breakfast Scorecard, which was released today.
Justice for Black Farmers bill introduced in Senate
New approach needed following ‘phase one’ failure, says analyst
Neonics, already in the regulatory crosshairs, now suspected of harming mammals, birds and fish
Scores of studies have established that neonicotinoids, the most widely used pesticides in the world, are contributing to the steady decline of bees and other insects across North America and Europe. Now evidence is growing that these compounds, tailored to take out invertebrates, can also harm mammals, birds, and fish, as Elizabeth Royte explains in FERN's latest story, published with National Geographic.<strong>(No paywall)</strong>
USDA predicts robust farm income in 2021, aided by market rally
U.S. farm income will be a strong $111.4 billion this year, 20 percent above the 10-year average, thanks to a recovery in crop and livestock revenue and larger than usual federal payments, said the USDA. Higher market prices, particularly for corn, soybeans, cattle and hogs, and larger production were forecast to boost farm receipts by $20.4 billion from 2020's level.
USDA extends Conservation Reserve signup indefinitely
With enrollment on the decline for the 13th year in a row, the USDA said it would accept offers from landowners past the original deadline of Friday to take fragile cropland out of production for 10 years or longer. In announcing the extension, the USDA said that the Biden administration was looking for ways to bring land into the reserve.
USDA seeks ways to ‘de-risk’ climate mitigation, says Bonnie
Farmers face significant expenses in adopting climate mitigation practices, and the Biden administration is pondering how to "de-risk those investments," possibly through a so-called carbon bank, said USDA climate adviser Robert Bonnie on Thursday. "Can we look at some new authorities to create some new financing mechanisms?"
Biden order upping FEMA cost share allows restaurants to get paid in full to feed the hungry
The executive order President Joe Biden signed on Tuesday effectively bypasses a major pandemic relief bill that had been stuck in Congress, and represents a significant step in addressing two major crises: unprecedented rates of food insecurity and the nation’s ailing restaurant industry.<strong>(No paywall)</strong>
New Senate Ag members include farm reformer and election deniers
New Jersey's Cory Booker, sponsor of bills to place a moratorium on large livestock farms and to expand Black ownership of farmland, is among five newcomers to the Senate Agriculture Committee, said panel leaders. The new members also include Republicans Roger Marshall and Tommy Tuberville, both of whom challenged President Biden's election on the same day a mob attacked the Capitol.
Land O’Lakes, Microsoft in carbon credit program
Truterra, a subsidiary of farmer-owned Land O'Lakes, launched a carbon credit program on Thursday in which Microsoft, its first buyer, will pay $20 per ton for carbon sequestered in the soil. The program "will help farmers generate and sell carbon credits to private sector buyers," said the company.