Biden proposes $100 billion to bring broadband to all Americans
President Biden unveiled a $2 trillion infrastructure package — “a once-in-a-generation investment in America” — on Wednesday that calls for spending $100 billion to deliver affordable and reliable broadband service to all Americans. The package also proposed a $5 billion Rural Partnership Program to support locally led initiatives to create jobs and economic growth in rural America.
U.S. survey indicates corn and soy crops will be smaller than expected
U.S. farmers will plant less corn and soybean land than expected this year, despite a surge in commodity prices, suggesting that tighter grain supplies will persist into 2022, said the USDA on Wednesday. Although with normal weather and yields, the corn and soybean harvests could be the second largest ever, they will not be quite as large as projected by traders and the government.
Today’s Quick Hits
Judge nixes faster line speeds: A federal judge in Minnesota voided a USDA provision allowing pork plants taking part in a new inspection system to run slaughter lines at higher speeds, ruling that the government did not consider the risk of injuries to workers. (Public Citizen)
EPA purges panels: EPA administrator Michael Regan will remove more than 40 outside experts, appointed by President Trump, from two key advisory panels in a move he says will restore the role of science at the agency. (Washington Post)
Stiff penalties for filming: An Iowa Senate committee is advancing a bill that would make it a crime, possibly a felony, to use a camera while trespassing at a large-scale livestock farm. The bill was already passed by the Iowa House. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
United Fresh, PMA merger: Two trade groups, the United Fresh Produce Association and the Produce Marketing Association, agreed in principle to create a new global trade association that would begin operations on Jan. 1, 2022. (United Fresh)
Small farms, big yields: Small farms, which rely on family labor, tend to have higher yields and more crop diversity than the larger operations that produce most of the world’s food, says a team of researchers at the University of British Columbia. (Nature Sustain)
