Biofuel, farm groups ask for a second look at ban on summertime E15
The market for corn ethanol will be stunted unreasonably if sales of gasoline containing a higher blend of the homegrown fuel are banned during the summer, said corn growers and two biofuel groups on Tuesday. They asked all 16 judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to review a July 2 decision against year-round sales of E15, gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol.
Three-fourths of U.S. wildland firefighters get a pay raise
More than 14,800 of the federal government’s wildland firefighters will see a raise, to $15 an hour, in their paychecks next week, said the Interior and Agriculture departments on Tuesday. The additional pay will cost nearly $32 million.
Today’s Quick Hits
Targeting Big Ag: Backed by economic research debunking the merits of mergers, farm activists say the Biden administration, led by the USDA, should challenge the power of the big agricultural processors and suppliers. (New Yorker)
Unfair on peanuts: The EU requires unreasonably low levels — much lower than the FDA — of aflatoxin, a cancer-causing fungus, in peanut imports, which is damaging the market for U.S. peanuts, said two senior House Democrats in a letter to U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai. (House Agriculture)
Farmers hit first: Growers in central Arizona will bear the brunt of the impending cut in Colorado River water supplies, with one farm leader saying those who depend on water from the Central Arizona Project may have to follow up to 40 percent of their farmland. (Washington Post)
Apples in India: Farmers in hot and arid sections of India are planting apple trees, normally grown in temperate climates, to supplement their income, thanks to the work of Hariman Sharma, a small farmer who was intrigued by a volunteer sprout in his backyard. (Modern Farmer)
Slow rural broadband: Although internet connections are improving, rural and lightly populated states still have the slowest download speeds, says an analysis that found broadband was slowest in Montana, West Virginia, Idaho, Maine, and Wyoming. (High Speed Internet)
