Crop insurance costs to leap by 29 percent
The federally subsidized crop insurance program will cost an additional $27.7 billion over the coming decade, said the Congressional Budget Office in projections released on Monday. The government pays roughly 62 cents of each $1 in premiums, and sales of livestock and forage policies are exploding.
USDA launches Working Lands Climate Corps
The new Working Lands Climate Corps will train young adults for careers in climate-smart agriculture and conservation, said Agriculture deputy secretary Xochitl Torres Small on Monday. She announced the initiative at the National Association of Conservation Districts convention in San Diego, with the NACD, Americorps, and The Corps Network as partners.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Nebraska to offer summer food: Gov. Jim Pillen, who initially said Nebraska would not take part in the USDA’s Summer EBT program, changed his mind and said the state would apply for $18 million to help low-income families buy food for school-age children during the summer. (Nebraska Examiner)
‘Ask your leaders’: If they want to increase crop subsidies in the farm bill, farm-state Republicans ought to ask their leaders for the money rather than try to take it out of SNAP and USDA climate funding, said the senior Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee in an op-ed. (Agri-Pulse)
Michigan race tilts Democratic: Rep. Elissa Slotkin is the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Michigan, but she is not “an established statewide brand” so the general election is rated “tilt Democratic” rather than the previous “lean Democratic.” (Roll Call)
Cage-free eggs only: Fast-food giant McDonald’s said it reached its goal of serving only cage-free eggs in the United States this month, ahead of its 2015 pledge to be cage-free by 2025. (Restaurant Business)
