Vilsack – to talk about next steps on climate change
The USDA will seek maximum impact from the $1 billion that it will put into climate-smart pilot projects, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday, but he demurred at discussing next steps for agriculture in mitigating global warming. “We’ll see where the applications take us,” he told the North American Agricultural Journalists meeting.
Largest grocery price increase since 2008
Grocery prices will rise by an average of 5.5 percent this year, the highest inflation rate at the supermarket since 2008, said the Agriculture Department on Monday. The forecast was an abrupt 2 percentage point increase from last month and was spurred by three months of rapid rises in the prices of many foods.
Today’s Quick Hits
Egg prices fall sharply: The nationwide average wholesale price for a dozen large eggs was $2.48, down 47 cents in the week following Easter, but still more than $1 above the usual price amid bird flu outbreaks and industry recovery from the pandemic. (USDA)
California olive oil law: In one of the biggest California food fights since Napa vintners got exclusive rights to their region’s name on wine bottles, a new state law punishes companies that use California’s name to sell olive oil produced in other countries. (Los Angeles Times)
Corn planting is tardy: Growers have planted only 2 percent of corn land in Iowa and Illinois so far this spring, far behind average for the two states that grow roughly one-third of the U.S. corn crop. (USDA)
Palm ban isn’t total: Shipments of crude palm oil are excluded from Indonesia’s ban on palm oil exports, but processed palm oil — which makes up the majority of the nation’s exports — is part of the ban, intended to end domestic cooking oil shortages. (Reuters)
Trump hosts Miller fundraiser: Former president Donald Trump, who endorsed Rep. Mary Miller over Rep. Rodney Davis in the Republican primary in an Illinois House district, will host a fundraiser for Miller at his Florida resort on Wednesday. Miller and Davis are members of the House Agriculture Committee. (Decatur Herald & Review)
