While lawmakers laud compromise, Trump urges SNAP work requirements
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Farm bill negotiators spoke of comity and compromise while budging not an inch on major issues such as SNAP work requirements on Wednesday during their first, and possibly last, public meeting.
Food insecurity rates continue to fall, USDA report finds
National food insecurity continued to decline in 2017, according to a new report from the Department of Agriculture, and now affects 11.8 percent of U.S. households, down from 12.3 percent in 2016.
Administration optimistic on Canada, less so on China, say ag leaders
On Wednesday, three state Farm Bureau presidents told administration leaders, including President Trump, that farmers, hit hard by retaliatory tariffs, need open markets soon. “There’s a fairly short runway,” said South Dakota’s Scott VanderWal.
USDA: Farm anxiety understandable, aid package will ease it
The administration’s aid package for farmers will shield U.S. agriculture while President Trump negotiates new and fairer trade deals, said a USDA spokesman on Wednesday.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Farm group criticizes House, Senate farm bills (National Family Farm Coalition): The NFFC, a farm and rural advocacy group, wrote in a letter to farm bill conferees that “neither version of the farm bill goes nearly far enough to truly improve the lives and livelihoods of family farmers and rural communities.”
Celebrating a diverse beer scene (Munchies): About 1,200 people attended a beer festival in Pittsburgh that spotlighted black-owned craft breweries.
Cotton stockpile to plunge in year ahead (ICAC): The global stockpile of cotton will drop by 10 percent during 2018/19 to its lowest level in seven years, driven by a sharp draw down of stocks in China, a downturn in the cotton harvest worldwide, and strong demand for the fiber.
Trade war hurts dairy sales to China (Fox Business News): Tit-for-tat tariffs “have created a barrier” to further increases in U.S. dairy sales to China, said Tom Vilsack, chief executive of the U.S. Dairy Export Council and a former agriculture secretary.
Even blueberries get the blues (AP): Wild blueberries are a beloved crop in Maine and throughout New England, but production is down for the second year in a row as other nutrient-rich foods, particularly acai and quinoa, are dominating the “superfood” buzz.
Perdue names nutrition official (USDA): A former congressional staff worker, Pamilyn Miller, will serve as senior associate administrator for policy at the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, announced Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
Keep up with more daily news with our daily farm & agriculture report at America’s Farm Report.
