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U.S. agencies unveil food waste prevention plan

EPA administrator Michael Regan announced a U.S. plan to reduce food waste and food loss at the UN climate summit, saying the issue "is one of the most impactful actions we can take to reduce climate pollution and build a circular economy."

Market diversification is path to increased farm exports, say trade officials

U.S. food and ag exports are concentrated in four markets that generate nearly $6 of every $10 in sales, said two senior U.S. ag trade officials on Thursday. To expand sales volume, they said at a trade group meeting, new customers must be developed in countries that have been off the export radar in the past.

Sales of antibiotics for food animals up again, reports FDA

Drugmakers sold 24.6 million pounds of antibiotics for use in cattle, hogs, and poultry last year, up 4 percent from 2021 and the second increase in two years, said the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday.

Farm income this year will be second-highest ever, says USDA

U.S. net farm income will be a stronger-than-expected $151 billion this year, the second-highest total on record, estimated the Agriculture Department on Thursday. That’s roughly $10 billion higher than the August forecast and due chiefly to cost cutting by producers, aided by lower fertilizer, fuel, and feed prices.

Ag exports to dip 5 percent, trade deficit nearly doubles

U.S. farm exports will be the smallest in four years due to lower prices for wheat, corn, and cotton, said the Agriculture Department on Thursday. China would remain the No. 1 customer for food and ag products, with Mexico a close second.

House votes against ‘de facto EV mandate’

The Republican-controlled House voted, 221-197, to block a proposed EPA rule on tail-pipe emissions that could make electric vehicles the best-selling new cars and pickup trucks by 2032. The vote on Wednesday stood in contrast to the ongoing UN climate summit, where steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are under discussion.

‘I will not relent’ on farm bill demands, says Glenn Thompson

The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee insisted on a broad-scale reprogramming of agricultural funding as the price for agreement on the new farm bill on Wednesday. Chairman Glenn Thompson suggested $50 billion in cuts, mostly to climate change and public nutrition programs, earlier this fall to pay for larger spending on crop subsidies.

FERN talks to the Sioux Chef about the reality of a political restaurant

In FERN's latest story, FERN Editor-in-Chief Theodore Ross talks with Sean Sherman, the Native American chef, author, and activist about his restaurant Owamni and the politics of food. The interview was produced in partnership with Switchyard magazine as part of a special food issue. 

Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture grew 14 percent in 20 years

Livestock accounted for slightly more than half of the 14 percent increase in global greenhouse gas emissions by agriculture from 2000 to 2021, said a Food and Agriculture Organization report on Wednesday. The carbon footprint of cattle and sheep was several times higher than the footprint for pigs, chickens, and dairy, when calculated per kilogram of product, said the FAO’s Statistical Yearbook, released on the eve of the UN climate summit.

Food makers say they will reduce methane emissions on dairy farms

Six major food companies, from General Mills to Danone, said at the UN climate summit that they will reduce their dairy methane emissions as part of a new alliance that includes a major U.S. environmental group. The Dairy Methane Action Alliance will require members to publicly disclose emissions within their dairy supply chains and implement a methane action plan.

USDA allots $300 million for first year of export program

The government will provide up to $300 million for the first year of a new program to build food and ag export sales in nontraditional markets, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday. The USDA has committed $1.2 billion over five years for the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) after the second year in a row of declining ag exports.

House Agriculture chair has prostate cancer

Rep. Glenn Thompson, chair of the House Agriculture Committee, said on Tuesday that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the second-most common cancer among men. “I will tackle this head-on,” he vowed in a statement.

Foreign buyers pay a premium for U.S. farmland, says analyst

An analysis of farmland sales in the Midwest and Plains states found foreign investors paid 13.7 percent more than American purchasers for comparable tracts, but the infrequent transactions did not affect land values overall, said Mykel Taylor, an associate professor of agricultural economics at Auburn University, on Tuesday. Foreign ownership is "pretty hot politically" as an issue, she said, and could result in the USDA becoming part of the powerful federal committee that decides if a foreign purchase poses a national security risk.

USDA allows higher line speeds at six pork plants for at least 90 days

Following the recommendation of a team of experts, the Agriculture Department said on Tuesday it would allow six pork processing plants to operate high-speed slaughter lines for an additional 90 days in an experiment that began two years ago. The test was intended to generate information on the impact of higher line speeds on worker safety, but the team of experts said there was not enough data yet.

FERN talks COP28 and food-system reform with World Wildlife Fund

USDA awards $196 million for local food production and marketing

As part of President Biden's initiative to strengthen U.S. supply chains, the Agriculture Department announced $196 million in grants, loans, and loan guarantees to projects to expand domestic food and agriculture production on Monday. The awards range from loan guarantees to expand a nut processing plant in California and develop a 35-acre tomato greenhouse and processing plant in South Carolina, to 170 smaller grants across the country.

War has limited impact on world grain and oilseed output

Commodity prices soared when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 amid fears of grain shortages with two of the world's leading grain exporters engaged in war. Instead, global production of grains and oilseeds has exceeded forecasts based on production before the invasion, said four agricultural economists on Monday.

Canada prevails over U.S. in dairy dispute

A USMCA dispute panel rejected U.S. charges that Canada bent the rules to unfairly restrict American sales in its dairy market despite agreeing in the free trade agreement to grant more access. "This is good news for Canada's dairy industry and our system of supply management," said Trade Minister Mary Ng and Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAuley in a statement.

Swine epidemic in China casts long shadow on world pork market

China, the world's largest producer and consumer of pork, recovered from an epidemic of African swine fever among his pig herds by late 2021, three years after its first reported outbreak of the disease. Yet the domestic pork market remains volatile, "which may create additional uncertainty among pork exporters," said three USDA economists in a new report.

Squeeze on supplies drives global sugar prices to 12-year high

A combination of factors, including the El Niño weather pattern, congested Brazilian ports, export limits in India and Thailand, and expanded use of biofuels, has propelled global sugar prices to their highest level since 2011, said two analysts with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on Tuesday. Sugar supplies "will likely shrink further if production impacts from El Niño worsen, putting continued upward pressure on prices," they said in a blog.