Judge blocks USDA suspension of farm wage survey
The USDA will have to go ahead with its semiannual survey of farmworker wages under a ruling issued Wednesday by a U.S. district court judge. Farmworker advocates say the Trump administration, by attempting to abandon the survey, is trying to depress farm wages.
Presidential election should be followed by a national food strategy, says report
The coronavirus pandemic, which has disrupted food supplies and heightened food insecurity, should be the impetus for unified oversight of the food system, now splintered among dozens of regulatory agencies, said an “urgent call” for action from groups at the Harvard and Vermont law schools on Thursday.
EPA reduces exclusion zone around pesticide applicators
The EPA finalized a regulation on Thursday that reduces the size of the buffer zones intended to protect people from pesticides being applied on the farm. EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler said the new regulation would be simpler and easier to follow than its predecessor.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
GOP hopes rise against Bustos: Rep. Cheri Bustos, head of the campaign committee for House Democrats and a member of the House Agriculture Committee, “is facing an increasingly competitive re-election bid” in her northwestern Illinois district. (The Hill)
Gray wolf off the endangered list: Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said the gray wolf has “exceeded all conservation goals for recovery” and will no longer be protected under the Endangered Species Act. (Department of the Interior)
Soy more profitable than corn in 2021: Soybeans are projected to be more profitable than corn again in the Midwest in 2021, but farmers will need above-average yields or stopgap federal payments to earn enough revenue to pay the cost of renting farmland. (farmdoc Daily)
Big corn sale to Mexico: Private exporters reported the sale of 1.43 million tonnes of U.S. corn for delivery to Mexico, boosting sales this month to 2.1 million tonnes to the southern U.S. neighbor, where growers have warned of decreased production. (USDA)
Strong rise in global soy crop: Soybean growers around the world will harvest a record crop of 370 million tonnes in 2020/21, a 9 percent increase from the previous year, due to a rebound in U.S. production and potentially larger crops in South America. (International Grains Council)
