Lax rules, little accountability in Trump food-box giveaway, say House Democrats
The Farmers to Families Food Box giveaway program, the Trump administration’s response to hunger during the coronavirus pandemic, went into operation without a formula to assure aid was distributed fairly across the country, said the USDA official overseeing the program on Tuesday.
China buys more U.S. soybeans despite tensions
For the second day in a row, private exporters reported the sale of U.S.-grown soybeans for delivery to China, said the USDA on Tuesday. Since July 14, Chinese companies have purchased 1.3 million tonnes of American soybeans and 1.9 million tonnes of U.S. corn amid rising tensions between the two economic superpowers.
New Map of COVID food outbreaks
Since mid-April, reporter Leah Douglas has been counting and mapping cases of Covid-19 at meatpacking plants, food processing facilities, and farms. With nearly 46,000 cases and 188 deaths reported in 44 states, the virus has continued to spread among vulnerable workers. A new version of the map and several data analyses, published Wednesday, let readers explore how Covid-19 has spread to nearly 600 food facilities across the country.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Dicamba makers want another day in court: Bayer, BASF and Corteva separately filed petitions asking for a review by all of the judges on the U.S. appeals court in San Francisco of the June 3 decision by three of its members to vacate the EPA registration of the weedkiller dicamba. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
Coronavirus rules upheld for farmworkers: Although farmworker groups wanted a ban on bunk beds as protection against exposure to the coronavirus, a state judge said Washington State’s housing rules for farm workers would stay in place. (Associated Press)
$10 billion to fight coronavirus hunger: The World Food Program launched the largest appeal in UN history, asking for $10 billion for food aid to 138 million people “who face desperate levels of hunger as the pandemic tightens its grip on some of the most fragile countries on earth.” (WFP)
So far, so good at Bristol Bay: A month into the salmon fishing season that brings 12,000 workers into Alaska’s Bristol Bay area, all of the 61 cases of coronavirus infection are related directly to the seafood industry and none are year-round residents. (The Counter)
On-farm energy production gets House review: The House Agriculture subcommittee on commodity exchanges, energy and credit scheduled a hearing for Thursday at 10 a.m. ET on production of energy on the farm and its impact on farm income and rural communities. (House Agriculture)
