Record U.S. corn and soybean crops are possible this year
U.S. farmers will plant enough land to corn and soybeans this spring to put record harvests within reach with normal weather and “trend-type” yields, said an S&P Global update. It was the second report this week to suggest that despite the USDA’s projection of a shift toward soybeans, many farmers will stick with corn.
Grocery prices to edge downward in 2024
After two years of higher-than-normal grocery inflation, retail food prices are headed for their first year-over-year decline since 2017, said USDA economists on Thursday. Grocery prices would be an average of 0.4 percent lower this year than in 2023, led by falling prices for pork, eggs, fresh vegetables, and cereal and bakery products.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Composting grants: The USDA will award $11.5 million to 38 cooperative projects through its Composting and Food Waste Reduction program to support “innovative, scalable waste management plans to reduce and divert food waste from landfills.” (USDA)
Bill to end anonymous complaints: Legislation advanced in the Iowa Senate would require those reporting violations of environmental regulations to provide their names to the Department of Natural Resources, with potential disclosure to the alleged violator. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Doing better in town: Former president Donald Trump got 55.9 percent of the vote in metropolitan counties and 53.4 percent in rural counties on his way to winning the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire. (Daily Yonder)
Popcorn license: Purdue University, which used traditional breeding techniques to develop a short-stature variety of popcorn, issued a worldwide license for the D16 strain to an Indiana company that specializes in hybrid popcorn seed. (Purdue)
Hemp seeks House hearing: Some 28 hemp industry groups asked the House Energy and Commerce Committee to call a hearing on the FDA’s “inaction” on regulating the sale of hemp products for animal or human use. (U.S. Hemp Roundtable)
