Ethanol package appears imminent (Reuters): On Friday, the White House is expected to announce a biofuels package that includes a higher ethanol mandate and increased use of E15 — boons for farm groups and ethanol makers — as well as a cap on the price of the credits, known as RINs, that refiners must buy if they do not blend enough ethanol into gasoline, according to four sources.
New grocery delivery players (Wall Street Journal): DoorDash and Postmates are moving into the grocery delivery space, hiking competition in the sector for delivery giants Amazon, Instacart, and Peapod.
Faster line speeds at chicken plants (ProPublica): Poultry plants, including facilities with poor safety records where workers have been grievously injured, are being granted permission from the USDA to hike their processing line speeds.
U.S. sets 25 percent tariffs on some EU ag goods (USTR): After winning a WTO case over EU subsidies to Airbus, the Trump administration said it would apply tariffs of 10 percent on large aircraft and 25 percent on an array of EU agricultural products, including whiskey, meat, cheese, and wine.
When the grocery store closes (Stateline): Some states are trying to tackle the “grocery gaps” that are created when local food stores close, although every town is different and there are fundamental concerns about interfering in market dynamics.