‘We need fair trade,’ says McCarthy at farm bill session
The United States needs to knock down foreign barriers to American food and agriculture exports in the name of fairness, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday at the World Ag Expo in California’s Central Valley. “We need fair trade,” McCarthy said at a farm bill listening session and in a speech at the expo.
USDA ‘disappointed’ by revised Mexico corn ban
In a step to defuse trade tensions with the United States, Mexico removed a looming ban on most imports of GMO corn and said it would only block genetically modified corn that would be used in making tortillas. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Tuesday the USDA was dissatisfied by the revisions.
Food inflation rate decelerates, though still high
The U.S. food inflation rate fell for the fifth month in a row to 10.1 percent for the past year, said the Labor Department on Tuesday. Food, the second-largest consumer expenditure after housing, was a factor in the persistently high U.S. inflation rate.
#FUTURE
The future of wild rice may depend on an unlikely alliance
The partnership between researcher Crystal Ng and the Ojibwe tribe blends Traditional Ecological Knowledge—expertise that Indigenous and local people acquire through direct contact with the environment over many years—with western science. Their focus is on the precipitous decline of wild rice in the region, a staple in the tribe’s diet for more than 200 years.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
U.S. sides with farmers on repairs: The Justice Department backed farmers in a right-to-repair suit against John Deere and Co., asking a federal judge in Illinois to rule against a company motion that could lead to dismissal of the case. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
Snowpack is melting sooner: As California becomes drier due to climate change, the snowpack that usually provides one-third of the state’s drinking water is melting faster and earlier than in previous decades, even during winter. (Los Angeles Times)
Gore takes AIM: Former vice president Al Gore will be a keynote speaker at the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Agriculture (AIM for Agriculture) summit in early May, intended to accelerate investment and support of climate-smart agriculture. (USDA)
Co-op faces fine over injury: Topflight Grain Cooperative in Atlanta, Illinois, is facing a nearly $630,000 OHSA fine due to the partial leg amputation of a worker who entered a grain bin, because the company failed to follow safety procedures. (OSHA)
WTO ag talks restart: The WTO will restart negotiations for freer trade in agriculture one year ahead of the organization’s ministerial conference to be held in 2024 in the United Arab Emirates. (WTO)
