Looming renewal of ‘fish bill’ reveals industry-advocate divide
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More than 100 organizations submitted a letter to members of Congress on Wednesday asking them to oppose ocean aquaculture. The letter was delivered as the looming renewal of the “fish bill,” the Magnuson-Stevens Act, reveals divides between the fishing industry and environmentalists, ocean advocates, and other stakeholders about the future of fisheries regulation.
In contrast to House, Senate ag leaders announce no-drama farm bill
The Senate Agriculture Committee will vote next week on a bipartisan farm bill that makes few changes to food stamps, farm supports, and crop insurance, a marked contrast to the decision by House Republicans to pursue welfare reform in their farm bill.
Trump says more ag sales to Japan on the way
On the same day that President Trump said he expected increased agricultural exports to Japan, the chief U.S. agricultural negotiator told farmers in Iowa that more than 14 percent of U.S. farm exports have been or will be tagged with retaliatory tariffs in U.S. trade disputes with countries such as China and Mexico.
The last days of the vaquita
Despite a last-ditch effort by a group of radical conservationists, the vaquita — a small porpoise found only in Mexico’s Gulf of California — is going extinct, and will likely disappear this year…
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
New fishing rules (Pew Charitable Trusts): The New England Fishery Management Council, which oversees fishing from Connecticut to Maine, is considering new regulations that would bar herring trawling less than 50 miles from shore.
Beer company enters new sector (Brewbound): Molson Coors’ investment arm, TAP Ventures, bought a California kombucha brand, the company’s first non-alcohol acquisition.
Copper River salmon near 50-year low (Cordova Times): The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has closed the Copper River commercial salmon fishery due to low fish numbers. So far this year, the Copper River salmon catch is the second lowest in a half-century.
California joins federal milk marketing system (USDA): Dairy farmers in California, the No. 1 milk-producing state, voted in favor of a federal milk marketing order (MMO), covering “fresh” milk headed for supermarkets. The order will take effect Nov. 1 and replace the state MMO.
Farmland deals fail (GRAIN): “A significant number of big farmland deals collapsed” in developing nations in 2017, says a nonprofit advocate of community-based food production. “These are not failed land grabs, since the land almost never goes back to the communities, but failed agribusiness projects.”
Big Data comes to Chinese farms (South China Morning Post): Alibaba, the largest e-commerce company in China, unveiled its “ET Agricultural Brain,” a digital tool to collect and analyze data on farm operations to boost efficiency and income.
San Diego mulls Styrofoam ban (Waste Dive): A proposal before the San Diego City Council would ban food containers made of expanded polystyrene, also called Styrofoam. More than 100 California cities and towns already have bans in place.
Location, location, location (Daily Yonder): Rural counties are likely to rank lower in overall health than urbanized areas when the metrics include child poverty, teen birth rates, and low-birthweight babies, says a study.
China to become big cotton importer (Reuters): After working through surplus stocks, China will resume its role as one of the world’s largest cotton importers in the next couple of years, buying two or three times as much cotton as the 5 million bales forecast for this year.
Keep up with more daily news with our daily farm & agriculture report at America’s Farm Report.
