FDA will strengthen controls over antibiotics in livestock, says Gottlieb
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FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb says the next two steps in promoting antimicrobial stewardship will be veterinary oversight of antibiotics injected into food-bearing animals and the setting of time limits on how long medically important antibiotics can be used in water supplies and feed rations for livestock.
NAFTA’s influence on Mexico: an interview with Alyshia Gálvez
Much of the domestic discussion of NAFTA’s effects have centered on American workers, eaters, and growers. But in Eating NAFTA: Trade, Food Policies, and the Destruction of Mexico, Alyshia Gálvez writes of how Mexico has been affected by the trade deal, and what possibilities for better deal-making could emerge if we took seriously the concerns of that country’s workers, eaters, and growers.
At global summit, farming and land ‘central pillars’ in climate solution
At the two-day Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, food, forestry and agriculture—long viewed as step-children when it came to climate solutions—were recognized as central to whatever progress is going to made in reaching climate goals established in the 2015 Paris accord.
Torrential rain from Florence tests livestock lagoons in North Carolina
The North Carolina Pork Council said initial reports indicated hog farms “have not experienced substantial widespread impacts” but there was the threat of “historic, 1,000-year flooding … across multiple counties over the next several days.”
Global glut of palm oil adds to India’s health woes
Rates of obesity, diabetes and other diet-related diseases have soared in India and other developing countries in recent years, coinciding with a flood of cheap palm oil that is used in everything from processed snacks and fast food to traditional foods like samosas and poori, according to the latest story published with The Nation.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Goodbye, Cooking Light (Forbes): Meredith Corporation is consolidating the two cooking magazines Cooking Light and Eating Well under the latter’s brand; the last issue of Cooking Light will be its December issue.
Walmart’s march into online delivery (Xconomy): Walmart bought Cornershop, an online grocery and pharmacy delivery service in Mexico and Chile, for $225 million.
Swine fever containment is ‘very complex’ (Reuters): With two more cases of African swine fever just reported, China’s Agriculture Ministry said battling the disease, often fatal for hogs, is “very complex and challenging.”
Going nuts over squirrels in New England (AP): In New England, orchard owners and other farmers say the larger-than-usual squirrel population is causing greater-than-usual damage to apples, pumpkins, peaches, gourds, blueberries and corn.
USDA and FDA are part of short-term bill (House Appropriations Committee): Congress will rely on a short-term funding bill to keep the government running after Sept. 30 while it completes work on appropriations legislation.
Cargill to pay $1.7 million in discrimination case (Harvest Public Media): In a settlement, Cargill Meat Solutions will pay $1.7 million to Somali-American Muslim plant workers who say they were fired in a dispute over prayer breaks.
Trump proclaims National Farm Safety and Health Week (White House):With the harvest season underway, President Trump signed a proclamation declaring this National Farm Safety and Health Week; 417 agricultural workers died from work-related injuries last year.
Commodity-driven deforestation (World Resources Institute): The dominant driver of deforestation worldwide from 2001-15 was conversion of wooded area to uses such as agriculture, mining, and oil and gas production.
ON THE USDA CALENDAR
Monday
– National Grain and Feed Association and Pet Food Institute jointly hold Feed and Pet Food Conference, through Wednesday, St. Louis.
– Five sponsors including USDA, Farm Credit Council and FMC sponsor National Direct Agricultural Marketing Summit, “specifically designed for farmers market managers and direct-marketing farmers wanting to learn more about new industry resources and recent direct-to-consumer research and data,” through Tuesday, Arlington, Va.
– USDA issues weekly Crop Progress report, 4 p.m. ET.
Tuesday
– USDA releases monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook, noon ET.
– USDA releases monthly Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook, 3 p.m. ET.
Wednesday
– Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
– Farm Foundation forum, “The return on investment for higher education in food and agriculture,” 9 a.m. ET, National Press Club. Panelists include former Sen. Richard Lugar.
Friday
– USDA releases monthly Cattle on Feed report, 3 p.m. ET
– Biotechnology Innovation Organization holds Animal Biotech Summit, through Sunday, Bethesda, Maryland. BIO says, “The tools of biotechnology are uniquely suited to address challenges at the nexus of human, animal and environmental health.”
– Crop Life America holds Government Policy Weekend, concluding with Crop Life America and RISE annual meeting on Sunday, Amelia Island, Florida.
– Aquaponics Association conference, Putting Up Shoots, through Sunday, Hartford, Connecticut.
Saturday
– 2018 Farm Aid hosts the 33rd annual concert and celebration of family farms, Hartford, Connecticut.
Keep up with more daily news with our daily farm & agriculture report at America’s Farm Report.
