Amid tussle over milk labeling, FDA proposes ‘voluntary nutrient statements’
Americans know the difference in origin between cow’s milk and plant-based milk, and they ought to be told when a dairy alternative has a different nutrient makeup, said the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday. Its proposal, for a statement on packages for many types of plant-based milks, satisfied neither side in the years-old argument over what can be called “milk.”
Farm bill should broaden climate mitigation, land stewardship
When Congress writes the new farm bill, it should include incentives for farmers to adopt cover crops and purchase so-called precision agriculture equipment that more efficiently uses fertilizers and pesticides, said the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance on Wednesday.
#UPDATE
How farms can help pollinators survive climate change
As extreme heat and drought wither plants, obliterate pollen, dry up water sources and make it harder for bees to function or find food, cooler, damper microclimates could help all manner of species survive. Farms can play a role in creating these multifaceted landscapes, known as refugia, offering species a refuge to survive the extremes of climate change.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Water grab: A New Mexico state law meant to help subsistence farmers gain access to irrigation water is also being used by so-called hobby farmers and by wealthy landowners who don’t farm at all. (InsideClimate News)
Beech trees in peril: The beech trees common to the eastern United States are threatened by beech leaf disease, an obscure blight that some experts compare to the chestnut blight that killed 4 billion trees a century ago. (Nature Beat)
Farm bill input: Leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee have invited the public to submit proposals for the new farm bill by emailing FarmBill2023@ag.senate.gov or by filling out a digital form on the committee’s website. (Senate Agriculture)
New CEO at trade group: Neil Caskey, the National Corn Growers Association’s vice president for communications for the past four years, will begin work on Monday as the group’s new chief executive. (NCGA)
Overhaul pesticide rules: Sixty nonprofit groups filed a citizen petition asking the EPA to overhaul its regulations of neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides blamed for killing honeybees and other pollinators. (The New Lede)
