‘Early stages’ of farm bill negotiations with House
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell all but ruled out new funding for the 2023 farm bill on Tuesday while the lead Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee said “we’re in the early stages of negotiations with the House” on the legislation. Neither committee has taken a step in public to write a successor to the 2018 farm law, which expires on September 30.
Fewer students eat school meals as pandemic waiver expires
School lunch participation dropped by 7 percent in some of the largest U.S. districts with the expiration of a waiver allowing free meals for all students during the pandemic, said an anti-hunger group on Wednesday. The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) said Congress should enact legislation making meals free for all students and end the decades-old system of charging for meals based on household income.
Califf broadens scope of food regulation revamp at FDA
Seizing a “once in a generation opportunity,” FDA commissioner Robert Califf said on Tuesday he would put more of the agency’s activities under the control of a yet-to-be-named deputy commissioner for human foods. Califf proposed additional changes in the Office of Regulatory Affairs, one of the components of the new Human Foods Program.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Working lands get $500 million: Over the next five years, the USDA will put $500 million into the cost-sharing Working Lands for Wildlife initiative to preserve migratory big-game habitat in the West, deciduous forests in the East, and pine forests in the Southeast and Eastern watersheds that are home to “significant at-risk species.” (USDA)
U.S. crop-use struggles: Domestic and export demand for U.S. corn, cotton, and wheat fell, and soybeans barely gained in 2022, compared to the 2017-2021 average, which “suggests caution, likely concern, is in order” for growers this year, said three university economists. (farmdoc daily)
‘Chinese’ land is concentrated: Four out of every five acres of U.S. farmland owned by companies and citizens of China are owned by meat processor Smithfield Foods and billionaire Sun Guangxin, who wanted to build a wind farm in Texas. (NPR)
Designer strawberries are here: A handful of fruit companies want to diversify the strawberries sold in U.S. grocery stores, with fresh berries available far beyond the traditional spring harvest season and in novel colors and flavors. (Taste)
