Time is running out for the farm bill, warns McConnell
Senate Republicans will do their part to smooth the way, but time is already running out for Congress to write the new farm bill, said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday. The 2018 farm law expires in four months, and leaders of the Senate and House Agriculture committees have yet to unveil a first-round text for the farm bill, an unusually late start for a time-consuming process.
As seaweed farming expands, UN report urges more research, ‘cautious optimism’
In a comprehensive assessment of the potential risks and benefits of expanding seaweed farming, the United Nations Environment Programme called this week for “cautious optimism” and a lot more scientific research. Seaweed aquaculture is growing quickly amid enthusiasm about macroalgae’s potential to do everything from mitigating climate change to feeding the world to replacing petroleum-based fuels and plastics. But the potential risks to the environment and to vulnerable communities are still poorly understood, the report found.
Drought spreads across the corn and soybean belt
Drought covers large portions of the Midwest from Ohio to the Missouri River, said the weekly Drought Monitor on Thursday. Less than an inch of rain fell in eastern Nebraska during May, and half of Illinois was in drought, an increase of 20 points in one week.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
U.S., Japan talk potatoes: Agriculture Undersecretary Alexis Taylor said she had “a very positive discussion” with Japanese counterparts about the long-held goal of opening that country to fresh potatoes from the U.S. (FERN’s Ag Insider)
States scramble on ABAWDs: State agencies and the USDA will “face a perfect storm of legislative and regulatory demands” trying to implement, within 90 days, the SNAP eligibility restrictions Congress created in the debt limit bill for able-bodied adults without dependents. (Roll Call)
Robotic harvester wins contest: Amiggie, a robot designed to assist farmworkers and streamline harvesting, won the grand prize for a team of students from UC-Davis in the inaugural Farm Robotics Challenge. (UC-Davis)
Hiring challenges: The Interior Department and the Forest Service, which employ 18,700 people to fight wildfires, face three hurdles in hiring and retaining firefighters: low pay, career advancement challenges, and a poor work-life balance. (Government Accountability Office)
Biodiesel tax credit: Under a law signed by Gov. Jim Pillen, fuel retailers in Nebraska will qualify for a 14-cents-a-gallon income tax credit on sales of biodiesel, a move advocates say will encourage sales of the fuel. (The Trucker)
