Poverty rate returns to pre-recession level in rural America
But the growth in household income that accompanied four years of declines in the poverty rate nationwide has slowed, and anti-hunger groups warned that poverty was sure to increase if Trump administration policies are adopted.
In Nebraska, fight over Costco chicken farms escalates
As Nebraska’s brand-new Costco chicken processing plant begins sending birds down the line in Fremont, residents are escalating their protest against the company by pushing for a statewide moratorium on new concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
September is for USMCA deal-making, says Grassley
Congress “ought to take action early this fall” on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) so the trade pact can take effect before the end of the year, said Senate Finance chairman Chuck Grassley on Tuesday.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Dairy pains in Wisconsin (NPR): Chronic low prices, a trade war, and a glut of milk has pushed more dairy farms out of business in Wisconsin than in any other state.
Farmers want debt forgiveness (New Food Economy): The National Young Farmers Coalition is behind two bills that would allow debt forgiveness to farmers struggling with student loans.
For farmers, Trump is Teflon president (Reuters): Farmers are looking for someone to blame other than President Trump for fallout from the trade war and a slowdown in usage of corn ethanol; for the moment, the faceless Washington bureaucrat is the scapegoat.
Cargill implicated in Amazon fires (DTN/Progressive Farmer): Environmental groups are blaming one of the world’s largest grain exporters and processors for fires and deforestation of the Amazonian rainforest in Brazil.
The blob is back (San Francisco Chronicle): A large mass of unusually warm water, officially named the Northeast Pacific Marine Heatwave, is on the same trajectory as the “blob” that disrupted the ocean ecosystem along the West Coast from 2014 to 2016, causing toxic algae blooms and population losses among sea creatures.
