$1 billion in food aid: The Biden administration will use $1 billion from a USDA reserve to buy, ship, and distribute U.S.-grown foods for emergency assistance to 18 nations in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. (USDA)
BLM to offer conservation leases: A rule released Thursday by the Bureau of Land Management would allow the agency, for the first time, to auction “restoration” and “mitigation” leases to groups looking to restore or conserve public lands. (Washington Post)
Hemp production rebound: In 2023, the industrial hemp crop was worth $291 million, most of that tied to the value of floral hemp. That’s an increase from $246 million for the 2022 crop, which was worth less than a third of the 2021 crop. (USDA)
Dry Corn Belt: With spring planting underway, nearly a quarter of U.S. corn territory is affected by drought, mostly in the western Corn Belt, where drought covers two-thirds of Iowa and more than 40 percent of Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. (Drought Monitor)
Record world grain output: Global grain production will be a record 2.301 billion metric tons this season, despite losses in the Southern Hemisphere’s corn crop caused by disease and drought. (International Grains Council)