Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced new efforts to provide greater transparency in the Renewable Identification Number (RIN) market, used to show compliance with annual Renewable Fuel Standard requirements. As part of this announcement, EPA said it will be providing aggregated annual data on small refiner exemptions, as well as waiver requests for current and future compliance years. RFA President …
Less Likely to Get Farm Bill Done in Time
Getting a September farm bill in time to replace expiring law appears less likely as difficult House-Senate negotiations will now stretch into the final week of the month. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a farm bill conference committee member, says in an Omaha World-Herald editorial, House-Senate negotiators are now “running into problems” hashing out differences over farm subsidies, conservation support, and …
Georgia Grown Baby Barn Coming to 2018 Georgia National Fair
The Georgia Grown Baby Barn, a live birthing center and nursery for farm animals, will open its doors for the first time at the upcoming 2018 Georgia National Fair in Perry Oct. 4-14. The Georgia Department of Agriculture – in collaboration with the Georgia National Fair Board, the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association and Georgia’s animal industry partners– are excited to …
China Sets More Tariffs on U.S. Food and Ag Imports
China said Tuesday that it will hit back against President Donald Trump with retaliatory duties of five or 10 percent against another $60 billion worth of American products. The response comes one day after Trump issued the largest number of tariffs yet in an escalating trade dispute. Politico says China is scheduled to implement their plan on Monday to coincide …
Is Canada Purposefully Dragging Out NAFTA Negotiations?
As Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland returned to Washington, D.C. for continued NAFTA negotiations, a prominent Congressional member says time is running out. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise says sentiment is building among members of Congress that Canada is purposefully dragging out the negotiations for political purposes. “Members of Congress are concerned that Canada doesn’t seem to be ready …
Florence Washing Away Cotton and Tobacco Crops
The record-setting and still-rising floodwaters of Hurricane Florence are wreaking havoc on cotton and tobacco crops in the Carolinas. North Carolina Farm Bureau spokesperson Lynda Loveland says it’s going to take some time to get an accurate picture of the damage to flooded tobacco, cotton, corn, soybean, and sweet potato fields because they’re still flooded. Bloomberg says it’s going to …
Global Pork Production Shifting Because of Virus
A Rabobank report says the African Swine Fever virus has shifted the outlook for the global pork industry. The virus was first found in China and has now been confirmed in Belgium. Rabobank says the potential for the spread of the disease around the world has increased exponentially. Twenty cases have been confirmed in China. The Rabobank report says, “It’s …
Iowa Allowed To Join WOTUS Lawsuit
A North Dakota federal judge says Iowa can temporarily stop enforcing the 2015 Waters of the U.S. rule (WOTUS). The Associated Press says several ag and business groups challenged the law in court, seeking to halt its implementation. A news release from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ office says the rule went back into effect in Iowa in August. A federal …
Groups Seek to Lift Stay in Conservation Money Case
Arguing that time “is of the essence,” environmental groups Wednesday requested that a judge lift a stay of a ruling that found state lawmakers did not properly carry out a 2014 constitutional amendment that requires spending on land and water conservation. Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson in July ruled in favor of groups such as the Florida Wildlife Federation …
Putnam Names Dr. Ann Blount the 2018 Woman of the Year in Agriculture
Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced that Dr. Ann Blount has been named the 2018 Woman of the Year in Agriculture. Dr. Blount has dedicated her career to researching and implementing innovative techniques to improve fall forage production in Florida’s southern coastal areas. The award, now in its 34th year, recognizes women who have made outstanding contributions to Florida …