Trump’s trade and coronavirus aid to agriculture could hit $50 billion With its new offer of $14 billion in coronavirus relief, the Trump administration could spend $50 billion — quadruple the cost of the auto industry bailout — in less than three years to buffer the impact of trade war… Continue reading
Trump announces $13 billion in additional coronavirus aid to farmers During a re-election rally in rural Wisconsin on Thursday, President Trump announced an additional $13 billion in coronavirus relief for U.S. farmers and ranchers, more than doubling assistance to the sector. The money will be available beginning next week, said… Continue reading
In ‘final report card,’ world fails to meet biodiversity goals, says UN In 2010, global leaders set 20 goals for preserving biodiversity worldwide in the decade ahead. Today, none of the targets has been met fully and only six are even partially achieved, said the United Nations in “a final… Continue reading
Coronavirus requires a ‘massive response,’ Pelosi tells the NFU Six months into the pandemic, America needs a “massive response” to the coronavirus to keep the economy running, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday speaking to the National Farmers Union. “You can’t have a skinny deal,” said Pelosi. Rural… Continue reading
In farm-state victory, EPA denies retro-exemptions from biofuel mandate The EPA rejected more than four dozen requests by small petroleum refiners for retroactive exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard, said agency chief Andrew Wheeler on Monday in a decision that potentially expands the sale of corn-based ethanol. Half-a-billion dollars… Continue reading
Derecho blows away expectations of a record-setting U.S. corn crop The windstorm that blasted across Iowa — “basically a 40 mile-wide tornado,” in the words of Gov. Kim Reynolds — wiped out 9 percent of the crop in the nation’s No. 1 corn state and obliterated the chances for a… Continue reading
Is America’s food supply safe from terrorist attacks? No. The United States spends more than $1 billion every year to keep America’s food supply safe, but even without terrorism, food-borne diseases cause about 5,000 deaths and 325,000 hospitalizations each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)…. Continue reading
Siding with farmers, Trump tells EPA to deny retroactive biofuel waiver requests With an eye toward shoring up Farm Belt support less than two months before the election, President Trump directed the EPA to deny dozens of oil refiner requests for retroactive waivers from U.S. biofuel laws, Reuters reported on… Continue reading
Vilsack highlights Biden’s support of ethanol Democrat Tom Vilsack, the former agriculture secretary and Iowa governor, made a virtual campaign sweep through the farm state last week on behalf of Joe Biden, emphasizing that the Democratic presidential nominee was a friend of ethanol. Pandemic paradox: As food poverty rises,… Continue reading
Perdue gets blank check for ag aid 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 released figures showing that it… Continue reading
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