Organic needs ‘direct relief’: Two dozen senators and representatives asked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack “to find a targeted solution to provide immediate, direct relief” for organic dairy and poultry producers struggling with high prices and short supplies of feed. (Pingree)
Thompson sets listening session: Republican Rep. Glenn Thompson, the incoming chair of the House Agriculture Committee, invited lawmakers to a listening session at the Pennsylvania Farm Show on Jan. 7. (House Agriculture Republicans)
Small food-price impact: The dramatic increase in soybean oil prices, with the oil being used increasingly as a feedstock for biofuels, has a tiny impact on food prices because soy oil is a small part of the overall price of food at the grocery store. (Lusk)
Storm punctuates California drought: A storm dumped three to four feet of snow on parts of the Sierra Nevada and drenched most of California with rainfall, a boost to water supplies after three years of drought. (Los Angeles Times)
More bird flu outbreaks: Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza were confirmed in 11 states last week; the largest at a turkey farm with 105,000 birds in Iowa. Nationwide losses rose to 53.12 million birds. (USDA)