Stabenow says ‘the time to act is now’ on farm bill
Farm-state lawmakers should take advantage of an offer of billions of dollars in new resources and negotiate the new farm bill now, said Senate Agriculture Committee chairwoman Debbie Stabenow. The Michigan Democrat called for action following a USDA forecast of a steep drop in farm income and a Congressional Budget Office forecast of lower SNAP costs for years to come.
Rice prices are up as India restricts exports
The global rice market is still feeling the impact of India’s decision last August to limit its rice exports in the name of battling high domestic food prices, said two IFPRI analysts. “Rice-importing countries in sub-Saharan Africa have felt the greatest impacts, scrambling to find alternative sources even as global rice prices have risen more than 20 percent since India imposed its restrictions,” they wrote in a blog.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Monarch populations plunge: Monarch butterfly colonies occupied just 2.2 acres of forest in central Mexico this winter, a 59 percent drop from last winter’s 5.5 acres and the second-smallest area reported since the survey began in 1993. (World Wildlife Fund)
Improve SNAP delivery: In a letter to 47 U.S. governors, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urged states to take immediate action to address the nationwide 11.54 percent error rate in SNAP benefits and to deliver benefits in a timely manner. (USDA)
Record pork exports: U.S. pork exports hit a record $8.26 billion in 2023, up 6 percent from 2022, with Mexico, the top market, accounting for $2.35 billion of the total, said the U.S. Meat Export Federation. (USMEF)
Weather shift: NOAA issued a La Niña “watch,” meaning conditions are favorable for the development of the La Niña weather pattern, which typically brings warmer and drier weather to the U.S. South and cooler, wetter weather to the North. (Axios)
World crosses climate threshold: For the first time, the world has recorded an entire year of temperatures that are more than 1.5 degrees C higher than before the industrial age, the limit adopted in international agreements to avert the worst effects of climate change. (BBC)
