Millions Could Lose Free School Meals – October 17, 2019

Tighter SNAP rules could deny free school meals to nearly a million children

 

The Trump administration said on Wednesday that up to 982,000 children would lose automatic access to free meals at school under its plan to tighten SNAP eligibility rules. Brandon Lipps, deputy agriculture undersecretary, said the impact would be minimal because most of the children would qualify for a free or reduced-price meal if their parents filed the necessary paperwork.

 

With relocation, ERS losing top expert on consolidation

 

Thanks to the Trump administration’s decision to move the agency out of Washington, the USDA’s Economic Research Service is losing its top expert on market consolidation at a time when declining competition in agriculture is under increased scrutiny from policymakers and government officials.

 

EPA ethanol plan ‘falls short of the promises,’ says House ag chairman

 

The Trump administration “has yet … to produce a concrete plan to meet the annual 15 billion-gallon requirement” for mixing corn ethanol into the U.S. gasoline supply, said House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson on Wednesday.

TODAY’S QUICK HITS

Hemp explosion continues (Politico): Farmers are planting more hemp than ever before, but uncertainty about how hemp products are regulated and the ongoing debate about legalizing cannabis make it a risky crop.

 

Wine industry reshaped by climate change (New York Times): Climate change is altering the production of wine in several ways, including expanding the growing range of certain grape varieties and creating chaotic weather conditions that challenge growers.

 

USDA proposes more Tongass logging (Washington Post): At the direction of President Trump, the USDA’s Forest Service has proposed “allowing logging on more than half” of the Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska, likely putting the region’s salmon and tourism industries at risk.

 

Honduran climate movers (California Sunday): Farmers in southern Honduras, who used to count on two harvests a year, are now fortunate to get one because of a prolonged drought that is causing them to seek work in town, in the nation’s less afflicted farming regions, or in other countries.

 

Disaster aid should include ‘quality losses’ (NAWG): The USDA should respond to heavy rain and early snowfall in Northern Tier states by considering quality losses — including mold, mildew, and sprout damage — when providing disaster relief, said the National Farmers Union and groups representing the growers of a range of crops.

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