Today’s quick hits, Nov. 9, 2021

Deere eyes options: The chief administrative officer of Deere and Co. said the company was considering whether it could blunt the impact of a strike by 10,000 unionized workers by importing farm equipment from overseas or using strikebreakers. (CNN Business)

States seek E15: Seven Midwestern governors asked the EPA for guidance on how they could authorize year-round sale of a 15 percent blend of ethanol into gasoline; a U.S. appellate court overturned a federal rule allowing year-round sales. (Farm Progress)

‘Cow tax’ scare talk: The “build back better” bill awaiting a House vote would not impose a fee on methane emissions from livestock but there’s no prohibition so “I think we have a right to be concerned,” said Rep. Kat Cammack, a Florida Republican who voted to overturn President Biden’s election. (Cammack)

Rural Housing director: Joaquin Altoro, head of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, was appointed administrator of USDA’s Rural Housing Service. (USDA)

Neil Harl dies: Agricultural economist Neil Harl, a salient figure in efforts to resolve the farm debt crisis of the late 1980s, died at age 88; he was a faculty member of Iowa State University for half a century.