Agriculture has ‘unfinished business’ in Sino-U.S. trade, says Vilsack
Although China purchased a record amount of U.S. farm exports over the past two years, it wasn’t enough to comply with the “phase one” agreement that de-escalated the Sino-U.S. trade war, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday. “We obviously have some unfinished business with reference to phase one,” Vilsack told lawmakers a day after President Biden pointed to Chinese shortfalls.
White House puts politics ahead of protein, claims trade group
President Biden is wrong to paint the meat and poultry industry as a villain behind sharply higher grocery prices, said Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council, in an essay published in a Maryland newspaper. “This administration has chosen to put politics above protein,” he wrote.
Today’s Quick Hits
Wildfire recovery funds: Accompanied by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Vice President Kamala Harris was set to announce $600 million in federal aid on Friday to help California recover from its worst wildfire season on record. (Los Angeles Times)
Pipelines’ carbon impact: Three pipelines proposed for Iowa could capture and sequester up to 40 percent of the state’s annual carbon dioxide emissions, estimated an associate professor of petroleum engineering. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
Farm bill kickoff: The House Agriculture Committee “will begin to take up the 2023 farm bill” when the House returns to work at the end of January, said committee chairman David Scott. (House Agriculture)
D-SNAP for Colorado: Low-income residents of parts of Boulder County affected by wind-driven wildfires at the end of December may be eligible for one month of food stamp benefits through so-called Disaster SNAP. (USDA)
Walker’s speaking fees: Herschel Walker, the Trump-endorsed Republican challenger to Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, collected $172,000 from paid speeches during the same period that he held only a handful of public events. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
