Roberts cites ‘dysfunction’ at organic ag board, hints at farm bill action
At a hearing to gather ideas for the 2018 farm bill, Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts hinted at an overhaul of organic agriculture regulations, citing “uncertainty and dysfunction” at the National Organic Standards Board, which advises the USDA on what should be allowed in organic production.
Drought in Europe, aridity in Australia imperil wheat crops
Extremely dry weather in Australia, southern Europe and the U.S. northern Plains could mark the end of record-large wheat crops worldwide, says Reuters. Analysts expect the Australian wheat crop will be markedly smaller than the government forecasts while grain production in Italy and parts of Spain could be the smallest in at least 20 years.
Conservative groups want military to nix climate programs
Conservative groups have written a letter to U.S. lawmakers calling on them to cancel programs started under the Obama administration to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the military. The groups argue that the programs “are likely to undermine military readiness by diverting scarce resources.”
Wyoming kills record number of wolves, as livestock losses mount
Wildlife managers in Wyoming killed a record number of wolves last year — 113 — after attacks on livestock almost doubled. A report released “by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that wolves killed 243 livestock, including 154 cattle, 88 sheep and one horse, in 2016.
Trump makes first Democratic nomination to CFTC
Senate staffer Rostin Behnam is in line to become one of five commissioners of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission under a nomination sent to the Senate by President Trump. He is the first Democrat Trump has nominated for the agency, which oversees futures trading.
California state fair holds farmworker exhibit for the first time
For the first time in it’s 164-year history, the California state fair will includes a farmworker exhibit, celebrating the people who have keep the state’s $47-billion industry running. “The exhibit features the stories of pioneers who founded the United Farm Workers of America: Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and Filipino union leader Larry Itliong,” along with information on modern-day labor laws like the one signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year, guaranteeing overtime pay after an eight-hour workday for farmworkers, says Lake County News.
Former WFP director Cousin joins Chicago Council
Ertharin Cousin, director of the UN World Food Program since 2012, has joined the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and will advise the group in “its ongoing efforts to advance global food security by supporting research, representing food security expertise on a variety of global stages, and building unique partnerships.”
Ag sector slump makes strong farm bill vital, say two biggest farm groups
As lawmakers gather ideas for the 2018 farm bill, the two largest U.S. farm groups say one thing is clear: it's not the time to reduce funding for the bill and its vast array of USDA activities, from crop supports to food stamps. Commodity prices have been in a trough since 2013, so "many of America's farmers and ranchers are struggling," says the American Farm Bureau Federation, while the National Farmers Union said the drop in farm income threatens the survival of beginning farmers.
Trump says ‘something could happen’ on climate treaty
After meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, President Trump told reporters that he might consider recommitting the United States to the Paris climate accord, which he pulled the country out of in May, said Reuters.
Hunting and angling groups lose patience with Zinke
House appropriators open the door to horse slaughter
The long-running ban on horse slaughter in the United States, a rider on the annual USDA-FDA funding bill, would end on Sept. 30 under a vote by the House Appropriations Committee. Before clearing the bill for a floor vote, the committee refused, 27-25, to include the provision in the $145 billion funding bill for the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.
Report: farms and feedlots should make wider use of food-safety ‘interventions.’
The United States needs a comprehensive approach to red meat and poultry safety that begins at the farm levels, says a report released today by Pew Charitable Trusts. Titled, "Food safety from farm to fork," the report says on-the-farm "interventions," such as using vaccines and other treatments, "can significantly reduce the risk" of harmful bacteria.
Drought-scalded spring wheat crop to be smallest in 15 years
The deepening drought in the northern Plains will result in the smallest harvest of spring wheat since 2002 — 423 million bushels, said USDA in its first forecast of the crop. Futures prices for hard red spring wheat, a high-quality variety and 90 percent of all U.S. spring wheat, soared in the past month as dry weather threatened a squeeze on supplies.
Dip in farm lending as sector copes with lower income
Ag bankers are charging higher interest rates and allowing longer repayment periods because of persistently lower farm income, says the Ag Finance Databook published by the Federal Reserve. The quarterly publication says farm loan volume was down 7 percent during the first six months of this year compared to January-June 2016.
U.S. researchers scour Europe for bee sperm
Researchers at Washington State University are gathering bee sperm from across Europe to try to save American honeybees from the varroa mite — a key factor in colony collapse disorder, says Ryan Bell in FERN’s latest story with NPR’s The Salt.
Who eats fast food? Everybody, but middle-income earners especially.
With climate change, some U.S. regions will be short of irrigation water
By 2050, a number of U.S. water basins will begin to experience water shortages if there is no action to reduce greenhouse gases, says a team of MIT researchers. The study says several basins, particularly in the Southwest, will see their existing water shortages become "severely accentuated," says the MIT study, published in the journal Earth's Future.
Russia to be world’s largest wheat exporter for first time, edging U.S.
In the three-way race for leadership in the world wheat market, Russia will be No. 1 in the current marketing year, says USDA's Grain: World Markets and Trade report. It's the first time Russia would take the top spot; the United States was No. 1 in 2016/17 and the EU led in 2015/16.
USDA slowdown of school lunch rules ‘says that we listened’ — Perdue
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue mixed humor, keen political rhetoric and "a fiercely unapologetic tone" as he explained why he ordered a slow down in USDA school food rules in one of his first decisions in office, says the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Perdue defended the decision during a speech to the School Nutrition Association, which represents school food directors.
Wanted for USDA trade chief: A battler
Farm groups persuaded Congress to create a high-level USDA post to promote U.S, agricultural exports. Lawmakers, in putting up money for the office, want a fearless advocate on the job. "Be cognizant and steadfast in raising trade enforcement issues related to the agricultural practices of foreign nations," says the House Appropriations Committee in a report that accompanies the USDA-FDA funding bill for fiscal 2018.