Grocery prices fall for first time since September 2020
Egg prices fell nearly 11 percent during March, contributing to the first decline — 0.3 percent for the month — in grocery price inflation since September 2020, said the Labor Department on Wednesday. The overall food inflation rate was down for the seventh month in a row.
Lack of right-to-repair may cost farmers more than $3 billion
A survey released this week shows that farmers are losing an average of $3,348 per year to repair downtime and restrictions because farm equipment makers limit their ability to fix tractors, combines, and other equipment.
Following a second court order, WOTUS is on hold in 26 states
Less than four months ago, the Biden administration unveiled “a durable definition” of the upstream reach of clean water laws across the country — a so-called waters of the United States (WOTUS) regulation. With a ruling on Wednesday, federal judges have enjoined implementation of the rule in 26 states while they hear lawsuits that would void the regulation.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Cash pinch on rented land: There is a significant chance that corn and soybean income will fall below production costs on cash-rented farmland this year, although the high incomes of recent years should temper the impact, said four ag economists. (farmdoc daily)
$1 billion for green spaces: The Biden administration said that up to $1 billion in grants is available to an array of stakeholders, including state and municipal governments, to increase equitable access to urban and community forests. (USDA)
Deadly explosion: In possibly the deadliest barn accident on record, a fire killed as many as 18,000 dairy cows at a farm near the town of Dimmitt, in the Texas Panhandle. (San Antonio Express-News)
Ag-gag bill bars drones: In the latest version of ag-gag legislation, the Iowa House passed, 87-10, a bill that would prohibit drones from coming within 400 feet of livestock facilities. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
School pantries, not backpacks: Feeding Tampa Bay, a Florida food bank that ended its school backpack program five years ago, says school pantries are a better way to fight hunger because they offer a greater variety of food and allow families to choose the food they want. (Food Bank News)
