Business groups stage Day of Action for immigration reform
Trade groups for industry, business owners and agriculture staged a nationwide Day of Action for comprehensive immigration reform, moribund for a year in the Republican-controlled U.S. House. “While our lawmakers are deadlocked on this issue, business leaders are more determined than ever to fix our immigration system,” said president Thomas Donohue of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
A farm school that emphasizes business acumen
“We…have failed to connect with the public”
The agribusiness sector has failed to make its case with the general public for genetically engineered crops, said witnesses at a House Agriculture subcommittee hearing. Cornell professor David Just, who studies consumer attitudes, said, "In general, we find a large and growing number of consumers who stigmatize GMOs."
As popularity of almonds surges, prices rise due to drought
America's almond craze - per-capita consumption doubled in the past seven years - "has come at a cost," says Bloomberg. Prices are up by $1 per pound from last year and growers feel the strain of the fourth year of drought in California, the largest almond producer.
Senators ask EPA for much larger biodiesel mandate
Three dozen senators sent a letter to the EPA asking for a much higher mandate for biodiesel than the agency proposed for 2016 and 2017. They say the agency failed to "adequately recognize the domestic biodiesel industry's production capacity and its ability to increase production."
Toxic-algae bloom off West Coast may be biggest ever
"A massive toxic algae bloom has closed shellfish fisheries along the West Coast," says the Portland Oregonian. Beaches were closed to clamming and oyster harvesting along the Oregon and Washington State coastlines.
U.S. and Switzerland sign organic trade partnership
Switzerland and the United States formed a partnership for trade in organic food and other organic products, the fifth such organic "equivalency" agreement that the U.S. has sealed with a trading partner.
General Mills sets long-term goal of cage-free eggs
Foodmaker General Mills announced it will stop buying eggs that come from caged hens, says CNN. The company did not say when it would make the switch.
USDA announces $85.8 million for rural broadband
Rural broadband projects from South Carolina to Alaska will receive a total of $85.8 million in grants and loans to construct or upgrade internet service, said the USDA.
Few takers for Conservation Reserve opt-out offer
Landowners removed a comparatively small 90,000 acres from the long-term Conservation Reserve under an "opt out" provision written into the 2014 farm law just as commodity prices slumped. The withdrawn land is one-third of 1 percent of total enrollment in the reserve, according to USDA data. "The preliminary estimate is that 90,000 acres were withdrawn," says the department in its most recent report on the reserve.
Hot month intensifies drought in Pacific Northwest
Five western states - Idaho, Utah, Washington, Oregon and California - saw the hottest June this year in 121 years of record-keeping, says the weekly Drought Monitor.
“Significant” risk of new wave of bird flu in fall or spring
A second wave of the devastating avian influenza could appear this fall or next spring, the chief USDA veterinarian told senators, adding, "We will be ready for that challenge."
California proposes first fine of a senior water rights holder
The State Water Resources Board proposed a $1.5 million fine against the Byron-Bethany Irrigation District in northern California for "unauthorized diversion and use of water," the first such action against a senior rights holder, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Canada accuses U.S. of dodging COOL
The United States is trying futilely to avoid retaliatory tariffs because of its trade-distorting country-of-origin labels (COOL), Canada said, renewing its demand for an end to COOL. "The only way for the United States to avoid billions in retaliation by late summer is to ensure legislation repealing COOL passes the Senate and is signed by the president," said Canada's agriculture and trade ministers, following a WTO meeting to discuss penalties against the trade-distorting rules.
Bumblebee habitat shrinks as climate warms
There is evidence that bumblebees, a wild pollinator of crops and wildflowers, "are getting squeezed by our planet's changing climate," says the NPR blog The Salt.
Retail egg prices up 6 percent in a week
Egg prices in the supermarket are up 6 percent this week, resuming a climb that began on May 22 but took a brief dip in late June, says the USDA's National Retail Report.
The $1 billion elephant in Iowa’s caucus rooms
Iowa gets the first word on presidential nominees through its precinct caucuses, scheduled for Feb. 1, so the Hawkeye State is awash with candidates who are trying to build a bond with voters. "Yet for all their love for everyday Iowans, none of the candidates is getting anywhere near the biggest crisis to hit the state in years - one of the worst animal health emergencies in U.S. history," says Politico Magazine.
House leaders set Friday showdown on fast track for trade
Republican leaders in the House "are setting up a showdown vote Friday on the fast-track trade bill that the Obama administration says will clear the way for wrapping up negotiations on a Pacific Rim agreement," says Agri-Pulse.
FDA extends menu-labeling deadline to late 2016
The FDA said it would give restaurants an additional year, until Dec. 1, 2016, to comply with a requirement that they list calorie counts on menus and menu boards.
Tapeworms top a global list of food-borne pathogens
Three types of tapeworms found in pork and fresh produce take the three leading places in a list of the 10 "food-borne parasites of greatest global concern" issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. "The parasites affect the health of millions of people every year, infecting muscle tissues and organs, causing epilepsy, anaphylactic shock, amoebic dysentery and other problems," says FAO.