Farm sector in Plains is in ‘prolonged downturn,’ says Kansas City Fed chief
U.S. economic growth is likely to slow this year after a strong expansion in 2018, said Esther George, president of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank on Tuesday. In a speech, George pointed to emerging stress throughout the economy and said in the Plains, "the farm sector is in a prolonged downturn as a result of declining agricultural prices, made worse by retaliatory tariffs on U.S. farm products."
Untangling the cancer risks of glyphosate
Trump trade war: ‘We’re going to hang with him,’ says Farm Bureau chief
The Sino-U.S. trade war, which as stymied U.S. farm exports, "is going to be a long one, and we keep delivering the message, 'We're with you, Mr. President,'" said the leader of the largest U.S. farm group on Sunday, adding a caveat. "The runaway of our patience is going to be determined by the financial situation of our farms. We went into the battle very weak." <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Trump asks farmer support on shutdown, hints at farmworker reform
In a speech to the largest U.S. farm group, President Trump asked American farmers on Monday to take his side on the partial government shutdown over a border wall and said that with a secure border, "I'm going to make it easier" for farmworkers to enter the country. "Because we want to take people in to help our farmers, et cetera. Very important," he said.
Court challenge to EPA approval of dicamba is dismissed as moot
A federal appeals court on the West Coast dismissed as moot a lawsuit by environmentalists to overturn the EPA's 2016 approval of the weedkiller dicamba. The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said the environmental groups could try again with a challenge to EPA's reapproval of the herbicide last November. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
A slow-growth chicken favored by industry
To cut antibiotics use in poultry production, large-scale producers are turning to slower-growing heritage chicken breeds, reports Maryn McKenna, in FERN's latest story with EatingWell magazine. It marks a reversal of the recent production model, which emphasized fast-growing birds.
House passes USDA-FDA funding bill that GOP says is doomed by shutdown
On Thursday, in a test of partisan resolve, the Democratic-controlled House passed, on a nearly party-line vote of 243-180, a funding bill to reopen the USDA and FDA. With the exception of essential work such as meat inspection, both agencies have been shuttered since late December by the partial government shutdown.
Combative Rep. Steve King is challenged by high-ranking legislator
Randy Feenstra, a Republican leader in the Iowa Senate, announced that he will run against Rep. Steve King in the 2020 Republican congressional primary in northwestern Iowa on a promise of effective conservative leadership.
EPA to drop proposal for younger pesticide applicators
On the same day that President Trump nominated Andrew Wheeler to be EPA administrator, the agency said it would withdraw a Trump-era proposal to set a minimum age of 16 for farmworkers to handle, mix, or apply pesticides, down from the age 18 limit specified in a 2015 regulation.
Ag trade is a top topic at Sino-U.S. trade talks
Trade officials from China and the United States discussed “China’s pledge to purchase a substantial amount of agricultural, energy, manufactured goods, and other products and services from the United States” during three days of talks in Beijing, said the Trump administration on Wednesday.
To get around the shutdown, SNAP benefits will be paid nearly two weeks early
The Trump administration will release an estimated $4.8 billion to SNAP recipients on January 20, nearly two weeks early, to ensure they get their February food stamps despite the partial government shutdown, announced Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Tuesday. The USDA said its other public nutrition programs, including WIC, school lunch and food donations, are funded through February, alleviating concerns of hunger among millions of Americans during a protracted shutdown.
From food pantries to breweries to fisheries, the government shutdown hits
As the government shutdown enters its third week, its consequences for food producers and eaters are wide-ranging. From food pantries to breweries to farm country, the furloughing of 800,000 federal staffers is having dramatic consequences.
Producers are given more time to enroll for Trump tariff payments
Drones are worth it, say farm users, but few growers plan to buy one
One-third of the farmers and ranchers in a Purdue survey say a drone was used on their farm in the past year and a sizable majority of them, 56 percent, say the aerial robot added value to their operations. In two of three cases, the drones were used by a service provider, rather than the farmer, said Purdue in its monthly Ag Economy Barometer on Tuesday.
Trump tariff payments and E15 take a hit from shutdown
The partial government shutdown is putting a kink in the Trump tariff payments to farmers and it could prevent the EPA from approving the sale of E15 by the summer, as promised by President Trump. But farm groups have made few public complaints about the shutdown, now in its third week.
Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to California animal welfare laws
The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will not hear Missouri's challenge to California's expanded animal welfare laws, ending the legal dispute over the Golden State's rigorous humane animal standards. The decision follows a December recommendation from the Department of Justice that the highest court not hear the case and others like it.
A costly half-year for soybean growers in Sino-U.S. trade war
After six months of tit-for-tat tariffs between China and the United States, American soybean growers called for a speedy end to the trade war on Monday. "This has been a long and costly half-year for farmers and we need stability returned to this market. We cannot withstand another six months," said Kentucky farmer Davie Stephens, president of the American Soybean Association.
Federal nutrition assistance at risk in a long-running shutdown
Two of the major public nutrition programs, SNAP and WIC, could run out of money if the partial government shutdown persists into February and beyond, affecting millions of people. While the USDA says funding is assured for this month, it is not as clear about what to expect in the future.
A ‘growing economic storm in farm country,’ says new House Ag leader
There are many challenges facing rural America, said the new House Agriculture chairman, Collin Peterson. "There is a new farm bill to implement, a growing economic storm in farm country to address, and the ongoing harm of a trade war to alleviate, not to mention the range of unforeseen issues that will test the mettle of the people we’re here to serve," said Peterson in a statement over the weekend.
Author of ‘Freedom to Farm’ law, Pat Roberts, to retire after 40 years in Congress
Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, the only lawmaker to chair the Senate and House Agriculture committees, will retire in 2020 after four decades in Congress. Roberts was the author of the landmark Freedom to Farm law of 1996 that removed most federal controls over what crops farmers grow.