In ‘final report card,’ world fails to meet biodiversity goals, says UN – September 17, 2020

In ‘final report card,’ world fails to meet biodiversity goals, says UN

In 2010, global leaders set 20 goals for preserving biodiversity worldwide in the decade ahead. Today, none of the targets has been met fully and only six are even partially achieved, said the United Nations in “a final report card” on the effort. “Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate,” said the Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 report, “and the pressures driving the decline are intensifying.” Still, the UN said, “it is not too late to slow, halt, and reverse current trends.”

 

Farmers to plant more soybeans next year, stand pat on corn

Recent increases in market prices are making soybeans more attractive, and farmers will respond by expanding soybean acreage by nearly 5 percent in 2021 while holding steady on corn acreage, said Farm Futures on Wednesday.

 

Cargill to support regenerative agriculture on 10 million acres

Agricultural processor Cargill said on Wednesday that it would support the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices on 10 million acres of North American farmland over the next 10 years.

 

TODAY’S QUICK HITS

Groups seek new hearing in weedkiller case: Environmental groups asked for a rehearing, before the entire Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, of their lawsuit challenging EPA approval of Corteva’s Enlist Duo herbicide. The groups contend the agency did not properly consider the risk the mixture of glyphosate and 2,4-D poses to endangered species. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)

Few N95 masks for ag workers: Although California officials say they have distributed more than 3 million N95 masks to farmworkers to protect them from the toxic air produced by the state’s wildfires, the workers say they haven’t received them. (The Counter)

 

‘USDA’ becomes ‘Trump administration’: In some announcements, “Trump administration” has replaced “USDA” as the source of domestic food assistance, which food expert Marion Nestle describes as “another example of questionable use of the presidency.” (Food Politics)

 

Pandemic sidelines 100,000 restaurants: Nearly one in six U.S. restaurants — almost 100,000 in all — are closed either permanently or for the long term because of the pandemic, and the industry is on track to lose $240 billion in sales by the end of the year, according to a survey. (National Restaurant Association)

 

House to vote on ‘RFS integrity’ plan: The House is expected to vote next week on HR 4447, a clean-economy bill that includes language by House Agriculture chairman Collin Peterson that would require the EPA to carry out in public its consideration of requests by refiners for exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard. (House Agriculture)

 

Former USDA official Schnittker dies: John Schnittker, the No. 2 USDA official during the Johnson administration and a longtime agricultural consultant with a keen interest in farm policy, died at age 95. (Agri-Pulse)

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