GOP farm bill increases crop subsidy ceiling by 24 percent
Row-crop farmers would be able to collect up to $155,000 a year in crop subsidies, a $30,000 increase from the current limit, under the farm bill written by House Republicans and scheduled for a committee vote on Thursday. And, for the first time, the subsidy ceiling, often a lightning rod for reformers, would be adjusted annually for inflation.
Trade ruling suggests weed killer dumping hurt U.S. market
The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled, in a 4-0 vote, there was a reasonable indication that domestic herbicide manufacturers were hurt by dumping of imported 2,4-D weed killer from China and India. The ITC vote allows the Commerce Department to continue its investigation of the imports.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Raw milk sales surge: The FDA warns against consumption of unpasteurized milk because it might contain harmful germs, not to mention the H5N1 bird flu virus, but sales appear to be on the rise. (PBS)
Kansas wheat recovery: After two drought-depressed years, the winter wheat crop in Kansas is on track for 290.4 million bushels, a 44-percent increase from 2023 thanks to greater precipitation, according to the crop scouts on the annual winter wheat tour. (Kansas Wheat Commission)
Iowa ‘fake meat’ law: Under a new state law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, meat alternatives, such as plant-based proteins, sold in Iowa must carry labels making it clear they are not meat and state-supported schools cannot buy lab-grown meat. (Radio Iowa)
Research grants for 1890s colleges: The USDA awarded a combined $30.8 million for agricultural research at the 19 historically black land-grant universities founded under an 1890 law. (USDA)
Rural Media founder dies: Patrick Gottsch, the founder of Rural Media Group, the parent company of RFD-TV and Rural Radio 147, has died at age 70. (RFD-TV)
ON THE CALENDAR
Monday
Agriculture Transportation Coalition holds AgTC annual meeting, through Thursday, Tacoma, Washington.
FDA holds a webinar on its Agricultural Water rule, issued as part of implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act, 1 p.m. ET.
USDA releases weekly Crop Progress report, 4 p.m. ET.
Tuesday
Georgia Rep. David Scott, the Democratic leader on the House Agriculture Committee, faces six challengers in the Democratic primary in the re-drawn 13th U.S. House district in the Atlanta suburbs. Challengers include Marcus Flowers, who raised $16 million in a 2022 campaign against Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Scott, 78, is seeking his 12th term in the House.
Wednesday
U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai hosts the fourth meeting of the tri-national Free Trade Commission created under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Phoenix. Tai is scheduled to meet separately with her Canadian and Mexican counterparts on Tuesday.
Senate Budget Committee hearing, “Droughts, dollars, and decisions: Water scarcity in a changing climate,” 10:30 a.m. ET, 608 Dirksen. Witnesses include Professor Michael Castellano of Iowa State University.
U.S. Meat Export Federation holds spring conference, through Friday, Kansas City.
USDA releases semi-annual Farm Labor report, 3 p.m. ET.
Thursday
House Agriculture Committee meets to vote on Republican-drafted farm bill, 1300 Longworth, time to be determined.
International Grains Council releases Grains Market Report, London.
Friday
USDA releases monthly Food Price Outlook report, 9 a.m. ET. At present, grocery prices are forecast to rise 1.2 percent this year. The long-term average is a 2.7 percent annual increase.
USDA releases monthly Cattle on Feed and Cold Storage reports, 3 p.m. ET.
May 27
Memorial Day, honoring men and women who died while serving in the armed forces. Observed originally as Decoration Day following the Civil War, Memorial Day became a federal holiday in 1971. The origins of the observance are unclear; some records suggest Black people held the first commemoration in 1865, less than a month after the war ended. But Waterloo, New York, is credited as the birthplace of Memorial Day because it hosted an annual community-wide observance in which businesses closed and residents put flowers and flags at the graves of soldiers. In 1868, former Gen. John Logan of Illinois, a Civil War veteran, proposed a nationwide day of remembrance of the war dead.
