Senate approves first Biden-era executive at USDA
On a voice vote, the Senate confirmed agricultural law expert Janie Hipp, who promised to be “a big voice at the interdepartmental table” in dealing with cattle prices and biofuels, as USDA general counsel. She was the first of President Biden’s nominees for top-tier executive posts at USDA to see a Senate vote, but action could be near on others.
Food insecurity grows by a third due to pandemic
Some 1.2 billion people do not get enough to eat to sustain a healthy and active lifestyle in 76 countries monitored by the USDA for food insecurity. The increase of 291 million people, or 32 percent, was caused by the pandemic.
Today’s Quick Hits
‘Is this legal?’: Agri-Stats, a widely used data analytics company for the meat industry, has been named in more than 90 lawsuits since 2016 that claim its data facilitate anti-competitive behavior and drive up meat prices. (Investigate Midwest)
Hearings on WOTUS: The Biden administration will hold public hearings during August on its two-step process to write a “reasonable, effective and durable definition” of the waters of the United States that would supersede the narrower Navigable Waters rule adopted during the Trump years. (EPA)
Mega-dairy power: Residents of Minnesota and Arizona say Riverview LLP, with thousands of dairy cows, monopolizes their local economies and is depleting and polluting the groundwater. (High Country News)
Bio-based-product review: The bio-based products industry contributes $470 billion a year to the U.S. economy, said a USDA report 10 years after the creation of its Certified Biobased Product label. (USDA)
Rural Covid rise: The rate of Covid-19 infections in rural counties has more than tripled since the last week of June and is climbing the fastest in the deep South and in Arkansas and Missouri, according to an analysis of recent data. (Daily Yonder)
Don’t let it burn: State and local officials in California prefer to stomp out wildfires as soon as they can and say the U.S. Forest Service ought to do the same, particularly in a drought year. (Los Angeles Times)
On The Calendar
Monday
Under a proclamation by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, this is National Farmers Market Week, through Saturday.
Senate Appropriations subcommittee votes on fiscal 2022 funding for USDA, FDA and related agencies, 5:45 p.m. ET, 128 Dirksen.
Agricultural and Applied Economics Association holds annual meeting, through Tuesday, Austin, Texas.
USDA releases annual Honey Bee Colonies report, 3 p.m. ET.
USDA releases weekly Crop Progress report, 4 p.m. ET.
Tuesday
Purdue University releases its monthly Ag Economy Barometer, a gauge of the health of the agricultural economy.
IDEAg holds Minnesota Farmfest, through Thursday, Morgan, Minnesota.
Wednesday
Senate Appropriations Committee votes on three funding bills for fiscal 2022, including money for the USDA, FDA and related agencies, 10 a.m. ET, 128 Dirksen.
Thursday
Senate Agriculture Committee holds confirmation hearing on Homer Wilkes, nominated to be undersecretary for natural resources, 10 a.m. ET, 301 Russell.
USDA holds a webinar to discuss its International Food Security Assessment report, which makes 10-year projections of food security measures in 75 low- and middle-income countries, 1 p.m. ET.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization releases monthly Food Price Index, measuring the monthly change in international prices for a basket of food commodities, Rome.
Friday
USDA releases annual Land Values report, 3 p.m. ET. Farm real estate, including land and buildings, was worth an average $3,160 in 2020, unchanged from 2019. Farm bankers and university surveys say land values surged this year in the major farm states due to high commodity prices, payment payments from the government, low interest rates and concern about possible adverse changes in tax law.
