House Farm Bill would pay out every year for Southern crops
Crop support would be set so high in the farm bill written by House Republicans that cotton, peanut, and rice growers, and probably wheat and sorghum farmers too, “would receive a payment every year,” said an environmental group on Tuesday. Farm groups called for the Agriculture Committee passage of the bill later this week despite questions about the financial underpinnings of the five-year legislation.
USDA launches Summer EBT benefit for school children as ‘SUN Bucks’
The Biden administration launched its package of summer school meals programs, including the new summer EBT benefit, under the name of SUN Programs on Tuesday. SUN Bucks, the EBT program, was expected to help low-income families buy groceries for 21 million school-age children during the summer at a projected cost of $2.5 billion.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
H5N1 virus in 51 dairy herds: The H5N1 bird flu virus was confirmed in two additional herds, one each in Michigan and Idaho, raising the U.S. total to 51 herds; Michigan has the largest number of infected herds, at 15. (USDA)
First round of RAPP funding: The USDA awarded a combined $300 million in the initial round of funding from the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program to 66 groups to build demand overseas for U.S. food and ag exports. (USDA)
UC-Davis terminates strawberry agreements: UC-Davis, a developer of strawberry varieties, said Eurosemillas SA had defaulted on licensing agreements to make older UC-Davis varieties available to growers overseas, and so it terminated the agreements. (UC-Davis)
Bird flu forces layoffs: Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch told Michigan state labor officials that it expected to lay off 400 employees due to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza at some of its farms in Ionia County, but it intended to rehire workers when flocks were rebuilt. (Meat and Poultry)
