Bird flu tally hits 201 herds: The H5N1 avian flu virus has infected 201 dairy herds since it was first confirmed in the United States in late March, said the USDA. Bird flu was confirmed this week in four dairy herds — three in California and one in Michigan. (Los Angeles Times)
Low food inflation: Food prices rose a modest 2.1 percent over the past 12 months, said the Consumer Price Index report. It was the seventh month in a row that the annualized rate of food inflation was 2.1 or 2.2 percent. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Spending vote is delayed: House Speaker Mike Johnson postponed a vote on a bill to fund the government, including the USDA, for six months because of opposition by conservatives within his Republican caucus. (CNN)
Farm bill checklist: Congress should pass a farm bill this year, “but expediency must not come at the expense of policies that address hunger, public health, farmers, workers, and the environment,” said 1,049 farm, consumer, animal welfare, labor, religious, and civil rights groups in a letter to congressional leaders. (National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition)