White House starts ‘rural infrastructure tour’ loaded with dollar signs
President Biden launched a “rural infrastructure tour” on Monday to deliver billions of dollars in funding for rural America with senior officials visiting 30 communities in April. “These generational infrastructure investments will provide rural communities across America affordable high-speed internet, clean drinking water, reliable electricity, better roads and bridges and good-paying jobs,” said the president.
Biden restores summer sales of E15, a farm-state goal
The EPA will issue an emergency waiver allowing sales of E15 — gasoline that is 15 percent corn ethanol — this summer, announced President Biden on Tuesday, ahead of a trip to Iowa, the No. 1 corn- and ethanol-producing state. The step will save motorists up to 10 cents a gallon on surging gasoline prices and aid the rural economy, said the White House.
Today’s Quick Hits
Finkenauer off Iowa ballot: The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday as former Rep. Abby Finkenauer appeals a court ruling that knocked her off the June 7 ballot for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
Improve school meals, WIC: In an essay, the dean of the Tufts school of nutrition and former agriculture secretary Dan Glickman call on Congress to enhance USDA’s child nutrition programs by strengthening nutrition standards, expanding participation in school meals, streamlining WIC, increasing access to fresh produce and boosting access to healthy food during the summer. (New England Journal of Medicine)
China buys a lot of corn: Private exporters reported the sale of 1.02 million tonnes of U.S. corn for delivery to China, almost a repeat of the 1.08 million tonnes of corn sold to China one week earlier. (USDA)
More farmland worldwide: Oilseeds such as soybeans, sunflowers and peanuts account for 46 million of the 73-million-acre increase in harvested cropland worldwide since 2019. The 3.7 percent increase in cropland is part of an expansion that could eventually be consequential. (Agricultural Economic Insights)
First equipment sale decline: Farm tractor and combine sales in March showed the first monthly decline since last July, with inventories down by more than 10 percent as manufacturers faced supply chain disruptions. (Association of Equipment Manufacturers)
