quick hits

Vaden for deputy secretary: President-elect Trump said he would nominate Stephen Vaden, a member of his USDA landing team in 2017 who later was head of USDA’s legal shop, for Agriculture deputy secretary in his second term. (Trump) Producer got $215 million: USDA provided financial …

Another $300 million for RAPP: The USDA announced an additional $300 million in grants to the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program, bringing total 2024 funding to $600 million for the program aimed at developing new and emerging markets for U.S. food and ag exports. (USDA) Klobuchar is …

Eggflation is back: Wholesale egg prices are rising with the holiday season underway, and USDA data show that U.S. egg production and the number of egg-laying hens have not recovered from 2022, when bird flu created shortages and drove up prices. (Ag Data News) High-speed internet funds: The …

Aquaculture sales up 26 percent: Sales of aquaculture products totaled $1.9 billion in 2023, up by 26 percent from 2018; catfish and oysters accounted for 42 percent of sales and Mississippi was the top state with $277 million in sales. (USDA) H-2A wages near $20 an hour: Wage rates for H-2A …

U.S. is leading ethanol exporter: The United States accounts for roughly half of ethanol exports globally, with larger sales to Canada, Britain, and the EU offsetting the loss of shipments to Brazil, the world’s second-largest ethanol exporter, said USDA. (Economic Research Service) …

Brazil soy moratorium fight: Environmental groups are defending an 18-year-old voluntary agreement that bans trading in soybeans grown on recently deforested lands in the Amazon. (Associated Press) Federal forestry funds: The USDA awarded $355 million for incentives that encourage landowners to …

Food inflation is up: With higher meat prices a factor, food costs rose 2.6 percent in the past 12 months, the highest annualized rate since 2.6 percent in January, said the monthly CPI report. (Department of Labor) Advice on meat is ‘concerning’: The suggestion by the Dietary Guidelines …

More legumes, less meat: Americans would be advised to eat more legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils, while consuming less red and processed meat if the government adopts suggestions from the experts helping to write the new Dietary Guidelines. (HHS and USDA) Judges block Kroger deal: A …

Farm activist Corky Jones dies: Nebraska farmer Corky Jones, a former president of the American Agriculture Movement and a leader of the 1979 Tractorcade that brought hundreds of farmers to Washington to seek change in U.S. farm policy, has died at age 92. (Farm Aid) Eleven warmest months: The …

So, will prices rise or not?: President-elect Donald Trump said in a televised interview that tariffs “cost Americans nothing”; but when asked about estimates they could raise prices, he said, “I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow.” (NPR) …

Ukraine keeps exporting grain: Despite lower yields and the loss of cropland because of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has maintained its presence as a major corn and wheat exporter, said analysts. (farmdoc daily) Loeffler to head SBA: President-elect Donald Trump said he would …

Gray defeats Duarte: Former state legislator Adam Gray, a Democrat, edged Rep. John Duarte, a Republican member of the House Agriculture Committee, to win election to the House from a Central Valley district in California. (Associated Press) Navarro picked for trade role: Peter Navarro, who …

Klobuchar is No. 3 leader: Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who was expected to become the senior Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee in January, was elected as the third-ranking leader among Senate Democrats, chairing the steering and policy committee. (Senate Democrats) Expect 45Z rule …

57 people with bird flu: Two additional human cases of bird flu were confirmed in California, raising the state’s total to 31 and the U.S. total to 57 cases since the viral disease was identified in dairy cattle in late March; almost all involve dairy and poultry workers. (CDC) SNAP …

Ruling on H-2A workers: In a ruling that affects Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Alabama, a federal district judge blocked a Biden administration expansion of protections for agricultural guest workers; the change was blocked in 17 other states by a different judge in August. (Wisconsin …

Low grocery inflation: Food-at-home prices will rise by 1.2 percent this year, the lowest grocery inflation rate since 0.9 percent in 2019, and by 1.6 percent in the new year, with chicken, fish, eggs, fats and oils, and bakery products costing more, said USDA economists. (USDA) Trump vows high …

Chavez-DeRemer for Labor: President-elect Donald Trump said he would nominate Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican member of the House Agriculture Committee defeated for re-election, to serve as Labor secretary. (NPR) Screwworm found in Mexico: The USDA said it would restrict movement …

Deere income down sharply: Net income at Deere and Co., the world’s largest farm equipment maker, fell to $7.1 billion for fiscal 2024, a drop of $3 billion from the previous year. (Deere) Duarte holds slim lead: Rep. John Duarte, a Republican member of the House Agriculture Committee, has a …