House to vote on infant formula shortage
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House will vote this week on emergency legislation to relax some WIC regulations on infant formula, now in short supply, “so that we can get nutrition into the mouths of America’s babies.” Through WIC, the government buys about half of the infant formula sold in the country.
Biden nominates two for USDA undersecretary posts
President Biden selected two veterans of U.S. agriculture and nutrition policy for sub-cabinet positions at the Agriculture Department. Stacy Dean was nominated to serve as undersecretary for nutrition and Alexis Taylor to be undersecretary for trade, announced the White House. Dean has been the senior official overseeing USDA nutrition programs since Biden took office and Taylor has been Oregon’s agriculture director since December 2016.
Farmland values soar more than 20 percent in Midwest and Plains
Strong agricultural income and favorable interest rates are fueling a nonstop climb in farmland values in the Plains and Midwest, said farm bankers in quarterly surveys by the Kansas City and Chicago Federal Reserve banks. The Chicago Fed said farmland values in the opening months of this year were 23 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2021; the increase was 24 percent for non-irrigated land in the Plains.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
India halts wheat exports: Scorched by a heat wave, India banned exports of wheat in most cases, tightening the world supply already disrupted by warfare in Ukraine, with exceptions for governments with vulnerable food supplies. (New York Times)
Argentina approves GMO wheat: Argentina approved cultivation of GMO wheat — the first nation in the world to do so — but developer Bioceres said it would not put the seeds on sale for the time being. (Reuters)
Lunar soil grows plants: Scientists at the University of Florida grew plant relatives of mustard greens in teaspoon-sized samples of lunar soil brought to Earth half a century ago by U.S. astronauts. (NASA)
Less fertilizer, smaller harvests: In a communique issued in Stuttgart, G7 agriculture ministers said supply chain disruptions and high prices for fertilizers and other inputs will mean reduced usage and smaller harvests in many countries. (German Agriculture Ministry)
New Zealand dairy complaint: Canada is reneging on its promises in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact to allow more dairy imports by awarding the quotas for imports to its own dairy processors, said the New Zealand government in its first TPP trade complaint. (Financial Post)
ON THE CALENDAR
Monday
Agriculture Secretary meets Henryk Kowalczyk, Polish deputy prime minister and minister of agriculture and rural development; Janusz Wojciechowski, European Union commissioner; and Mykola Solskyi, Ukrainian agriculture minister, in Warsaw.
Stan Dotson of BlockApps and Martha King of Farm Foundation speak at The Chicago Farmers meeting on “Managing data from farm to fork,” 12:30 p.m. ET, Chicago.
USDA releases weekly Crop Progress report, 4 p.m. ET.
Tuesday
The House may vote as early as Tuesday on legislation to grant emergency authority to the WIC program to respond to shortages of infant formula, said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
House Agriculture Committee votes on an annual letter identifying areas of priority for funding in the upcoming fiscal year, and eight bills on land stewardship, expanding capacity in the meat supply chain, encouraging larger domestic production of fertilizer, 2 p.m. ET.
Farmworker Justice holds Environmental Justice Symposium, through Wednesday, Washington.
Wednesday
EPA administrator Michael Regan is lead witness at Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2023 funding for the agency, 10 a.m. ET, 124 Dirksen.
International Dairy Foods Association holds DairyTech 2022, through Sunday, Austin, Texas.
Iowa State University holds Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference, Ames, Iowa.
USDA releases monthly Livestock, Poultry and Dairy Outlook, 3 p.m. ET.
Thursday
FDA commissioner Robert Califf is lead witness at House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2023 funding for the agency, 10 a.m. ET.
U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai attends APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting, through Sunday, Bangkok.
International Grains Council releases monthly Grain Market Report, London.
Friday
State Agriculture and Rural Leaders hold 2022 Ag Chairs Summit for state legislators, through Sunday, Boise, Idaho.
USDA releases monthly Cattle on Feed and Chickens and Eggs reports, 3 p.m. ET.
Saturday
National Restaurant Association show, through Sunday, Chicago.
Sunday
National WIC Association holds annual education and training conference, through May 26, New Orleans.
