The new California gold rush into anaerobic digesters
There’s money in manure for California dairy farmers with anaerobic digesters that capture methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from their cattle’s manure. Each cow on a farm with a digester can generate $2,827 a year in air pollution and biofuel credits for methane that would otherwise go into the atmosphere, calculated Aaron Smith, a professor at UC-Davis.
Experts urge overhaul of California’s ‘antiquated’ water laws
As California enters its third year of drought, pressure is mounting for lawmakers to update the state’s antiquated water laws. On Thursday, a coalition of legal experts and retired state officials released a report with a list of suggested reforms, which they say would make California’s water politics more equitable and sustainable as climate change gets worse. If implemented — a major if — many of the reforms would provide a check on the state’s massive agricultural industry, which sucks up some 80 percent of all the water used in California.
Trade war payments skipped specialty crop, underserved farmers
The USDA sent $23 billion in trade war payments to more than a half million farming operations, with the lion’s share of the aid going to row-crop producers, said the Government Accountability Office on Thursday. Historically underserved farmers received less than 4 percent of the money.
Today’s Quick Hits
Global price increase: The Food Price Index, which tracks international prices of commonly traded food commodities, rose 1.1 percent in January, propelled by an all-time high in its index for vegetable oils and concerns about palm oil supplies. (FAO)
Farmer tip line: The Justice and Agriculture departments launched a website, farmerfairness.gov, where farmers and ranchers can anonymously report potentially unfair or anticompetitive practices in the meat and poultry sectors. (Department of Justice)
Disaster aid coming: The USDA, drawing on data from livestock assistance and crop insurance programs, will deliver up to $10 billion in disaster aid to farmers and ranchers for weather-related losses in 2020 and 2021. (USDA)
Ocean shipping bill: Responding to congestion at U.S. ports, 14 senators filed a bill that would bar shipping lines from unreasonably refusing to carry U.S. goods, and would require reports every three months on their balance of import and export tonnage. (Klobuchar)
Seeking DOJ report: The largest U.S. farm group asked the Justice Department for an update on its investigation into volatility in cattle prices during the pandemic in 2020 and following a 2019 fire at a Kansas slaughter plant. (AFBF)
