Drought and the farm bill: The new farm bill should address “the heightened production risks posed by a hotter, drier future,” particularly in the Plains and the West, said 17 senators in a letter to Senate Agriculture Committee leaders. (Bennet)
Tester pushes land bills: Montana Sen. Jon Tester urged his colleagues in Congress and the Biden administration to back legislation to bar adversary nations from buying U.S. farmland and to give the government the power to review all significant farmland purchases by foreigners. (Tester)
Using USDA’s ‘bank’: Congress could resolve a deadlock over how to pay for higher reference prices in the farm bill by using USDA’s “bank,” the $30 billion reserve held by the Commodity Credit Corp, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
Fishery tests Chevron deference: The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday in a case that involves fishery regulations and could sink the long-standing ‘Chevron’ rule of giving deference to agencies to define their powers. (New York Times)
Mexico gobbles U.S. pork: Data are still being compiled for the final month of the calendar year, but U.S. pork exports to Mexico already total $2.12 billion, enough to make 2023 the best year on record for sales to the U.S. neighbor, said the U.S. Meat Export Federation. (USMEF)