Rural education rates rise, but college gap with cities widens
Increasingly, rural Americans are better educated than a decade or two ago, with more people attending college and fewer people without a high school diploma. Even with a hefty increase in the portion of rural women with a college degree, urban America is moving farther ahead in the overall share of adults with a college degree, says a USDA report.
New paths for drug-resistant bacteria in North Carolina hog farms
The children of people who work in industrial hog farms in North Carolina, the second-largest hog-producing state in the country, are much more likely to be carrying drug-resistant bacteria than children whose households have no swine-farm contact, according to a new study.
Researchers find glyphosate in pregnant women, worry about impact on infants
A team of scientists this week released early results of an ongoing study spotlighting concerns about the rising use of pesticides and reproductive risks to women and children. The researchers tested and tracked, over a period of two years, the presence of the common herbicide glyphosate in the urine of 69 expectant mothers in Indiana.
New job for House Ag Chairman Conaway: Head of Russia probe
Dyed-in-the-wool Texas conservative Michael Conaway expects a short tenure as the leader of the House investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and related allegations. Better known as Agriculture Committee chairman, Conaway, a CPA by training and a lower-level member of House Republican leadership, said he will be objective and methodical in running the Intelligence Committee probe.
Despite Brazil meat scandal, JBS expands reach in U.S.
Health authorities in Europe, China, and Brazil have all pulled beef from the Brazilian meat giant JBS off of grocery store shelves, in response to evidence that the company was involved in a massive corruption scandal to export rotten and contaminated meat. Yet in the U.S., the Trump Administration has yet to take meaningful action against JBS imports from Brazil. On the contrary, JBS has continued to expand its reach and political power in the U.S.
BLM showcases coal on homepage photo
The new photo on the Bureau of Land Management’s homepage shows a wall of coal at the Peabody North Antelope Rochelle Coal Mine in Wyoming, echoing President Trump’s support for the struggling industry. Under the Obama Administration, the photo was of a man and a boy backpacking in the mountains and looking into the sunset.
Poultry farms top hogs and cattle in North Carolina in animal waste
North Carolina is second to Georgia as the largest poultry-producing state in the nation and a new report by state environmental officials says the poultry industry produces more animal waste than they expected, says public broadcaster WFDD-FM in Winston-Salem. Not only is it more than officials expected, the nitrogen and phosphorus runoff tops hogs or cattle. In one river basin, the Yadkin-Pee Dee, it was six times more.
Record world corn production forecast despite U.S. retreat
A surge in corn production in Brazil and Argentina will power the world to a record harvest in 2017/18, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in forecasting bin-busting output of cereal crops in the upcoming season. "Combined with prospects of relatively weak growth in utilization, another large output is set to keep world cereal stocks at near-record level."
FDA nominee might delay new Nutrition Facts label
President Trump's nominee for FDA commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, says he might delay the debut of the updated Nutrition Facts label, now set for July 2018. For the first time, the label would list how many grams of sugar are added to foods during processing, said Food Navigator. Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts asked Gottlieb to consider a delay on grounds FDA has not finalized its "guidance" documents on dietary fiber and added sugar.
Tax reform is great, say ag experts, if farmers can keep their breaks
President Trump won election partly on his promise of tax reform, boosting the prospects for the first comprehensive overhaul of the tax code in three decades. Witnesses at a House Agriculture Committee hearing said any reform package must retain benefits now available to farmers, such as deducting interest paid on loans and use of cash accounting to calculate income.
EU and U.S. regulators approve ChemChina takeover of Syngenta
The $43 billion purchase of Swiss-based Syngenta by state-owned ChemChina has the approval of U.S. and EU regulators, keeping in motion a wave of consolidation in the seed and ag chemical sector. ChemChina agreed to divest a large part of its European pesticide operations to satisfy the competition concerns of regulators on both sides of the Atlantic.
Senate to vote on USDA nominee Perdue after Easter recess
The first order of business for the Senate when it returns on April 24 from a two-week recess will be a vote on the nomination of Sonny Perdue for agriculture secretary. The last of President Trump's nominees for the cabinet, Perdue, a former two-term governor of Georgia, is arguably the last controversial nominee for the cabinet and has moved steadily, if slowly, toward confirmation.
Foes tell judges that Philadelphia soda tax is illegal
Opponents of Philadelphia's 1.5-cent-an-ounce tax on sugary beverages, who lost last year in Common Pleas court, asked the Commonwealth Court to overturn the levy as a form of double taxation, said the Associated Press. In arguments before a seven-judge panel, attorney Chip Becker said the state already imposes a sales tax on soda so the city is barred by law from taxing it too.
Large grain stocks revive debate over U.S. land retirement
Three years ago, Congress voted as part of the 2014 farm law to wind down the CRP to a maximum of 24 million acres, its smallest size since 1988. Enrollment in the long-term land-idling program was down by 30% from its 2007 peak as farmers chased profits in the commodity boom, so the cap was a painless step that incidentally helped lawmakers meet their target for budget savings.
Greens try to detonate practice of cyanide bombs
Study points to benefits of ‘catch shares’ for U.S. fisheries
A sweeping study of 78 fisheries concludes that market-based “catch share” programs help alleviate a vexing problem: the panicky “race to fish” that shortens seasons, harms fish populations, and imperils the safety of commercial anglers. The study was published in Nature, as Congress considers whether to limit these programs’ expansion.
French law ineffective against food waste by supermarkets
A year ago, as a step against food waste, the French Parliament voted to fine supermarkets that throw away food products that are still edible or can be converted to feed for animals. The supermarkets were expected to make arrangements to donate the items to charities, says Food Navigator, but "many feel that regulation will remain ineffective until government support is provided across the food chain."
Press China to import U.S. beef, senators ask Trump
Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Trump are to meet face to face for the first time today in Florida, with analysts saying trade issues offer the most likely area for agreement. Three dozen senators wrote to Trump ahead of the two-day bilateral meeting to call on the Chinese to admit shipments of U.S. beef.
Farmer optimism fades in step with expectations for the future
For the second month in a row, the Ag Economy Barometer declined, this time by 10 points, says Purdue University, based on a survey of 400 producers. Optimism zoomed with President Trump's election but has been on the decline since peaking at its highest-ever level in January.
Wildfire relief ordered by Trump becomes argument for Perdue confirmation
In response to fires that burned more than 1.5 million acres of rangeland in the southern Plains, the USDA opened the Conservation Reserve, normally off-limits to livestock, for grazing for the rest of the year in three states. The USDA said it acted at the direction of President Trump – a statement used to prod the Senate to vote on Trump's nominee for agriculture secretary.