Recharging groundwater: California officials approved a federal request to divert 600,000 acre feet of water from the San Joaquin River so it can soak into the ground and replenish the aquifer below the San Joaquin Valley. (Los Angeles Times)
LeGrand on trade advisory panel: Ryan LeGrand, chief executive of the U.S. Grains Council, was among 14 people nominated by President Biden to serve on the U.S. Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. (White House)
USDA awards fertilizer grants: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $29 million in grants to eight independent businesses in Alabama, Colorado, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio and Washington State to expand capacity for the 2023 or 2024 crop year. (USDA)
Climate-smart agreements: At the Commodity Classic, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack signed memorandums of agreement for two projects in USDA’s $3.1 billion Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative; one aims for 1 million acres of cover crops. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
Penalty for grain silo death: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed $531,000 in penalties against CHS Inc. for the 2012 death of a worker who suffocated in a corn silo in Roseland, Nebraska. (Labor Department)