Ohio is hit hardest as bird flu returns to the Midwest
After a summertime lull, bird flu is back in the Midwest, the heart of U.S. egg and turkey production, with outbreaks at commercial poultry farms in Minnesota and Ohio since Sept. 1. Some 43.85 million birds have been culled this year due to highly pathogenic avian influenza, and one analyst says turkey and egg prices may remain elevated for some time to come.
Drought pares U.S. corn and soy harvest, say traders
With the fall harvest getting under way, traders expect the USDA to trim its estimate of the U.S. corn crop by more than a quarter-billion bushels on Monday but to stick to its forecast of the largest soybean crop ever, at roughly 4.5 billion bushels.
A historically Black California town fights for safe water
In California, clean, safe and affordable drinking water is considered a human right under state law, but nearly a million residents don’t have access to it. Many of them live in the state’s Central Valley, a patchwork of desert scrub and irrigated farmland that’s roughly twice the size of Massachusetts, and produces 25 percent of the nation’s food supply. To some extent, the state’s historic, climate-change-fueled drought is to blame. But the drought has also exacerbated long-standing water access issues that in many Valley communities can be traced back much farther, to decades of neglect and racist policies. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Allensworth.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Railroads to cut service: U.S. railroads will reduce service on Monday with a strike possible on Saturday following the failure to reach agreement with two labor unions on a new contract. (Bloomberg)
Stabenow opposes nutrition cuts: The farm bill provides a “farm safety net for farmers and a family safety net,” said Senate Agriculture chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, and she will oppose broad cuts in USDA nutrition programs in the 2023 farm bill. (Agri-Pulse))
GAO questions CFAP payments: The USDA paid $31 billion to farmers and ranchers in pandemic relief, but producers failed in half of the 90 claims reviewed by congressional auditors to provide documents that justified their requests for money. (Government Accountability Office)
Broadband grants and loans available: The USDA set Nov. 2 as the deadline to apply for a share of the $1.1 billion available for grants and loans to expand access to high-speed internet in rural America. (USDA)
Grasshopper hunters: An unofficial army of grasshopper hunters feeds Mexico’s appetite for crunchy insects, “typically consumed as snacks or alternatives to meat.” (Los Angeles Times)
ON THE CALENDAR
Monday
The National Farmers Union holds a fall Legislative Fly-In, through Wednesday, Washington. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was scheduled to speak on Monday. White House officials were to brief NFU members on Wednesday.
USDA releases monthly Crop Production and WASDE reports, noon ET. Analysts expect the USDA to reduce its estimate of the corn crop 2 percent because of drought in the western Corn Belt.
Growth Energy holds Biofuels Summit, its “first fully in-person advocacy event since 2019,” through Thursday, Washington.
Agricultural economist Gary Schnitkey of the University of Illinois discusses farmland return and price outlook at a Chicago Farmers luncheon, Chicago.
Conservation Technology Information Center holds Conservation in Action Tour, through Tuesday, St. Louis.
USDA releases weekly Crop Progress report, 4 p.m. ET.
Tuesday
The Labor Department releases the monthly Consumer Price Index report, 8:30 a.m. ET. At latest count, the U.S. inflation rate was 8.5 percent annually and food inflation was 10.9 percent.
Farm Credit Council holds national directors meeting, through Wednesday, Denver.
Wednesday
House Agriculture Committee hearing, “Soil health practices and programs that support regenerative agriculture,” 10 a.m. ET, 1300 Longworth. Witnesses include Jeff Moyer, chief executive of the Rodale Institute.
House Small Business subcommittee hearing, “Right to repair and what it means for entrepreneurs,” 10 a.m. ET, 2360 Rayburn. Witnesses include Jim Gerritsen, marketing manager for Wood Prairie Family Farm in Maine, and Ken Taylor, chairman of Associated Equipment Distributors, a trade group for companies that rent and sell equipment used in agriculture, construction, mining and other industrial applications.
USDA holds its second virtual Food Loss and Waste Innovation Fair, 10 a.m. ET.
The National Pork Producers Council holds its fall legislative fly-in, through Thursday, Washington. More than 100 pork producers were expected to take part in the biannual fly-in “to meet with their members of Congress to discuss various issues of importance to the U.S. pork industry.”
Thursday
House Agriculture Committee hearing, “A 2022 review of the farm bill: Broadband,” 10 a.m. ET, 1300 Longworth.
CFTC chairman Rostin Behnam is lead witness at the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on S 4760, “The digital commodities consumer protection act,” 10 a.m. ET, 215 Dirksen.
House Transportation and House Agriculture subcommittees hold joint hearing, “Rail service challenges and the impact on agriculture,” 2 p.m. ET, 2167 Rayburn.
USDA resumes publication of its weekly Export Sales report after a four-week hiatus, 8:30 a.m. ET. The Foreign Agricultural Service retracted the Aug. 25 report due to the failure of a new software program, and did not issue reports on Sept. 1 or 8. The FAS said the material on Thursday would include sales from late August.
The Land Trust Alliance hosts Rally 2022: The National Land Conservation Conference, through Saturday, New Orleans.
Friday
USDA releases monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry report, 3 p.m. ET.
