Southeast will get most of $3 billion in agricultural disaster aid Floods and crop-delaying rains in the Midwest generated a lot of attention, but the hurricane-hit U.S. Southeast will see the bulk of the $3 billion allocated by Congress for agricultural disaster relief, said Agriculture Undersecretary Bill Northey on Thursday…. Continue reading
With Trump back in town, end may be in sight for biofuels dispute President Trump will meet with oil state senators, possibly this afternoon, as the White House referees a long-running dispute over ethanol’s share of the U.S. fuel supply. A new coalition says farmers and ranchers want the Green… Continue reading
Senate vs. House confrontation looms over relocating ERS and NIFA The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to approve a bill on Thursday that effectively allows Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s removal of two research agencies to Kansas City from Washington, setting up a clash with House leaders. USDA final… Continue reading
Keep trade war payments flowing, say farm-state Democrats With USDA sending $1 billion a week to farmers, senior Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee argued on Monday for Congress to give the agency an early infusion of cash to keep trade war payments flowing to farm country. With… Continue reading
Will Congress close the checkbook on Trump tariff payments? A veritable footnote in the $4 trillion federal budget could become a top-line issue this week in the debate between lawmakers and the administration over government funding. House Democrats might refuse to provide money for the obscure USDA agency that… Continue reading
Soy stockpile to tumble by one-third by next fall Three years of bumper crops collided with the Sino-U.S. trade war to create the largest U.S. soybean stockpile ever, a price-depressing 1 billion bushels at the start of this month. But by next Sept. 1, the so-called carry-over will be… Continue reading
In goodwill gesture, Trump delays higher Chinese tariffs for two weeks Hours after complimenting China for waiving tariffs on some U.S. products, President Trump announced on Wednesday a two-week delay, until Oct. 15, of higher tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese-made goods. On social media, Trump called the… Continue reading
Poverty rate returns to pre-recession level in rural America But the growth in household income that accompanied four years of declines in the poverty rate nationwide has slowed, and anti-hunger groups warned that poverty was sure to increase if Trump administration policies are adopted. In Nebraska, fight over… Continue reading
USDA, doubling pay limit, offers growers up to $500,000 in disaster aid Farmers are eligible for up to $500,000 apiece for the hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other disasters they faced in 2018 and this year, including Hurricane Dorian last weekend, said the USDA on Monday, with $3 billion in… Continue reading
Court: EPA must consider environmental impact when setting ethanol mandate The U.S. appeals court in Washington unanimously ordered the EPA to reconsider its Renewable Fuel Standard for 2018 because it failed to account for the potential impact of full-throttle corn production on endangered species and habitat. The Sierra Club,… Continue reading
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