For first time, FDA orders a food recall
The FDA ordered a mandatory recall of powdered kratom products manufactured by a Nevada company because salmonella bacteria were found in the herbal supplement, said the Washington Post.
EPA could shave the RFS by a billion gallons with waivers to small refineries
The biofuel group Growth Energy called on the EPA to stop handing out waivers it says oil refiners are using to avoid complying with the federal mandate to mix corn ethanol into gasoline.
China’s new tariff target list: U.S. soybeans, cotton, corn, beef, wheat
As the Trump administration is moving ahead with $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese-made technology products, Chinese officials "indicated in a very gentle way" that U.S. soybeans could face retaliation, said Iowa Sen Chuck Grassley. "Only time is going to tell" if President Trump will win the trade dispute, said Grassley, who met Chinese officials last week as part of a congressional delegation visiting China and South Korea.
Trump orders plan to protect U.S. agriculture from China retaliation
At the same time he threatened an additional $100 billion in tariffs on China, President Trump said on Thursday that the government will use its broad powers to protect U.S. farmers and agricultural interests from “China’s unfair retaliation.”
Perdue opens enrollment for ‘new and improved’ dairy insurance program
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday that enrollment is now open for the “new and improved” Dairy Margins Protection Program, a dairy insurance program run by USDA. The program has a poor reputation among many dairy farmers, who believe funds from an earlier iteration of the program were misallocated. <strong>No paywall</strong>
McDonald’s reneges on wage promise
McDonald’s has failed to comply with a 2015 promise to raise workers’ wages, organizers say. The chain had said that it would raise its workers’ hourly pay to at least one dollar above minimum wage.
Big oil refinery gets EPA waiver from RFS typically given to small operators
Andeavor, one of the largest U.S. oil refining companies, reported $1.5 billion in net profits last year. Yet the EPA gave it a waiver from having to comply with the Renewable Fuel Standard, reported Reuters.
FAO food index is highest since November
Propelled by stronger grain and dairy prices, the Food Price Index rose for the second month in a row and is at its highest level since last November, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Perdue’s spotty past presents ongoing ethics concerns, advocacy group says
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue brings with him a legacy of ethics violations, climate denialism, and deregulation, all of which could threaten the future of the Department of Agriculture, argues a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists. The report, out today, gathers information from Perdue’s past political career and his current administrative and policy choices to analyze whether and how the Secretary’s tenure could have a long-lasting negative affect on agricultural research and policy.
Farm groups plead for peace in face of looming U.S.-China trade war
President Trump sent a message to U.S. farmers in a phone call with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue: “We’re not going to allow them to be casualties if this trade dispute escalates. We’re going to take care of our American farmers.”
China packs a punch with tariffs on imports of U.S. pork
Hog farmers are headed for a money-losing year and a major factor will be the drying up of $1 billion a year in exports to China, says Purdue economist Chris Hurt. But Chinese consumers will feel little pain from the 25 percent tariff on U.S. pork because the EU and Canada are alternative suppliers. China acted sooner than expected with its weekend announcement of $3 billion of counter-measures on U.S. goods in response to President Trump's tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.
While U.S. dairy farmers face a bleak market, their Canadian counterparts thrive
Dairy farmers in Canada are paid about $24 per hundred pounds of milk, nearly $10 more than their American counterparts, who may live mere miles to the south.
Six farmers get a pass from Arkansas dicamba restrictions
An Arkansas judge ruled that a State Plant Board regulation that bars use of the weedkiller dicamba on cotton and soybeans from April 16-Oct. 31 does not apply to six farmers, said DTN/Progressive Farmer. The growers sued the board last year over the ban and wound up in a legal limbo due to a state Supreme Court ruling that state agencies are protected from lawsuits under the doctrine of sovereign immunity.
Farmer confidence fades over trade concerns
Nearly twice as many producers believe there is a risk of a trade war that will significantly damage farm exports as say that risk is low, according to a Purdue University poll of farmers and ranchers.
Winter wheat struggles in droughty Plains
Nearly half of the winter wheat in Kansas, often the biggest wheat-producing state in the country, is in poor or very poor condition as the growing season opens across the United States, said the USDA in the first of this year's weekly Crop Progress reports. Drought, ranging in intensity from moderate to exceptional, covers much of the central and southern Plains, the heart of winter wheat production.
The cattle farmer who became the newest U.S. senator
The Senate is in recess so it will be another week before cattle farmer Cindy Hyde-Smith, a veteran of state politics, formally succeeds Thad Cochran as U.S. senator from Mississippi. She already has a Republican challenger in the November special election to serve the final two years of Cochran's term, and had a get-acquainted meeting with top White House officials last week.
USDA to establish milk-marketing order in California
USDA announced Friday that it will likely establish a Federal Milk Marketing Order for the state of California. The agency will have a referendum for California dairy producers from April 2 to May 5, during which two-thirds of producers have to vote in favor of the FMMO for it to become official.
More hogs on U.S. farms, and even more to come
The U.S. hog inventory is up 3 percent from a year ago, according to a quarterly report by USDA. Beef and poultry production are also expanding, leading USDA to forecast a nearly 4-percent increase in the meat supply this year. The increase is so large that per capita meat consumption is expected to increase by 5.6 pounds, to 222.4 pounds per person.
In a surprise, farmers to cut corn and soy plantings by 2 percent
U.S. farmers intend to sow 3 million fewer acres of corn and soybeans this year than in 2017, said the USDA. The surprising development could draw down overly abundant U.S. stockpiles and bolster weak commodity prices.
FDA commissioner announces sweeping nutrition plan
Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, announced a multiyear nutrition strategy Thursday that pursues many Obama-era nutrition goals.