Ag and ethanol groups ask Biden for help at home and overseas
The ethanol industry, which says it has lost $3.8 billion in sales since March, is looking to the Biden administration for relief at the same time that farm groups want the new president to resolve the trade war with China. But a Purdue University professor said it was unlikely Biden would immediately undertake broad-scale trade reform, pointing out that “he has other priorities that take precedence.”
Half of the wild relatives of major U.S. crops are endangered
Half of 600 native plants in the United States that are wild relatives of important agricultural crops are endangered in their natural habitats, and “the great majority” of them require conservation action, said a team of researchers.
Tyson Foods fires seven in Covid betting pool
Tyson Foods said on Wednesday that it had fired seven management employees at its hog slaughter plant in Waterloo, Iowa, following allegations that plant manager Tom Hart had organized a betting pool over how many of the plant’s employees would become ill with Covid-19.
Today’s Quick Hits
Massachusetts is first with P-EBT: State officials said they have USDA approval to issue Pandemic EBT benefits to families with school-age children for the rest of the 2020-21 school year, making Massachusetts the first state with the go-ahead to restart the benefits. (Mass Live)
Small rise in antibiotic use for livestock: Sales of medically important antibiotics for use in food-bearing animals rose 3 percent, to an estimated 6.2 million kilograms, in 2019. (FDA)
Fudge slams SNAP appeal: The Trump administration “is still trying to strip food assistance from hungry people in the middle of a pandemic” by appealing the U.S. district court decision that overturned a USDA rule setting more stringent time limits on food stamps for able-bodied adults, said Rep. Marcia Fudge. (House Agriculture)
Shrinking habitat for endangered species: A new Trump administration rule says only “critical habitat” for threatened or endangered species must be protected, a narrower view of federal protections that could allow agriculture, logging, or other development on land once occupied by the species. (Washington Post)
Australia takes on China at WTO: Trade minister Simon Birmingham said Australia will challenge China at the World Trade Organization over its imposition of an 80 percent tariff on imports of Australian barley. (ABC Rural)
