Brazil elbowing out U.S. in soybean sales to China
The United States is the world’s largest soybean producer and Brazil is the largest exporter, a long-term trend that is putting U.S. farmers at a disadvantage in sales to China, which buys 60 percent of the soybeans on the world market.
Tom Colicchio, co-founder of Food Policy Action, resigns from its board
Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio has resigned from the board of Food Policy Action, which he co-founded in 2012 as the lobbying arm of the food movement on U.S. food and ag policy. Colicchio said on Instagram that he would “continue to do the work of championing a more just and equitable food system in everything I do and from every platform available to me.”
Iowa residents petition for better manure regulation
Four Iowa residents have petitioned the state to better regulate airborne waste from hog farms. Currently, Iowa requires farmers to retain manure until it is applied as fertilizer. But the residents argue that farmers aren’t retaining all the manure — that some is being spread to nearby homes by blowers and air vents.
Farm bill reform would end ‘dishonest’ subsidies, says midwestern senator
On the same day that Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue released a 42-point list of farm bill principles, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said the 2018 bill should end the “dishonest” practice of crop subsidy payments to non-farmers.
Amid dicamba fallout, Monsanto faces soybean challengers
Monsanto’s dominance of the market for genetically modified soybeans may soon be threatened, as competitors BASF and DowDuPont prepare to bring their versions of the seed to market.
Petition asks for food stamps for pets
A 59-year-old man from Mississippi, Edward Johnston, has petitioned the USDA to let him use food stamps to buy kibble and pet treats, reports the Washington Post.
USDA releases a food-buying app for smartphones
Declaring it “a major step forward” for food service workers, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service released its first mobile app, which the agency said will make it easier to serve healthy and tasty meals through its child nutrition programs.
Americans are big meat eaters, but the kind of meat is changing
The USDA forecasts Americans will eat a record amount of red meat and poultry this year — an average of 222.8 pounds per person. At the same time, “the mix of meats ... has shifted dramatically, with the share of beef declining” by one-third since peaking in the 1970s.
Idaho may expand use of prison labor in agriculture
The Idaho state Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a bill that would allow prison inmates to work in all parts of agriculture, an expansion of the 2014 law that authorized prison labor in businesses that produce perishable foods.
White House to unveil immigration plan on Monday
The White House says it will propose a compromise on immigration built on four pillars: “Securing the border and closing legal loopholes; ending extended-family chain migration; canceling the visa lottery; and providing a permanent solution on DACA.” The announcement by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders left open the question of undocumented farmworkers.
Perdue’s farm bill principles: Strong on crop insurance, link work with food assistance
The 2018 farm bill, while helping “those truly in need” to get enough food, should “support work as the pathway to self-sufficiency, well-being, and economic mobility,” said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
‘TPP 11’ agree on trade pact a year after U.S. dropped out
A year to the day after President Trump pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, the remaining 11 nations, which include Australia, Japan, Canada, and Mexico, completed a free trade agreement of their own.
EU justice official suggests relaxed rules for gene editing
Crops created by gene editing techniques such as CRISPR “might not need to be regulated by the strict European Union rules that govern genetically modified organisms,” said Nature, citing a formal opinion from an advocate general at the European Court of Justice.
Tax boon for co-op customers must change, says Grassley
The first major agricultural flaw found in the new tax law has “got to be changed,” said Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley. Grain companies are very concerned that Section 199A of the new law “would put them out of business if we don’t do something,” he said.
Human rights violations continue in Thai seafood industry, report finds
More than three years after an investigation by the Guardian revealed that Thai fishing boats were enslaving their workers, Human Rights Watch reports that little has changed in the Thai seafood supply chain.
NFU seeks larger funding for farm bill, stronger safety net
With farm income in a slump, the National Farmers Union asked Congress for more money for the 2018 farm bill in order to strengthen the farm safety net to offset the slump in commodity prices that began four years ago. Agricultural leaders in Congress aim for early passage of the farm bill, expected to cost around $90 billion a year, but they are off to a slower start than originally suggested.
Universal rural broadband is a daunting challenge
The Trump administration’s rural prosperity report visualizes broadband as a lever for economic growth, but experts tell Harvest Public Media that “the devil is in the details — or lack thereof.”
As NAFTA round begins, Canada says it will stand firm on farm supports
Amazon food store doesn’t accept food stamps
The no-checkout-line brick-and-mortar grocery store opened by Amazon in Seattle “is supposed to represent the pinnacle of convenience,” says Future Tense. “But the convenience isn’t for everyone: The Amazon Go store doesn’t accept food stamps.”
House working group will focus on food as medicine
A bipartisan group of lawmakers launched the "food is medicine" working group within the House Hunger Caucus to explore policies that would alleviate hunger and its costs on the economy and the health of Americans, said Tufts. Rep George McGovern, Massachusetts Democrat, said the group will "elevate this Food is Medicine conversation" and address hunger as a health issue.