USDA proposes first-ever limit on sugar in school meals
Public schools would face their first-ever limit on sugar in the food they serve in their cafeterias as part of an Agriculture Department proposal for healthier meals. The USDA package called for a staggered phase-in of new standards on sugar, sodium, whole grains and flavored milk, but was criticized as costly and unworkable by school food directors.
Food prices fall for tenth month in a row
The Russian invasion of Ukraine fueled a sharp rise in food prices last winter, but prices have fallen for 10 straight months, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Ag reform package revived: Companion House and Senate bills would place a moratorium on new factory farms and require meatpackers to draft disaster-response plans; Senate sponsor Cory Booker also filed new versions of bills to provide greater protections for meat workers and to ban the most dangerous pesticides. (Booker)
Farms vs. warehouses debate: The rapid transformation of parts of California’s “Inland Empire” from farmland to logistics parks is being questioned by residents, some of whom asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a regional moratorium on warehouses. (Los Angeles Times)
Auction nears $20,000 an acre: A 121-acre farm split near Fort Wayne in northeastern Indiana sold for $2.425 million, or $19,984 an acre — 56 percent higher than the average value statewide — in an auction dominated by local operators. (Successful Farming)
South Carolina displaces Iowa: The Democratic National Committee adopted a presidential selection calendar that awards the first-in-nation spot to South Carolina, ending Iowa’s half-century reign as the starting point for the presidential nomination. (New York Times)
Gains for sustainable rice: Kellogg reported positive results from the first year of a project to reduce methane emissions from rice farms through climate-friendly practices. (Food Dive)
ON THE CALENDAR
Monday
Deadline for farmers and ranchers to respond to the Census of Agriculture.
Tuesday
President Biden delivers the State of the Union address, The Capitol, 9 p.m. ET. The speech fulfills an obligation under the Constitution for the president to “give to the Congress Information on the State of the Union.” Since 1913, the president has spoken to a joint session of Congress to discharge that duty.
Farm, labor, environmental, religious and animal-welfare groups hold Food Not Feed Summit online, “to tell Congress that farm subsidies should support healthy food for Americans over feed for corporate livestock systems,” 9 a.m. ET. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is among the scheduled speakers.
USDA releases first forecast of 2023 farm income, 11 a.m. ET. The USDA will hold a webinar on the forecast at 1 p.m. ET. Net farm income was a record $160.5 billion in 2022, according to the most recent USDA estimate.
Purdue releases the Ag Economy Barometer, a monthly gauge of the health of the sector.
Wednesday
One-year anniversary of the first reports of highly pathogenic avian influenza among domestic U.S. flocks. At latest count, 58.24 million birds, mostly laying hens and turkeys, have died in the ongoing outbreaks — a record for a bird flu outbreak in the United States.
USDA releases monthly Crop Production and WASDE reports, noon ET. Traders expect modest increases in estimates of the size of stockpiles of wheat and corn when this year’s crops are read for harvest, according to wire service surveys.
Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City presents Ag Innovation 2023 forum, 9 a.m. ET, Kansas City.
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives holds 2023 annual meeting, through Friday, Orlando, Florida.
Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau holds 2023 annual meeting, through Friday, Bonita Springs, Florida.
Thursday
Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, “Farm bill 2023: Commodity programs, crop insurance and farm credit programs,” 10 a.m. ET, 328A Russell. Witnesses are Agriculture Undersecretary Robert Bonnie, Administrator Zach Ducheneaux of the Farm Services Agency, and Administrator Marcia Bunger of the Risk Management Agency.
First meeting of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee online, through Friday.
Organic Trade Association announces farm bill priorities, Washington.
Friday
The National Cotton Council holds annual meeting, through Sunday, Dallas.
USDA releases semi-annual Catfish Production report, 3 p.m. ET.
Saturday
National Association of Conservation Districts holds annual meeting, through Feb. 15, New Orleans.
Sunday
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture holds annual meeting, through Feb. 15, Arlington, Virginia.
National Crop Insurance Services and American Association of Crop Insurers hold Crop Insurance Industry Convention, through Feb. 15, Bonita Springs, Florida.
