Crop farmers to see $6 billion in disaster aid — USDA
Beginning later this month, farmers across the nation will receive around $6 billion in disaster relief for losses due to catastrophic weather and wildfires, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. The money, part of $10 billion earmarked for agricultural disasters, would be paid through the new Emergency Relief Program (ERP) to offset lower yields and value losses.
‘Stay tuned,’ says Vilsack as dairy demands retaliatory tariffs
The United States was “greatly disappointed” by Canada’s refusal to allow larger imports of U.S. dairy products despite a USMCA trade ruling, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. Vilsack expressed solidarity with U.S. dairy groups that called for retaliatory tariffs on Canadian goods, telling reporters, “Stay tuned.”
Consent decree to clean up and re-start infant formula plant
Abbott Nutrition would hire an outside expert and implement a sanitation plan at its infant formula plant in Michigan as part of returning the plant to production and ending U.S. shortages of formula, said the Justice Department on Monday. The largest U.S. maker of formula, Abbott has said it could resume production within two weeks once it has a federal go-ahead but it could take several weeks for products to reach retailers.
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TODAY’S QUICK HITS
‘Deep concern’ on India ban: During a teleconference, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack expressed “deep concern” about India’s ban on most exports of its wheat, a step that drove up grain prices and injected additional uncertainty into global food supplies. (FERN’s Ag insider)
Egg prices rise again: The nationwide average wholesale price of a dozen large eggs was $2.78, up by 11 cents for the second weekly increase in a row, with nearly 37.9 million birds in domestic flocks dead due to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza. (USDA)
Mexico waives food duties: In a step to curb inflation, Mexico said it would temporarily waive import duties on foodstuffs including rice, tuna, pork, chicken, beef, onions, flour, eggs, tomatoes, milk, wheat, apples and oranges. (ANews)
Size matters for digesters: To be a good investment, dairy farmers need the manure from 5,000 cows to feed into a biodigester that extracts biogas to produce electricity — a barrier to small farms. One company says the solution is to add food waste to the mix. (Modern Farmer)
