Biden administration plan to limit old-growth logging
The government will protect millions of acres of old-growth forest on public lands from threats that include wildfire, insects, disease, and climate change with an updated management plan, said Biden administration officials on Thursday. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the U.S. Forest Service would employ “science-based management and conservation strategies that can be adapted to unique local circumstances on national forests.”
‘Turning the corner’ on grocery inflation
After the largest inflationary jolt in prices in a half century, “We are seeing signs that grocery prices may be turning a corner,” said White House national economic adviser Lael Brainard on Thursday. The grocery inflation rate was 1 percent over the past 12 months, Brainard said during a speech, “but corporations have to do more to bring their prices down.”
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Idaho takes the lead: The U.S. tally of dairy herds infected by the H5N1 avian flu virus jumped to 116, an increase of 14 herds in a week, with Idaho reporting 26 infected herds and Michigan 25. (USDA)
Carbon capture plan: Ethanol maker Green Plains said it will begin capturing carbon dioxide emissions from three ethanol plants in Nebraska in the second half of 2025 and sending them by pipeline for sequestration in Wyoming. (Business Wire)
Asset switching: In a pair of simultaneous transactions, Chinese-owned COFCO International purchased Growmark’s share of a grain terminal on the Mississippi River near St. Louis and Growmark acquired COFCO’s grain warehouse in Chicago. (Growmark)
Farm Belt heats up: A week of below-normal rainfall and hot weather has turned portions of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, and Missouri abnormally dry, and now 3 percent of the area’s corn land and 2 percent of its soybean land are in drought. (USDA)
