GOP urges swift passage of farm bill
Sixty-one House Republicans called on Speaker Mike Johnson for speedy passage of the new farm bill, despite a grim outlook for the legislation expressed by a leading analyst. Work on the farm bill is at an impasse among farm-state lawmakers over crop subsidy and climate funding, with conservatives itching for the chance during floor debate to constrain SNAP eligibility and outlays.
USDA says $3 billion available to offset 2022 disasters
Row crop and specialty crop growers are eligible for more than $3 billion from the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) to offset losses from natural disasters in 2022, said the USDA. Administrator Zach Ducheneaux of the Farm Services Agency said 2022 “was another year of weather-related challenges — for some, the third consecutive year or more in a row.”
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Glyphosate trial, $175 million verdict: A Philadelphia jury awarded $175 million in damages to Ernest Caranci, 83, who blamed glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup weedkiller, for giving him cancer over 25 years of lawn and garden use. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Farm bill in 2025: Half of the respondents in the Ag Economists Monthly Monitor said they do not expect a new farm bill until 2025; Congress will take its cues on how to write the bill from the outcome of the presidential and congressional elections, said one economist. (Farm Journal)
Apples designed for adversity: University of Maryland researcher Chris Walsh developed two new apple varieties that are heat tolerant and resistant to the bacterial disease fire blight; the apples grow on dwarf trees that are easy to groom and harvest from the ground. (Washington Post)
Land plan roils Wyoming: An Interior Department proposal to block oil and gas drilling on 1.6 million acres of public land in Wyoming, a major producer of coal, oil, and natural gas, is met with angry protests but also some support. (New York Times)
Final report next year: Members of USDA’s Equity Commission voted on recommendations from its subcommittees last week for inclusion in a final report to be finalized by early next year; the commission issued an interim report last February. (USDA)
