New York Times
U.S. and Japan agree on agricultural market openings
Immigrant farmers bring native crops to U.S. soil
The 12-week farmer-development program FARMroots in New York City instructs immigrants with agricultural backgrounds on the practicalities of farming in their new country, says the New York Times.
California curtails senior water rights, court fight possible
The State Water Resources Board ordered a reduction in water allotments to some of California's most senior rights holders, who have been assured of unlimited water from waterways for more than a century, said the San Jose Mercury News.
Flavorful “petite peaches” a result of water shortage
Organic grower David Masumoto, who farms near Fresno, tells the Los Angeles Times, "We've been experimenting with this petite peach method this year, where we're cutting back water use 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent on some select areas of the orchard to see how it responds."
Drought’s pricetag rises for California agriculture
California's farmers will have less irrigation water and will idle more cropland this year than they did last year, says a study by UC-Davis. It estimates direct agricultural losses of $1.8 billion, comprised of $1.2 billion in lower crop, livestock and dairy revenue and $600 million in higher costs to pump water from wells. "When we account for the spillover effect of agriculture on the state’s other economic sectors, the total cost of this year’s drought on California’s economy is $2.7 billion and the loss of about 18,600 full- and part-time jobs," say the authors.
House passes budget to turn food stamps into block grant
The Republican-controlled House passed a budget that boosts military spending and slashes domestic programs, including Medicaid and food stamps, said the New York Times.
Catfish inspection may be tougher than U.S. producers expect
As the USDA moves closer to catfish inspection, domestic producers "may have received more than they bargained for," reports the New York Times, which quotes a handful of experts.
Senate budget proposal targets food stamps indirectly
The fiscal 2016 budget resolution proposed by Senate Budget chairman Mike Enzi calls for large cuts in discretionary spending outside of the military, which could include food stamps, but does not specifically ask for cuts in the farm program. During committee debate, Democrat Debbie Stabenow said 400 farm, conservation, anti-hunger and rural-development groups were on record against any cuts beyond the $23 billion required by the 2014 farm law.
Drought could idle 1 million acres of California farmland
As California nears the end of a skimpy rainy season, "Farmers said they anticipated leaving as much as one million acres fallow, nearly twice the area that went unplanted last year," according to the New York Times.
At Ag Summit, Bush and Cruz speak against ethanol mandate
Two potential aspirants for the Republican nomination for president, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz spoke against an ethanol mandate at the Iowa Ag Summit, according to reports in the Washington Post and the New York Times.
Climate change boosts risk of future drought in California
Stanford scientists say the risk of drought in California is being increased by climate change caused by human activity, reports the Contra Costa Times.
Food waste is global issue, not just a rich-nation problem
A report from the Waste and Resources Action Program says food waste is becoming a global problem with the expansion of middle-class consumers, says the New York Times.
Doubts about White House proposal for single food agency
Three weeks after the White House proposed a central agency for food safety, the proposal "is already running into opposition from some food safety experts, consumer groups and the inspectors who would be most affected.
US lawmakers say South Africa unfair on poultry exports
Senators from two of the leading U.S. poultry-producing states are seeking leverage to force South Africa to drop its tariffs on imports of U.S. poultry meat, says the New York Times.
The label says “GMO free” but no uniformity on certification
While lawmakers argue over labeling food made with genetically modified organisms, "products certified as containing no genetically modified organisms are proliferating on grocery shelves without any nationwide mandatory regulations," says the New York Times.
“There is no fear but the fear of hunger”
The mosquito nets distributed in Africa to combat malaria are being used "from the mud flats of Nigeria to the coral reefs off Mozambique" as fishing nets, says the New York Times...
Gates Foundation adds Africa agriculture to its goals
The Gates Foundation is to announce its goals for the next 15 years. "Among them: financing programs to help Africa feed itself," says the New York Times.
USDA research imposes “a steep cost” on animal welfare
USDA's Meat Animal Research Center in the Nebraska plains is re-engineering cattle, pigs and sheep "to fit the needs of the 21st Century...animals that produce more offspring, yield more meat and cost less to raise," says a front-page New York Times story.