Delaware community takes on big poultry, citing pollution
On Wednesday, a Delaware community near a Mountaire poultry processing plant gave the company notice that in 90 days it would sue the plant for polluting its drinking water.
USDA will name a ‘chief integrity officer’ for public nutrition
The USDA’s senior nutrition official, Brandon Lipps, announced an enhanced focus on program integrity for the agency’s 15 public nutrition programs, which include SNAP, school meals, and WIC.
SNAP works ‘pretty well,’ doesn’t need an overhaul, says Glickman
Congress ought to focus on the "N" - nutrition - in SNAP rather than pursue stricter work requirements on food stamp recipients, said former agriculture secretary Dan Glickman, in remarks aimed at House Republican farm bill proposals.
Nixed livestock rule and fraud top organic topics at food policy conference
The Department of Agriculture’s withdrawal of an organic animal welfare rule and fraudulent organic imports were hot topics at Wednesday’s National Food Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference, held by the Consumer Federation of America, is underwritten by some of the biggest food companies in the country, including Cargill, DowDuPont, General Mills, Walmart, and Tyson Foods.
USDA says it again: No costly reviews for gene-edited plants
Emphasizing that "USDA seeks to allow innovation when there is no risk present," Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue reiterated that USDA does not regulate nor plan to regulate plants developed through new breeding techniques such as gene editing. The exception would be plants that pose a pest or noxious weed threat or are developed using plant pests.
Conaway package: $20 billion in SNAP cuts, more work required for benefits
As many as 5 million people will have to work longer hours each week to avoid a 90-day limit on food stamp benefits under revisions proposed by the Republican chairman of the House Agriculture Committee but uniformly opposed by its Democratic members.
Growing pains where urban meets rural
Central Iowa’s Dallas County is growing rapidly as the Des Moines metropolitan area spreads westward, says Harvest Public Media in a look at life in two midwestern counties where rural is meeting urban.
Brazil set for record soybean crop, exports
A Brazilian analyst said the country will see record-setting soybean exports this year as the result of a drought-afflicted crop in Argentina and trade tensions between the United States and China, reported Reuters.
For farm sector, the new normal looks like the decade-ago normal
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue drew a familiar picture of a fragile farm economy recently for lawmakers pondering the 2018 farm bill: income at half its 2013 level, high production costs, debt on the rise, and low commodity prices in the year ahead.
U.S. judge rules EPA pesticide applicator regulation is in effect
The Trump administration improperly and repeatedly delayed the pesticide applicator rule issued by the EPA in early 2017, decided U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, who declared the rule to be in effect.
Consolidation continues to reshape grocery retail
Mergers, tech companies, and private equity ownership are reshaping the grocery retail sector, as a continued wave of consolidation threatens smaller chains and their employees.
The food tab for a spring picnic is up 2 percent
Americans will pay about $1 more than a year ago if they plan a spring picnic that includes sandwiches, potato salad, orange juice, and shredded cheese, according to an informal survey of grocery store prices in 23 states.
China targets U.S. pork and apples, but not soybeans so far
Three years after gaining full access to Chinese consumers, U.S. apple growers may be hit with a 15 percent tariff in a rapidly growing market. Beijing listed agricultural products, including fresh fruit, pork and wine, as potential targets for retaliation because of Trump administration tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, putting U.S. producers on edge about the possible loss of valuable markets.
Kansas Governor signs ‘Tyson bill’ into law aiding chicken producers
Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer last Tuesday signed into law a controversial bill that will amend the state’s regulatory requirements for poultry confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), local media reported. The bill was dubbed the “Tyson bill,” for its favorability to the large poultry processor who has attempted multiple times to set up a processing plant in the state.
Congress exempts large livestock farms from reporting air pollution
In a step that overrides an appellate court decision, Congress included a provision in the $1.3 trillion government funding bill that exempts an estimated 200,000 large livestock farms from reporting emissions coming from manure and other animal waste. Hog, cattle and poultry groups said the exemption means farms won't be treated like Superfund sites that create dangerous air pollution.
Ohio says more action is needed to curb farm runoff into Lake Erie
A day after the Ohio EPA declared the western end of Lake Erie to be an impaired wateryway, agency director Craig Butler said, "The time has come that we can't rely on voluntary programs" to reduce nutrient runoff that feeds algal blooms in the lake, reported Associated Press. To address the problem, the state announced a set of new proposals to reduce runoff from farms and wastewater plants.
Trade disputes could hatch a ‘Trump tariff payment’ to farmers
Farmers are worried about foreign retaliation to U.S. trade sanctions, said the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, suggesting that Congress may have to create a “special payment due to retaliation.”
New report says youth employment is crucial to global food security
Young people across the world could be the driving force behind the future of agriculture, says a new report from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The report emphasizes that supporting youth entrepreneurship can help ensure food security in low- and middle-income countries around the world.
Conaway: I’ll pass a farm bill without Democratic help
At an impasse with Democrats over his plans for large cuts in the food stamp program, House Agriculture Committee chairman Michael Conaway says he will write — and pass — a farm bill without them.
Smaller wheat crop pulls down global grain output
The International Grains Council forecasts a modest decline in global grain production that will lead to a sharp reduction in the grain “carryover” at the end of 2018/19.