Heartland would be hit hard by proposal to tighten SNAP eligibility, says report
The Trump administration should withdraw its proposal for tougher eligibility rules for SNAP because of the harmful effects it would have on vulnerable families, said the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on Thursday. An estimated 1.9 million U.S. households would lose benefits, with four heartland states on the list of nine states facing the largest proportional losses, the group said.
China and U.S. to meet on trade in early October
Senior Chinese and U.S. officials will resume trade talks in Washington in early October, a month later than initially planned, said China’s Ministry of Commerce on Thursday. Working-level discussions are planned for mid-September “to fully prepare for the substantial progress of the high-level consultations,” said the ministry.
House Ag chairman’s re-election called a toss-up
Rep. Collin Peterson “is a good fit for his district, but outliers like him have become less and less common,” said the political website Sabato’s Crystal Ball on Thursday, listing him as a toss-up for election to a 16th term.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Tyson’s jumbo deal (Washington Post): Tyson announced its investment in a company that will make plant-based shrimp, jumping (back) into the world of faux-meat products.
World food prices drop again (FAO): The Food Price Index, a measure of the cost of food commodities worldwide, fell by 1.1 percent in August, led by sharply lower sugar and food grain prices. It was the third straight month of declines.
Industrial hemp acreage soars (Let’s Talk Hemp): Licensed hemp acreage zoomed to 511,442 acres in 34 states in 2019, with 17,000 licenses issued to growers, according to Vote Hemp, an advocacy group. In 2018, hemp was grown on only 78,176 acres.
Can the ‘no corn syrup’ label (Beverage Daily): In a decision that may end an advertising war that started during last year’s Super Bowl, federal judge William Conley ruled that Anheuser-Busch cannot use ‘no corn syrup’ language or icons on its beer packaging.
Many farms are offline (Modern Farmer): Even as the agricultural landscape becomes increasingly tech-heavy, only three-quarters of U.S. farms have access to the internet, according to the USDA.
