Scientists dug deep to find ‘water windfall’ in parched California
Stanford researchers say that California’s drought-stricken Central Valley harbors three times the supply of groundwater previously thought. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, points up the need to develop a better understanding of deep aquifers, and has implications for regions beyond California where drought is a problem.
Households still ‘struggling with hunger,’ though rates are down
One-in-six American households are struggling to put food on the table, the Food Research & Action Center said in a report released today. FRAC looked at food hardship surveys in 2015 and found that 16 percent of the population faced difficulty paying for food. That was a three-point decline from 2013’s 18.9 percent and “the lowest rate since early 2008.”
Indirectly, Brexit could hurt U.S. pork exports
The United States exports only tiny amounts of pork to the EU but still may feel the impact of Britain's decision to leave the 28-nation bloc. In the financial turmoil that has followed the vote, the value of the U.S. dollar has risen against the Euro, putting U.S. pork at a disadvantage on the world market, says Purdue economist Chris Hurt.
EC extends glyphosate use in Europe for 18 months
The executive arm of the EU approved a short-term extension of European use of the weedkiller glyphosate while a safety study is completed. EU members are deadlocked over renewal of the license and without the intervention by the European Commission, the license would have expired today and started a six-month phase-out.
GMO-disclosure bill in Senate is really ‘a non-labeling bill,’ say foes
The GMOs-in-food disclosure bill written by leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee "is actually a non-labeling bill" that "exempts major portions of current and future GMO foods from labeling," said a coalition of organic food, environmental and consumer groups on the same day the largest U.S. farm group announced support for the bill. "The bill is not perfect but it correctly puts the federal government in the driver's seat in important areas such as protecting interstate commerce and new crop development techniques," said the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Coca-Cola to pull some products as Vermont GMO law takes effect
Vermont broadcaster WCAX-TV says Coca-Cola, the largest soft drink company in the world, "is advising stores that some of its products, like individual cans and bottles, will no longer be available" when the state's GMO food-label law goes into effect on Friday.
HSUS chief says consumers are creating ‘humane economy’
In a new book, "The Humane Economy," Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, says that in widely different industries, from agriculture and tourism to medicine and beauty products, consumers' purchasing power is prompting companies to improve their animal-welfare standards, says Civil Eats.
World Food Prize goes to four leaders in biofortification of crops
The $250,000 World Food Prize, sometimes called the Nobel of agriculture, was awarded to four scientists for development and promotion of biofortified crops, bred to include vitamins and micronutrients. An estimated 10 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America already have better diets due to the improved staple crops, "with a potential of several hundred million more in the coming decades," said the prize foundation.
Scientists: Eat your lionfish before its too late
Invasive lionfish have made it to the Mediterranean, says Scientific American. A report set to be published in the journal Marine Biodiversity Records found that in just one year, lionfish have colonized nearly all of Cyprus’ southeastern coast.
A tall Senate wall for GMO-disclosure bill to climb
The Roberts-Stabenow bill to pre-empt state GMO food-labeling laws and to mandate disclosure through text, QR code or symbol will need a super-majority of 60 votes to pass the Senate, the first step toward becoming law. The bill would supersede Vermont's first-in-the-nation labeling law, which takes effect Friday and requires a special "made with GMOs" label on the package.
Humane Society: Perdue leads the pack on animal-welfare
The Humane Society of the U.S. praised Perdue, the country’s fourth-largest poultry producer, for a series of animal-welfare reforms that it called “meaningful and precedent-setting.” The reforms include installing windows in poultry houses to allow more natural light; giving each bird more space; putting the birds to sleep before slaughter; and testing slower-growing breeds.
Drought is becoming a routine scourge of the Caribbean, says FAO
The 15 nations of the Caribbean, an array of islands and coastal nations, experiences drought-like weather every year and can expect droughts to be increasingly frequent and intense due to climate change, says an FAO report. "Agriculture is the most likely sector to be impacted, with serious economic and social consequences," said the UN agency.
Conaway: GOP would help sink TPP if victorious Trump wants it done
If businessman Donald Trump wins the presidency, Republicans would feel obliged to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, said House Agriculture Committee chairman Michael Conaway. In a Roll Call video, Conaway, who volunteered in May to advise Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, on agricultural policy, says TPP already faces an uphill struggle for passage, so with Trump's opposition "it would be difficult to get that done."
A second U.S. appeals court says it will rule on clean-water rule
The federal appellate court in Atlanta says it will decide an 11-state lawsuit against the EPA's Waters of the United States rule, although the U.S. appeals court in Cincinnati is consolidating WOTUS challenges into a single case for its consideration, said DTN. A lawyer active in clean-water cases said appeals courts sometimes handle the same issue concurrently: "That is, after all, how circuit splits develop."
Northeast fishermen face their worst foe yet: climate change
With lucrative species like clams and lobsters moving northward to find cooler waters, climate change could be the final blow for East Coast fishermen, says The Associated Press. The industry has already been battered by overfishing, pollution, regulations, and foreign competition, but climate change is another level of challenge altogether.
Cost of a summer cookout? About the same as last year.
Lower grocery-store prices for hamburgers and hotdogs are helping to keep the lid on the price of a summer cookout, according to spot checks of supermarkets in 26 states. The survey, organized by the largest U.S. farm group and released ahead of the Independence Day holiday, said the grocery bill for enough food to feed 10 people would be $56.06, or $5.60 a person.
Lowest food inflation rate in three years, thanks to meat
At the grocery store or at the restaurant, Americans will see the smallest rise in food prices since 2013, a negligible 1.5 percent, says a new government forecast. USDA economists lowered their food inflation forecast for the second month in a row to reflect falling prices for beef, pork and seafood.
Time is short for congressional passage for GMO food-labeling bill
Lawmakers have a relatively short timetable, expiring in mid-July, if they want to override quickly Vermont's first-in-the-nation GMO food-labeling law, which goes into effect on Friday. While Senate Agriculture Committee leaders need to line up 60 votes to pass their compromise bill, possibly this week, the initial response in the House was cool.
Brexit may hobble US-EU free-trade negotiations
The decision by UK voters to leave the European Union will complicate the contentious negotiations for a U.S.-EU free trade agreement. And it could redound on regulation of pesticides such as glyphosate and neonicotinoids.
Seagulls may be carriers of antibiotic resistant strain
Researchers found the "superbug" that is resistant to the last-ditch antibiotic used in treating human disease in seagulls on two continents, Europe and South America, writes Maryn McKenna in National Geographic. The discovery pinpoints one way the so-called MCR-1 gene, which confers resistance to colistin, is moving around the world.