As China buys U.S. corn, Trump has ‘many other things in mind’ than trade talks President Trump declared Sino-U.S. relations “severely damaged” and said he has “many other things in mind” beyond following up on the interim agreement that de-escalated the trade war between the world’s two largest economies. Trump… Continue reading

In pandemic, one in five children are not getting enough to eat, says report An unprecedented number of U.S. children — 13.9 million — are experiencing food insecurity and did not have sufficient food in late June due to the coronavirus pandemic, said an analysis from the Hamilton Project on… Continue reading

Bayer abandons key provision in glyphosate settlement plan Two weeks after agreeing to pay up to $9.6 billion to resolve thousands of cancer lawsuits against glyphosate, seed and ag-chemical giant Bayer is still looking for a way to handle future litigation against the weedkiller. A proposal to appoint a panel… Continue reading

Farmers’ sentiment rebounds from low, but worries persist   Large American farms are more confident of weathering the coronarvirus pandemic but nearly two-thirds of them say Congress should provide more assistance beyond the $16 billion already earmarked for agriculture, said Purdue University on Tuesday.   Coronavirus slowed U.S. exports of… Continue reading

House panel votes to block two Trump rules restricting SNAP access The Trump administration would be barred from implementing two rules that would end SNAP benefits for an estimated 700,000 people during the coronavirus pandemic under a USDA-FDA funding bill approved by a Democratic-controlled House subcommittee on Monday. (No paywall)… Continue reading

Pandemic rages, but USDA’s food box program may end in eight weeks As it announced contracts for up to $1.47 billion to carry the Farmers to Families Food Box initiative through July and August, the USDA also said the program could end on Sept. 1, or soon afterward, as funding… Continue reading

We will resume our regular posts the week after July 4th. Happy Independence Day! Continue reading

Obstacles for Fischbach in her campaign to challenge Ag chair Peterson With an early endorsement from President Trump, former Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach is the GOP favorite to run against House Agriculture chairman Collin Peterson in western Minnesota. But other candidates were loath to clear the way for her at… Continue reading

Largest annual increase in grocery prices since 2011   Grocery prices will rise by a higher-than-average 3 percent this year, due largely to the coronavirus-propelled surge in the cost of meat, poultry, and fish at the supermarket, forecast the USDA on Thursday. It would be the largest annual increase since… Continue reading

  Senate bill would help farmers get into carbon markets, say backers   Farmers could combine environmental and economic sustainability through practices that lock carbon into the soil, but it’s dauntingly difficult to enter the carbon sequestration market and get paid for it, said the leaders of the two largest… Continue reading