Month: July 2020

After record corn sale to China, Perdue expects ‘a big shipping season this fall’ China is far short of meeting its “phase one” commitment to buy huge amounts of U.S. food and ag exports, but Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said, “We expect a big shipping season this fall.” On Thursday,… Continue reading

EU dabbles in agricultural protectionism, says Perdue European barriers to some U.S. food and ag exports — derided as “hormone beef,” “chlorine chicken,” and GMO “Frankenfoods” — smack of protectionism and could color already acrimonious U.S.-EU trade relations, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue during a transatlantic discussion on Wednesday.  … Continue reading

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is warning Americans not to plant unsolicited packages of seeds that appear to be arriving from China.States stretching from Washington to Virginia have also told residents not to put the seeds in the ground, after they arrived in the mailboxes of people who did not… Continue reading

Senate bill would block faster line speeds at meat plants during pandemic In the name of worker safety, seven Democratic senators introduced a bill on Tuesday to block the USDA from allowing faster line speeds at meat plants during the pandemic and to suspend line-speed waivers it already has issued…. Continue reading

Perdue gets $20 billion blank check for ag aid in GOP bill Senate Republicans proposed $20 billion in additional aid to agriculture in their new coronavirus package on Monday, leaving it to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to allot the money. The proposed increase in farm aid came as the USDA… Continue reading

 (7/27/2020) Today, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is urging Texans to take extreme precaution when receiving unsolicited seed packets from China. These packets have been mailed to multiple states, including Texas, falsely labeled as jewelry. Residents are advised not to plant the seeds as they could contain harmful invasive species… Continue reading

Covid-19 cases appear to be slowing at meat plants. But companies aren’t releasing test results. After many months of surging cases, the number of new Covid-19 infections reported at meatpacking plants appears to have slowed. Yet with limited information from the major meatpackers on new cases at their facilities, advocates… Continue reading

White House cites USDA ‘poison pills’ in threat to veto $260 billion spending bill The White House listed five dozen objections to parts of a $260 billion government funding bill, including bans on implementing two Trump regulations to narrow SNAP eligibility, on Thursday, and threatened a presidential veto. As the… Continue reading

Meatpackers skeptical of broader disclosure of cattle prices and purchases Noting complaints about dwindling competition, the USDA listed several ways to improve price transparency in the cattle market on Wednesday and offered to assist stakeholders and policymakers in exploring options to assure fair prices and level the playing field between… Continue reading

Lax rules, little accountability in Trump food-box giveaway, say House Democrats The Farmers to Families Food Box giveaway program, the Trump administration’s response to hunger during the coronavirus pandemic, went into operation without a formula to assure aid was distributed fairly across the country, said the USDA official overseeing the… Continue reading