Month: August 2024

Reduced interest overseas in U.S. soybeans The new soybean marketing year opens on Saturday, and early orders for the U.S. crop are the smallest of the Biden Harris years, said a research brief from rural lender CoBank. Global demand is down in the face of the strong dollar, slow economic… Continue reading

USDA deregulates GM wheat, says it is safe to grow in the U.S. For the first time, the Agriculture Department approved cultivation of genetically modified wheat in the United States on Tuesday, deregulating a drought- and herbicide-tolerant variety developed by an Argentine company. A U.S. wheat industry official said it… Continue reading

Fertilizer projects get $35 million in USDA grants Seven projects, from Oregon to New York, will receive a combined $35 million to expand independent domestic fertilizer production, with one-third of the money going to an aluminum sulfate producer in Virginia, said the Agriculture Department on Wednesday. Drugs often used on… Continue reading

Judge blocks federal rule allowing H-2A workers to unionize U.S. district judge Lisa Wood issued a 17-state injunction on Monday against a Labor Department regulation that would allow farmworkers in the United States on H-2A visas to unionize. The National Council of Agricultural Employers said the injunction was a victory… Continue reading

Bird flu slows for the summer Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry and dairy cattle have dropped off sharply in recent weeks, according to USDA databases. There was a similar but longer lull a year ago in bird flu, which has become the largest animal disease event… Continue reading

Tim Walz and Dems try to flip the script on Republicans in rural America Continue reading

Mexico is on China’s heels as top U.S. food and ag export market China was less than $500 million ahead of Mexico as the leading customer for U.S. food and ag exports as the fiscal year entered its final months, according to USDA data released Wednesday. The agricultural trade deficit,… Continue reading

EPA issues ‘herbicide strategy’ to protect hundreds of imperiled species By adopting a so-called herbicide strategy, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday it will incorporate protections for more than 900 threatened and endangered species in the approval and renewal process for weedkillers. The strategy calls on the agency to… Continue reading

Democratic platform goal: Net-zero agricultural emissions by 2050 The U.S. farm sector would be the first in the world to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 with the assistance of projects such as the USDA’s climate-smart agriculture initiatives, said the Democratic Party platform released on Monday. Delegates to the… Continue reading

Harris: ‘I will go after the bad actors’ who unfairly drive up food prices At the same time that she pledged “the first-ever federal ban on price gouging on food,” Vice President Kamala Harris said she would help the food industry become more competitive. “As president, I will take on… Continue reading