Less corn land is needed than soy to satisfy SAF goal
Soybean plantings would have to increase nearly 50 percent if soybean oil became the only feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), said two analysts from UC-Davis. With its higher yields per acre, corn ethanol as the sole feedstock would result in an increase in area of around 9 percent.
Crime rings target EBT cards
Authorities arrested 10 immigrants from Romania and Italy on charges of “skimming” EBT cards to steal SNAP and welfare benefits from California recipients, a crime that has increased in the past couple of years and occurs nationwide. Since June 2022, more than $181 million in EBT benefits were stolen in California, mostly by unauthorized ATM withdrawals, said the Secret Service.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
HPAI in 16 herds: An additional dairy herd in Texas is infected with highly infectious avian influenza, raising the U.S. total to 16 herds, half of them in the Lone Star state. (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service)
Hurdle for SAF from ethanol: Ethanol would qualify as a feedstock for sustainable avian fuel (SAF) only if the component crops are grown under three agricultural practices, said two unnamed sources familiar with the matter. (Reuters)
USDA Organic seal widely trusted: Nine out of 10 consumers say they know what organic means and 70 percent say they trust the USDA Organic seal, “the most trusted of any agricultural label,” according to a survey of 1,200 consumers. (Organic Trade Association)
Food index rises: For the first time in seven months, the Food Price Index is up, by 1.1 percent, due to higher prices for vegetable oils, dairy products, and meat. (Food and Agriculture Organization)
ON THE CALENDAR
Monday
Professional farm manager Troy Dukes discusses trends in farmland values, current farmland lease rates, and the outlook for 2024 at a luncheon meeting of The Chicago Farmers, 12:30 p.m. ET, Chicago.
Chad Higgins, vice chancellor of the University of Missouri, speaks to the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City during its annual Mizzou Showcase luncheon, 12:30 p.m. ET, Kansas City.
USDA releases weekly Crop Progress report, 4 p.m. ET.
Wednesday
Chief Randy Moore is lead witness as Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the proposed fiscal 2025 budget for the U.S. Forest Service, 10 a.m. ET, 124 Dirksen.
The Labor Department releases monthly Consumer Price Index report, 8:30 a.m. ET. At latest count, the food inflation rate was 2.2 percent and the overall U.S. inflation rate was 3.2 percent.
Thursday
Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan speaks to a joint meeting of Congress, 11 a.m. ET, The Capitol.
USDA releases monthly Crop Production and WASDE reports, noon ET. Traders expect the USDA to reduce its estimate of drought-hit Brazil’s soybean crop by about 3 million metric tons from its March estimate of 155 million tons.
The House Appropriations subcommittee on USDA and FDA holds a “member day” session, 10 a.m. ET, 2362A Rayburn.
House Oversight Committee holds a hearing on the Food and Drug Administration, 1 p.m. ET, 2154 Rayburn.
The CFTC and Kansas State University hold AgCon 2024, through Friday, Overland Park, Kansas. The CFTC said AgCon would “bring together government officials, agribusiness, and academia to discuss a range of topics that are important to the agricultural community who depend upon the futures markets.”
We Are For Better Alternatives holds NoCo Hemp Expo, “the world’s most comprehensive industrial hemp exposition and conference,” through Saturday, Estes Park, Colorado.
