Turnover is certain on House Agriculture roster, elections will determine its scale
One-fourth of the members of the House Agriculture Committee are in tight re-election races, according to political handicappers, a factor in the likely upheaval of the committee roster in 2025. Turnover is a fact of life on the committee — only half of its current members served on the panel two years ago.
Two additional human cases of bird flu boost U.S. total to 41
The Centers for Disease Control said 41 people, two more than previously confirmed, have contracted bird flu in the seven months since the viral disease first was identified in dairy cattle in Texas. One of the new cases was in California and the other was listed as “jurisdiction pending” in a CDC tally.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Nunn trails in poll: The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll indicated voters prefer Lanon Baccam, a Democrat, over incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican, 48 percent to 41 percent, in a U.S. House race in the southern Iowa district. (Des Moines Register)
Multi Year revenue proposal: University economists say the government could issue crop subsidy payments a year earlier if it replaced the Agriculture Risk Coverage program with a multiyear revenue risk program based on crop insurance price guarantees. (farmdoc daily)
No junk fees for school meals: The USDA told schools to ensure low-income families are not charged processing fees when they deposit money to pay for reduced-price meals; 1 million children receive reduced-price meals. (USDA)
Longer sodium comment period: The FDA announced a 60-day extension, to Jan. 13, for public comment on its new voluntary targets to reduce salt content in 163 food categories over a three-year period. (FDA)
ON THE CALENDAR
Monday
Western Growers Association holds its 98th annual meeting, through Nov. 6, Scottsdale, Arizona.
USDA releases weekly Crop Progress report, 4 p.m. ET.
Tuesday
The United States holds elections for federal and state offices.
Purdue University releases the monthly Ag Economy Barometer, which provides a sense of the agricultural economy’s health.
Wednesday
The Federal Reserve’s open market committee meets to discuss interest rates, through Thursday.
Farmworker Justice and Health Outreach Partners hold a webinar on the effects of heat and aging on agricultural workers, 2 p.m. ET.
Thursday
USDA releases selected tables from its 10-year baseline covering U.S. crop and livestock supply and use along with macroeconomic assumptions, noon ET. The tables, based on production and market conditions in October, will be part of the agricultural projections discussed at USDA’s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum on Feb. 27-28. The additional tables cover U.S. farm income, U.S. agricultural trade, and international agricultural trade.
Friday
USDA releases monthly Crop Production and WASDE reports, noon ET. With huge corn and soybean crops being harvested, the focus begins to shift to demand for them.
Elizabeth Fastiggi, of Amazon World Services, speaks at a breakfast meeting of the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City, 8 a.m. ET, Kansas City.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization releases monthly Food Price Index, Rome.
Sunday
Association of Public and Land Grant Universities holds annual meeting, through Nov. 12, Orlando.
Nov. 11
Originally designated Armistice Day by President Wilson in 1919, Nov. 11 has been a federal holiday since 1938. It was renamed Veterans Day by President Eisenhower in 1954 and honors all military veterans. The armistice that ended World War I took effect on the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918. There are more than 18 million living U.S. veterans, 7 million of them from the Vietnam War, says History.com. Europe, Britain, Canada, and Australia commemorate the veterans of the two world wars on or near Nov 11.
COP29, the UN climate change conference, meets through Nov. 22 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
