Leadership of the Senate Agriculture Committee indicated there would be no additional money to spend in the next farm bill while touting the cost savings from the most recent farm bill. During a farm bill field hearing in Michigan over the weekend, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts said: “The reality is we are going to have to do more …
Putnam: `No End In Sight’ to Wildfires
from The News Service of Florida Nearly 125 wildfires were active in the state on Monday, and the dry conditions are expected to continue into the early summer, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said. “Florida is in the middle of its worst wildfire season in years — with no end in sight,” Putnam said in a prepared statement. “With such an …
Canada Offers Potential U.S. Ethanol Export Growth
With Canada seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 megatons by 2030, the U.S. ethanol industry is eager to help Canada reach the goal. The U.S. Grains Council says the U.S. ethanol industry last month visited Canada to tout U.S. ethanol. The industry also commented on the proposed Canadian Clean Fuel Standard. Canada has an existing national blending mandate …
ChemChina Secures Shareholder Approval of Syngenta Takeover
State-owned ChemChina has secured its takeover of Syngenta after more than 80 percent of Syngenta shareholders approved the acquisition. The Financial Times reports 80.7 percent of shares had been tendered by the end of the offer period on Thursday evening, above the 67 percent minimum required for the deal to go ahead. The $43 billion deal, announced more than a …
Avian Influenza Found in Mexico
The World Organization for Animal Health reports that highly contagious H7N3 avian influenza was confirmed Thursday at a farm in west-central Mexico. The virus was discovered in a flock of 15,000 birds that had been vaccinated and did not show any clinical signs of the disease, according to agriculture officials in Mexico. Reuters reports that the farm is under quarantine …
Senate Bill Would Protect Farmworkers
U/S.A bill introduced last week in the U.S. Senate would give farmworkers a path to legal status and citizenship. California Senators, Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, introduced the legislation last week that would shield farmworkers who are in the country illegally from deportation and create a path to citizenship, according to the L.A. Times. Feinstein says “farm labor is …
Free Trade, Relationships Key To Market Competitiveness In South Korea
Recent events in foreign policy and the ongoing conversation about the value of U.S. trade agreements have put a spotlight on South Korea as a close U.S. ally and an important customer for U.S. products, including grains. South Korea is now the fifth largest market for U.S. agricultural exports, totaling $6.2 billion in purchases in 2016. The country was the …
The Urban School Food Alliance Responds to School Nutrition Standard
As the Urban School Food Alliance (the Alliance), we represent seven of the largest school districts in the nation (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami-Dade, Dallas, Orange County in Orlando and Broward County in Fort Lauderdale), feeding more three million elementary, middle school and high school students every school day. As many as 90 percent of the children in …
Record Volume for U.S. Pork Exports in March; Beef Exports Remain Strong
U.S. pork and beef exports capped a strong first quarter with excellent March results that included a new record volume for pork, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Pork exports reached 227,955 metric tons (mt) in March, up 16 percent year-over-year and topping the previous monthly high set in November 2016. …
Notice of Determination of Changes to the National Poultry Improvement Plan Program Standards
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is updating the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) Program Standards. In a previous notice, the Agency proposed changes to the NPIP Program Standards document to establish new biosecurity principles and to update some testing procedures. The notice was available for public review and comment for 30 days. No comments …