To meet goals, China will be ‘ramping up’ U.S. ag purchases, says Perdue
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he believes China will meet the goals of the “phase one” trade agreement, although the USDA’s new estimate of sales — $14 billion this fiscal year — is only one-third of the target. “We believe those numbers will be surpassed,” Perdue said Thursday at the USDA’s annual Ag Outlook Forum.
Higher biofuel use is a goal of USDA innovation agenda
The USDA is setting a goal of a 30 percent blend of biofuels into the U.S. fuel supply by 2050, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Thursday. Increased biofuel use was one of the four objectives of an “innovation agenda” to increase agricultural production by 40 percent while reducing agriculture’s environmental impact by half.
‘Rough-and-tumble ride’ awaits hemp growers
Industrial hemp, an infant crop heading for its first year under national regulations, is likely be a small player in the farm sector, with a future like a rodeo ride, said panelists at the Ag Outlook Forum on Thursday. “This is going to be a rough-and-tumble ride,” said Tyler Mark, a professor at the University of Kentucky.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Momentum growing for CAFO moratorium (Food and Water Watch): In Iowa, 100 organizations signed a letter urging the state’s legislature to pass a moratorium on new and expanded factory farms.
Climate change drying up the Colorado (Washington Post): A reduced mountain snowpack caused by warmer temperatures has led to a 20-percent drop in the annual water flow down the Colorado River.
More dicamba suits ahead (Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting): The $265 million verdict issued last week against Bayer and BASF for dicamba-related damage to a Missouri peach farm is just the beginning of legal proceedings related to the weedkiller.
