Southeast will get most of $3 billion in agricultural disaster aid
Floods and crop-delaying rains in the Midwest generated a lot of attention, but the hurricane-hit U.S. Southeast will see the bulk of the $3 billion allocated by Congress for agricultural disaster relief, said Agriculture Undersecretary Bill Northey on Thursday.
Farming plays key role in UN climate push on land restoration
When the UN Climate Summit gets underway next week, it will be the focal point of mass protests and media coverage, but another global climate initiative is revving up that focuses on large-scale land restoration as a way to counter the advent and impact of climate change.
Chinese delegation to visit U.S. farms next week
In what may be an opening in the Sino-U.S. trade war, a group of Chinese officials will tour U.S. farms next week, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Thursday.
Additional week to enroll in Dairy Margin Coverage subsidy
More than 21,200 farmers have enrolled in the new dairy support program created by the 2018 farm bill, said Agriculture Undersecretary Bill Northey on Thursday, announcing a one-week extension of the signup period.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Bird numbers plummet (New York Times): A study found that there are 2.9 billion fewer birds in the United States and Canada than there were 50 years ago, in part because of habitat loss from agricultural development and the increased use of pesticides.
Algae blooms on the rise (Guardian): Reports of toxic algae outbreaks, which often result from a combination of high temperatures and runoff from agricultural fertilizers, are up 22 percent from last year.
Antibiotic resistance spreads globally (Wired): The routine use of antibiotics in livestock is making it harder to treat sick animals in much of the world, with China, India, Brazil, Turkey, Iran, and Kenya emerging as hot spots of antibiotic-resistant disease strains.
New tomato agreement with Mexican growers (Commerce): The Commerce Department finalized a “suspension” agreement that will govern imports of fresh tomatoes from Mexico, setting aside, for the moment, a U.S. anti-dumping investigation and the collection of duties on the tomatoes.
Defending the names of dairy products (WPR): Three Wisconsin state legislators have proposed bills that would prohibit plant-based or lab-created products from being labeled “milk,” “cheese,” “yogurt,” or “meat.”
