Ag poses huge hurdle for U.S.-EU trade pact, says Vilsack
If negotiators cannot resolve major agricultural disputes, "then in my view, you are not going to have a TTIP [Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership]," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at a farm conference in Brussels.
Canada’s only Arctic port, a grain outlet, is for sale
The Port of Churchill, which includes the northern-most grain export terminal in Canada, and the railroad that serves it are for sale, says the Western Producer. Located on Hudson Bay, Churchill is the only Arctic seaport in Canada.
EPA’s biofuel targets please no one
In a regulation delayed for months by a lawsuit, the EPA gave biofuels a smaller, but growing, share of the U.S. gasoline market than envisioned when Congress created the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). EPA official Janet McCabe said the regulation meant “ambitious, achievable growth” for biofuels -- but no one was happy with it.
Drive to renew tax ‘extenders’ stretches into final weeks
Lawmakers are "headed for another last-minute, end-of-the-year renewal" of five-dozen tax breaks that expired at the end of 2014, reports Agri-Pulse, which quotes House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy as saying, "In these situations, it's always coming down to the last week to see what mix we're able to get."
Panel in Britain backs 20-percent tax on sugary drinks
A report by a select committee of lawmakers in Britain backs a 20-percent tax on sugary drinks as "an essential part of a wider package of measures to tackle childhood obesity," reports the Guardian.
Restaurant trade group to sue over New York salt warning
The National Restaurant Association plans to sue New York City's health department to block a requirement that restaurant chains put warning symbols on their menus to alert customers to foods that contain high amounts of salt, reports Capital New York.
Senate confirms Smith as AID chief
The Senate confirmed Gayle Smith as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development on a 79-7 roll call, seven months after she was nominated by President Obama, said The Hill newspaper.
Washington State to pinpoint largest drought losses
In an unprecedented step, the Washington State Agriculture Department will survey farmers and ranchers on losses to drought this year, says Capital Press.
‘Rural America at a Glance’ — still recovering from recession
More people are finding work but job totals in rural America remain below pre-recession levels, says the USDA in "Rural America at a Glance," an annual digest of the rural economy.
Global warming will speed up greenhouse gas emissions
Researchers from Sweden's Linköping University say emissions of greenhouse gases from natural sources will increase during global warming, with the result that climate change will progress at faster-than-expected rates.
EPA announcement won’t be final word on ethanol mandate
Under a court agreement, the EPA is obliged to announce today the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) - the target for biofuel use - for 2014, 2015 and 2016. The announcement will get the agency back on schedule after missing the statutory deadlines for setting the 2014 and 2015 targets, but it won't resolve the struggle between the oil industry and the smaller renewable fuels lobby of farm groups and biofuel makers.
Grocery prices nearly flat for the year
Overall, supermarket prices will barely increase this year, the government said, although beef prices remain high and egg prices are 30-percent higher than a year ago, an after-effect of the bird flu epidemic.
Berkeley is starting point for soda-tax campaign
After winning a referendum in Berkeley in 2014 to institute a soda tax, "public health advocates ... are plotting to bring voter referendums and legislation to tax soda in as many as a dozen U.S. cities in 2016," writes Politico's Helena Evich, who says it's part of a strategy to reduce obesity and chronic diet-related disease.
The ‘food movement’ as academic discipline
An estimated 30 U.S. colleges and universities "have formal interdisciplinary food studies programs that offer degrees or minors," says the Los Angeles Times. "New ones opened this fall at UC-Berkeley, the University of the Pacific and Syracuse University."
Japan farm and forest workforce shrinks 20 percent in five years
An Agriculture Ministry report says 2.09 million people work in agriculture and forestry in Japan, a drop of nearly 20 percent in five years, said Kyodo news service. "The ministry attributed the drop to many people quitting the farming and forestry business as they grow older. The average age of those in the sector was 66.3 years, up six months from five years ago."
A ‘menagerie of gene-edited animals’ besides GE salmon
The FDA approval of genetically engineered salmon for human consumption raised the curtain on a "menagerie of gene-edited animals ... already being raised on farms and in laboratories around the world — some designed for food, some to fight disease, some, perhaps, as pets," reports the New York Times.
USDA to begin catfish inspection in March 2016
The Agriculture Department will take over responsibility from the Food and Drug Administration for inspection of catfish slaughter and processing plants in March 2016, ending years of pressure by domestic growers for a new regulator.
EPA withdraws approval of Dow’s Enlist Duo herbicide
The government withdrew its approval of Dow's Enlist Duo herbicide because the combination of two weedkillers is more powerful than originally believed and could endanger "non-target plants." The EPA acted just over a year after approving the herbicide, a combination of 2,4-D and glyphosate, the most widely used weedkiller in the world.
Farm income estimate shrinks 7 percent in three months
Weaker commodity prices across the board are pulling down farm income, the government said in lowering its forecast of net cash income 7 percent from its Aug. 25 estimate. The USDA now expects net cash farm income - a measure of solvency - to be $93 billion this year.
General Mills to switch to cage-free eggs by 2025
Foodmaker General Mills says it will use only cage-free eggs in its U.S. operations by 2025, the first time the maker of packaged foods has set a timeline for the switch, said Reuters.