Foodmakers to share info on food additives with FDA
The Grocery Manufacturers Association, a trade group for foodmakers, "will give the Food and Drug Administration access to a large database of safety information for chemicals used in processed foods, from Twinkies to almond milk," says Politico.
CHS will share the cost of E15 tanks for retailers
The farmer-owned cooperative CHS, Inc. said it will cover "a significant portion of the cost to purchase and install an additional storage tank for the purpose of offering E15" at the 1,400 gas stations operating under its Cenex brand name.
A deadlock in Senate race in Iowa
Democrat Bruce Braley and Republican Joni Ernst are tied at 40 percent each with 15 percent undecided in a Suffolk/USA Today poll of one of the races that could determine control of the U.S. Senate.
Russia to export record wheat tonnage
Russia's Ministry of Agriculture forecasts record wheat exports of up to 30 million tonnes in the ongoing 2014/15 marketing year, said the Itar-Tass news agency.
Tyson must sell sow-buying unit as part of Hillshire deal
Tyson Foods, Inc. must sell its sow-buying unit, Heinold Hog Markets, to satisfy antitrust rules and proceed with its purchase of Hilllshire Brands Co. for $8.5 billion, the Justice Department said.
Giants hopped among us
There are rabbits - cuddly-sized, soft-furred burrowing mammals with long ears and long legs belonging to the animal family Leporidae - and there are jumbo rabbits, as Modern Farmer reminds with a story about efforts to revive the Valenciano, a meat-bearing breed in Spain.
Despite slowdown, US farm equity to rise in 2014
U.S. farm equity is forecast to rise by 2.3 percent this year as the sector continues to generate wealth despite lower farm income, a cooling off of land prices and higher borrowing costs, said the Agriculture Department.
US decides to impose duties on sugar from Mexico
The Commerce Department says it will impose countervailing duties of 3-17 percent on sugar imported from Mexico following a preliminary ruling that Mexico unfairly subsidized its producers, said the Financial Times.
Groups ask US protection for Monarch butterfly, blame GMOs
Three groups petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act.
Climate change could disrupt food system within a decade
The World Bank's special envoy on climate change says global warming could disrupt the food system "potentially within the next decade," said the Sydney Morning Herald.
Farm sector stronger than expected in a down year
Record livestock prices and bumper crops are blunting greatly a downturn in the farm economy, said the Agriculture Department in its semiannual Farm Sector Income forecast. USDA says net cash farm income, a measure of the ability to pay bills, will drop by 6 percent this year instead of the 22 percent plunge forecast in February.
Food prices on track for minimal 2014 increase
Food prices will climb a modest 3 percent this year, close to the long-term average of 2.8 percent, said USDA in a monthly update.
DesJarlais wins his race, Cochran wants lawsuit dismissed
House Agriculture Committee member Scott DesJarlais is the undisputed winner of the Republican primary in Tennessee's fourth congressional district.
Kauai ordinance on GMO crops is invalid, judge rules
U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren ruled that a Kauai County ordinance that restricted plantings of biotech crops is pre-empted by state law, says KHON-TV in Honolulu.
Rail lines congested for months may deliver harvest snarls
The oil boom in the northern Plains "is creating a crisis for farmers whose grain shipments have been help up by a vast new movement of oil by rail," said the New York Times.
Three Iowa farm groups form water-quality alliance
Groups representing soybean, corn and hog farmers in Iowa formed an alliance to encourage farmers in the Hawkeye state to voluntarily reduce nutrient runoff, said DTN.
Napa wineries jostled by California earthquake
The magnitude 6.0 earthquake in California's Napa wine country damaged buildings and wine held in storage at some wineries.
With $200 million to divide, USDA seeks job-training ideas
The government will fund up to 10 pilot projects to provide food stamp recipients with the training and education to move up the job ladder, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced at a county employment office in Arlington, Va. The $200 million program is intended to improve the $400 million-a-year employment and training programs that are an adjunct of the major U.S. anti-hunger program.
Fewer cattle in feedlots, says USDA
Cattle feeders are fattening 9.8 million head for slaughter, says USDA in its monthly Cattle on Feed report, 2 percent fewer than last Aug 1 and down from the July 1 figure of 10.1 million head.
Ethanol mandate is under review at White House
With 2014 nearly two-thirds over, EPA sent its proposed biofuels mandate for this year to the White House for review, said The Hill newspaper, quoting an EPA official as saying the agency's goal "is to put the RFS (Renewable Fuels Standard) program on a path that supports continued growth in renewable fuels over time."