A decade later, food insecurity rate returns to pre-recession level
Some 11.1 percent of U.S. households are food insecure, meaning they did not have enough food at times during 2018 due to a lack of money or other resources, said the USDA on Wednesday. It was the lowest food insecurity rate since 2007, just before the Great Recession drove food stamp enrollment and costs to record highs.
USDA gives growers the chance to switch crop subsidy programs
For the first time since the 2014 farm bill was implemented, the USDA is giving farmers the option of changing enrollment between the insurance-like Agriculture Risk Coverage and the traditionally designed Price Loss Coverage subsidies.
Trade war payments near $2.5 billion in two weeks
The USDA has paid $2.46 billion to farmers and ranchers since disbursements began on Aug. 21 to mitigate the effects of the Sino-U.S. trade war, said the USDA on Wednesday.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
First state to ban trapping (Los Angeles Times): Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that prohibits commercial and recreational fur trapping on public and private land, making California the first state to enact such a ban.
Germany to end the use of glyphosate (Duetsche Welle): The German cabinet agreed to a phase-out of the herbicide that will begin with domestic gardens and lead to a complete ban on the chemical by the end of 2023.
China urges deeper ‘understanding’ in trade war (South China Morning Post): China’s lead trade negotiator asked two visiting U.S. senators to help “deepen mutual understanding,” saying the Sino-U.S. trade war is bad for both countries.
Tyson slowed chicken production (Reuters): Meat processor Tyson Foods’ decision to slow line speeds at its chicken plants contributed to a $220 million cut in expected earnings this year, said chief executive Noel White.
Tariffs will pay for hurricane relief (White House): “We have a lot of money” from the tariffs levied on imported products from China that can be used to help farmers recover from Hurricane Dorian if the storm comes inland, said President Trump.
