Zinke is no zealot, but ranchers and greens have much to worry about
Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Montana Republican, is reportedly president-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the U.S. Department of the Interior. Zinke, who has both voted against the transfer of public lands to states and advocated for full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund — a priority for sportsmen — is not as divisive a pick as other rumored contenders, such as oil-friendly Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin or former Alaska Gov. Sarah “drill baby drill” Palin. That said, environmentalists aren’t exactly cheering, either.
Chinese company aims for U.S. sales of GMO corn seed
Origin Agritech Ltd., based in Beijing, has planted biotech corn seeds in a U.S. greenhouse, "an early step toward launching China's first GMO corn products in the United States," said Reuters. The next step, field tests of seed that resist insect and herbicide damage, are scheduled for the summer, according to the company.
Safeguard nutrition programs, antihunger groups ask Trump, Congress
The antihunger community asked President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress to protect public nutrition programs, from food stamps and school lunch to commodity donation programs.
Weeks from departure, Obama team revamps fair-play rules in livestock marketing
As quickly as the Obama administration unveiled a package of rules meant to make it easier for livestock producers to prove unfair treatment at the hands of processors and packers, the largest cattle and hog groups called on the incoming Trump administration to blunt their impact.
Some of world’s biggest fishing firms vow to up their sustainability game
Eight of the biggest seafood companies in the world pledged to report and reduce illegal catches and root out endangered species from their supply chain, says Reuters. The firms also promised to end slave labor and reduce antibiotics in aquaculture.
UN leader worries about Trump’s climate-change deniers
Erik Solheim, executive director of the UN Environment Program, says he’s troubled by president-elect Trump’s appointments so far, says Reuters. " I am concerned that some elite American politicians deny science. You will be in the Middle Ages if you deny science," he said.
USDA and VA are last on Trump list for nominees
President-elect Donald Trump has selected 13 of the 15 nominees for the cabinet. "He's been on a tear," says the Washington Post. The remaining slots are secretary of Agriculture and of Veterans Affairs. There hasn't been much talk about USDA since Republican activists objected to Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, being considered for the post.
To reduce waste, put ‘Best if used by’ on packages, says USDA
The USDA meat safety agency updated its guidance to foodmakers and retailers to encourage the use of the phrase "Best if used by" on packages that carry a product date. "This new guidance can help consumers save money and curb the amount of wholesome food going in the trash," said Al Almanza, deputy undersecretary for food safety.
DOE says no to Trump team, but it might have to say yes to Rick Perry
The U.S. Energy Department says it won’t provide President-elect Trump’s Energy Department transition team with a list of department employees involved with climate science or the society memberships of lab workers, says Reuters.
Scientists scramble to download U.S. climate data ahead of Trump
Worried that federal climate databases might soon be taken offline, scientists are frantically trying to download as much data on climate change as they can before the Trump administration takes office, says The Washington Post.
Iowa farmland values down for third year, more declines expected
Farmland values in Iowa, the No. 1 corn and hog state, are down by 17.5 percent since the collapse of commodity prices in 2013, says an annual survey by Iowa State University. ISU researchers joined other analysts in forecasting land values will continue to fall for a couple years more in the first significant adjustment in U.S. values since the agricultural recession of the mid-1980s.
‘Fracking’ can taint drinking water supply, says EPA study
The technique of hydraulic fracturing by the oil and gas industry "can impact drinking water resources in the United States under some circumstances," the EPA says in a new report. "Impacts cited in the report generally occurred near hydraulic fractured oil and gas production wells and ranged in severity from temporary changes in water quality to contamination that made private drinking water wells unusable."
Organic farming sector grows larger in new USDA survey
Based on a survey of organic certifying agents, USDA says there are 14,861 organic farms covering 5.3 million acres, a much larger tally than it reported in September when it relied on voluntary responses by producers to its questionnaire. In the September report, USDA cited 12,818 organic farms on 4.36 million acres.
Trump chooses Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke for Interior
In a switch, President-elect Donald Trump settled on Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Montana Republican just elected to his second term in the House, for secretary of the Interior, said NBC News, one of several news organizations to report the decision. Zinke, 55, "described as an avid hunter and fisherman, was an early and consistent supporter of Trump's campaign," said NBC.
Monsanto shareholders approve Bayer takeover
The $57 billion purchase of Monsanto, the world's largest seed company, by German pharmaceutical giant Bayer has the approval of Monsanto shareholders by a three-to-one vote, said the St. Louis-based company after a special meeting. Chief executive Hugh Grant said he was confident of U.S. antitrust approval of the deal, creating a seed and agricultural chemical behemoth.
New fishing net could help save Maine’s cod
Fishermen in Maine are experimenting with a new kind of trawl net that catches ample flatfish like flounder and sole, but leaves the plummeting cod population alone, says NPR. New Englanders once claimed they could walk across the water on the backs of cod, because they were so plentiful. But the fish is now struggling after decades of overfishing and rising water temperatures. Fishermen who catch them accidentally as bycatch are dinged by a quota manager.
Short of food, sub-Saharan Africa faces tough choices
Sub-Saharan Africa will likely need to boost food imports or expand its farmland if it is going to feed a population expected to increase 2.5-fold by 2050, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The other option – increasing yields on current farmland to reach self-sufficiency – should be pursued but is likely to fall short.
Forceful Trump to press regulatory relief first, say farm policy hands
The Trump administration will focus on regulatory relief in its early days in office, said two farm-policy hands, who pointed to EPA's Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule as a prime example of federal over-reach. Chuck Conner, of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, said President-elect Trump will be forceful in rolling back regulations, and Dale Moore, of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the regulatory burden saps farmers' bottom lines.
California climate bills could raise food prices
Californians could see higher food prices, as well as increases for electricity, new homes and gasoline, thanks to two new state laws, adopted last summer, that are designed to lower climate emissions, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Cows and rice paddies are likely to blame for rising methane
Cattle ranching and rice farming are the most plausible sources of rising methane gas emissions, says a new report led by the French Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (LSCE). The researchers “reported that methane concentrations in the air began to surge around 2007 and grew precipitously in 2014 and 2015,” says Reuters.