War to cut Ukraine and Russia wheat exports by 12 percent
The Russian invasion of Ukraine will slash wheat exports from the countries by a combined 12 percent, said the Agriculture Department on Wednesday in an initial assessment of the short-term impact of the war. Nations from Europe to Asia and Africa will import somewhat less wheat in coming months in the face of higher prices and reduced supplies from the Black Sea region, it said.
Free school meals will end with the school year, lawmakers decide
Pandemic-fighting waivers that allow schools to serve meals for free to all students will expire on June 30, House and Senate appropriators agreed on Wednesday, despite a campaign to continue universal free meals in the upcoming 2022-23 school year. An anti-hunger advocate said that millions of children will “face a hunger cliff when they lose access to summer and school meals.”
Bird flu again hits Delaware, Maryland, and Missouri
Some 3 million birds, almost all of them chickens and turkeys, have died in outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza since the first confirmation of the disease in domestic flocks on Feb. 8, said a USDA agency on Wednesday. The latest outbreaks involved 442,000 chickens and turkeys on farms in Delaware, Maryland, and Missouri.
Citrus canker found at South Carolina nursery
Citrus canker, a bacterial disease that causes lesions on leaves, stems, and fruit, was discovered at a South Carolina nursery that sells plants over the internet, said the Agriculture Department on Wednesday. The USDA said it was tracking sales to customers in 11 states as part of efforts to contain the disease.
Today’s Quick Hits
Minneapolis food fraud: In court documents, the FBI said it had discovered a “massive fraud scheme” that cheated the government out of tens of millions of dollars in pandemic relief money intended to provide meals for thousands of children. (New York Times)
Equity grant: The CHS Foundation gave a $1 million grant to the National 4-H Council to train 100 adults and youths to serve as equity leaders in their communities and to launch a program to support 4-H members “in sharing their stories and passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion.” (4-H Council)
Unleash U.S. biofuels: In the name of replacing imported Russian oil with American biofuels, a group of midwestern senators filed a bill to make E15 available year-round, create tax credits that reward the sale of higher blends of ethanol in gasoline, extend credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel, and authorize USDA grants to install tanks and pumps to handle higher ethanol blends. (Senator Ernst)
AFBF’s Moore retires: Farm policy veteran Dale Moore will retire later this year as executive vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation after a Washington career that included working as chief of staff for three agriculture secretaries. (AFBF)
Vilsack to talk exports: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is scheduled to visit an export elevator on the Mississippi River in New Orleans to discuss record-high U.S. farm exports and administration efforts to relieve port congestion. (FERN’s Ag Insider)
