USDA extends school-meal waivers through September
The USDA said Tuesday that it will extend a series of waivers to school meal programs through Sept. 30, as the pandemic hits its one-year mark and ongoing school closures continue to exacerbate food insecurity among low-income children.
Covid-19 rates in meatpacking counties now mirror other rural counties
Rural counties dominated by meatpacking plants endured their second surge in coronavirus cases during this winter but the latest wave “does not appear to be driven by new outbreaks in the meatpacking industry,” said the USDA. “Meatpacking-dependent counties have maintained an almost identical pattern to other rural counties for the last seven months.”
With better rains, Australia harvests twice as much wheat
World wheat production is headed for a record high this year, with a bumper crop in Australia providing the latest bump upward. Australian crop forecasters say the wheat harvest “is estimated to have increased by 120 percent in 2020-21 to 33.3 million tonnes.”
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Debt relief vote: House Democratic leaders said the House would vote on Wednesday on HR 1319, the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill that includes $4 billion in debt relief for minority farmers. A test vote on Tuesday indicated there was enough support to pass the bill and send it to President Biden. (Ag Insider)
Ag exports surge: U.S. farm exports totaled $63.2 billion in the first four months of this fiscal year, up 27 percent from the same period in the previous year. Sales to China were nearly three times larger. (USDA)
China pork expansion: Pork production will expand by 14 percent this year from the record low of 2020, when the African swine fever epidemic hit. But China will import 4.5 million tonnes of pork because domestic production will remain below pre-ASF levels. (U.S. agricultural attache)
More organic corn: U.S. production of organic corn is on the rise, thanks to higher yields per acre and larger plantings; imports during the 2020/21 marketing year are likely to be the smallest in eight years. (Mercaris)
Covid recovery accelerates: Global economic growth is projected at 5.6 percent this year, more than 1 percentage point higher than expected three months ago, with a U.S. growth rate of 6.5 percent and global production reaching pre-pandemic levels by mid-2021. (OECD)
Rural rates improve: Since the winter coronavirus surge in rural America, the weekly number of new infections is down by 80 percent and the weekly death toll is down by 60 percent from eight weeks ago. (Daily Yonder)
