Climate programs will be voluntary, incentive-based, says USDA nominee
The USDA’s climate mitigation initiatives will be built on a simple rule: “If they don’t work for producers and landowners, they’re not going to work for the climate,” said Robert Bonnie, the Biden nominee to run the USDA’s crop subsidy and land stewardship programs, on Thursday. “Making sure we get that right is going to be a high priority.”
Koch Foods indicted as part of poultry price-fixing conspiracy
A federal grand jury in Denver indicted Koch Foods, the fifth-largest U.S. poultry processor, for taking part in a nationwide conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for poultry products, announced the Justice Department on Thursday.
Today’s Quick Hits
Bayer looks to the Supreme Court: The company will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to set aside a $25 million award to a California man who blamed his cancer on Roundup, citing federal pre-emption of state litigation and the EPA’s conclusion that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller, is safe to use. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
Move broadband bill: The USDA should “provide the leading role” in expanding rural access to high-speed internet service, said the leaders of the House Agriculture Committee in asking Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call a floor vote on the committee’s $43 billion broadband bill. (House Agriculture)
Commercial-scale GE salmon farm: Aquabounty Technologies said it would spend more than $200 million to build its first commercial-scale GE salmon facility, covering 479,000 square feet and capable of producing 10,000 metric tons of fish a year, in Pioneer, Ohio. (Aquabounty)
‘Food Emissions 50’: The sustainability nonprofit Ceres launched an investor campaign calling for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 50 “high-emitting” food and agriculture companies, ranging from Tyson Foods, Beyond Meat, and Kroger to ADM, Walmart, and Chipotle. (Ceres)
Two-thirds of a crop: Although the drought-withered spring wheat crop in North Dakota and nearby parts of Minnesota and South Dakota will average 29.1 bushels an acre, just two-thirds of the usual yield, the wheat quality is better than expected, say crop scouts. (Agweek)
