Trump ready to spend again on farmers, who expect to win trade war
With the China-U.S. trade war deepening, President Trump said he would continue trade aid payments next year if necessary. Meanwhile, farmers are confident the conflict will be resolved in their favor.
Poultry companies subpoenaed in DOJ investigation of chicken industry
Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, and Perdue Farms have all been subpoenaed by the Department of Justice in the agency’s grand jury investigation into the poultry sector.
Pulled by western states, U.S. cropland values edge upward
The average value of U.S. cropland is marginally higher this year, but has changed little overall since the collapse of the commodity boom early this decade, said USDA on Tuesday.
‘Quite large’ amounts of corn and soy land were not planted
One out of every 10 corn farmers was unable to plant 25 percent or more of intended corn acreage due to the wettest spring in a quarter-century, according to a survey by Purdue University.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
More faux meat is coming (Reuters): Brazil’s Marfrig Global Foods, the largest hamburger maker in the world, says it is partnering with U.S. grain giant ADM to manufacture vegetable protein products.
Algae chokes off summer lakeside fun (New York Times): Sewage and fertilizer runoff mixed with climate change is a recipe for record-breaking algae blooms across the country, including in New Jersey, where the state’s largest lake is mostly shuttered.
‘Red flags’ on USDA agency relocations (House Agriculture): The chairwomen of two House Agriculture subcommittees said an inspector general’s report was “latest in a long line of red flags” surrounding the relocation of two USDA agencies to Kansas City, “a naked and shameless attempt to force dedicated civil servants out of their careers.”
Farm fields far deadlier to insects (NPR): When the toxicity of pesticides is combined with their persistence in the environment, U.S. agriculture is 48 times more deadly to insects than it was a quarter-century ago, say researchers.
Fischer becomes AFPC co-director (Texas A&M): Bart Fischer, an economist and senior aide to the past two Republican chairmen of the House Agriculture Committee, will become co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University.
