New chairs on the way for Senate and House Agriculture panels
Southerners could lead both of the Agriculture committees in Congress as a result of Tuesday’s general election, which trimmed the majorities Republicans hold in the Senate and Democrats hold in the House. Rep. David Scott of Georgia was first in seniority to succeed chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota on the House Agriculture Committee, and Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas was in line to chair the Senate panel.
Once again, rural America votes for Trump
Rural America was key to Donald Trump’s election in 2016 and rural voters backed him again this year, although by how much is unclear. While one exit poll reported that 54 percent of small city or rural residents voted for Trump, the Daily Yonder said the president’s performance in Ohio, a battleground state, “looks a lot like 2016,” when he rolled up huge margins in rural counties.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
By a hair, gray wolf leads in voting: With 87 percent of the vote counted, Coloradans are narrowly supporting reintroduction of the gray wolf west of the Continental Divide. Most of the outstanding ballots are from urban areas, where the proposal is popular. (Denver Post)
Mainstream leader for climate review: The Trump administration appointed a mainstream scientist, Betsy Weatherhead, “who accepts human-induced climate change is happening,” to direct the next National Climate Assessment, a comprehensive report on climate change and its consequences. (Washington Post)
Wildfire modeling loses value: The decades-old scientific models used to predict and understand wildfires are being made obsolete as climate change “dries out the West and increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather.” (High Country News)
USDA to allow South African citrus: The USDA will allow imports of cold-treated fresh citrus fruit from South Africa after determining that doing so would not increase the risk of introducing the false coddling moth or other plant pests. (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service)
Locust disaster averted: More than 1.1 million hectares in 10 countries in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula have been treated for desert locust infestations since January, preventing the potential loss of 2.3 million tonnes of cereal grains. That’s enough to feed 15 million families for a year. (FAO)
