Ethanol makers ask EPA for rules change to aid E15
An ethanol trade group says the EPA can open the door to year-round sales of E15 - a 15 percent blend of ethanol into gasoline - and the eventual use of even higher blends such as E20 or E25 if it would "eliminate an arcane regulatory barrier."
COOL repeal, GMO pre-emption in the year-end mix
The catch-all government spending bill that will be among the final pieces of legislation to pass Congress this year might be a vehicle for repeal of the country-of-origin label and the federal pre-emption of state GMO labeling laws, said Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley.
Bad weather in U.S. and Mexico drives up vegetable prices
Scanty vegetable supplies are causing "exorbitant prices," says the chief executive of Landec Corp, which sells salad kits, vegetable trays and fresh-cut bagged produce in the food and biomedical markets.
Cellulosic ethanol plant shuttered in biofuels setback
Spanish energy company Abengoa, caught in a financial crisis, has shut down its cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kansas, after little more than a year of operation, reports Kansas Agland.
Dining today on the food of the future
Throughout the industrialized world, citizens are "the beneficiaries of food production technologies – and a wealth of delicious and formerly exotic ingredients – our ancestors could only dream about," says the NPR blog The Salt.
Oregon county allows hay farmers time to adapt to GMO ban
The first Oregon county to ban GMO crops reached a settlement with farmers who wanted $4.2 million in exchange for uprooting 300 acres of genetically engineered alfalfa.
Food stamps are valuable aid but run short, says report
Some 46 million people, roughly one out of seven Americans, use food stamps each month to help put food on the table, says the White House. A report by the Council of Economic Advisors says, "New research ... shows benefit levels are often inadequate to sustain families through the end of the month.
After WTO ruling, U.S. lawmakers gallop to repeal COOL
Congress may vote this week to repeal the U.S. law that requires packages of meat to say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered. The drive for repeal, at a standstill in the Senate since summer, was spurred into action after the WTO said Canada and Mexico could impose $1.01 billion a year in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. manufactured and agricultural goods, from mattresses, office furniture and pipes to wine, meat and grain.
Fungal disease spreads in attack on bananas
A virulent fungal disease that attacks bananas "is now on a global conquest," says Quartz. "Since 2013, the lethal fungus has jumped continents, ravaging crops in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Australia."
Dunkin’ Donuts will switch all U.S. outlets to cage-free eggs
Dunkin' Donuts joined fast-food companies McDonald's and Taco Bell in announcing a switch to cage-free eggs. Dunkin' said it will use only cage-free eggs in the United States by 2025 and will explore the feasibility of going cage-free in all its operations worldwide, said Reuters.
Winter flooding of farmland to replenish groundwater
A multi-year experiment in California is testing the idea of flooding fields and orchards with excess river water during the winter as a way to recharge underground aquifers, says Western Farm Press.
Minnesota: ‘We can’t spend our way’ to cleaner water
The state pollution control agency in Minnesota spent nearly $125 million - half of its budget - to clean lakes and waterways contaminated by farming, says the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Reduce food waste through tax credits and new labels
Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree unveiled legislation to reduce food waste "with a system of new tax credits and a redesign of food expiration date notices," said the Bangor Daily News.
Canada ‘just waiting for the number’ against U.S. meat labels
Trade minister Chrystia Freeland says Canada is "just waiting for the number" from WTO for retaliatory tariffs it can impose against U.S. manufactured and agricultural exports in its seven-year dispute over meat-labeling rules.
COP21 Interview – Hans Herren on agro-ecology as climate mitigator
At the Paris climate negotiations, authorities are starting to pay attention to agriculture as a way to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Food production accounts for about one-third of all emissions, yet prior climate conferences have focused almost exclusively on energy production systems such power plants. In an interview, Hans Herren, who co-chaired the UN’s International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development—nicknamed the IPCC report for agriculture—in 2008, spoke about agro-ecology as a climate mitigator.
Global food prices fall, Africa needs rise
Abundant supplies and the strong dollar pulled down the FAO's Food Price Index 1.6 percent in November. The UN agency said the index, which has trended downward since early 2014, was 18-percent lower than a year ago.
Food-borne illness hits one in 10 people worldwide
Children and people in low-income areas are hit the hardest by food-borne diseases, which strike as many as 600 million people annually, or one in 10 of the global population, said the World Health Organization in its most comprehensive tally yet.
Few routes left in Congress for GMO pre-emption
Time has run out in Congress for a standalone bill to pre-empt state laws that require labels on GMO foods, said Agri-Pulse, but the issue isn't dead even as Congress plans to adjourn within two weeks.
The cows wear ‘FitBits,’ the dairy farmer reads them
David Simmons was the first dairy farmer in Newfoundland to install a robotic milking parlor for this cattle. He "is just one of many who are turning to cutting edge technology" to monitor livestock health, says the Toronto Globe and Mail.
Soil degradation can be rolled back, says FAO
Wind and water erosion carry away as much as 40 million tonnes of topsoil each year, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in a report that lists erosion as one of several threats to food production.