The Center for Food Safety filed a legal appeal against the USDA in response to its genetically engineered labeling rules. The organization says those rules do not mandate clear on-package food labeling and allow unlabeled hidden GMOs to proliferate in the U.S. food marketplace. The CFS was victorious in a 2022 district court ruling in…… MORE
Category Archives: Agriculture News
Farm Bureau Testifies at FMMO Hearing
American Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist Roger Cryan testified at the ongoing Federal Milk Marketing Order Pricing Formula hearing. Farm Bureau membership includes cooperatives and independent dairy farmers, most of whom are directly or indirectly affected by the pricing provisions in the FMMOs. Farm Bureau’s testimony focused on the reduction or elimination of negative producer…… MORE
West Coast Port Workers Ratify Contract
Dock workers at West Coast ports ratified a six-year contract that improved pay and benefits for 22,000 employees at 29 ports from California to Washington state. Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union voted 75% in favor of approving the West Coast port worker agreement that runs until 2028. Reuters says longshore workers covered…… MORE
Brazil Now the World’s Biggest Corn Exporter
For more than 50 years, U.S. farmers were dominant in the international corn market, far and away shipping more corn than anyone else to help feed the world’s stockpiles and manufacture food. A Bloomberg article says that’s no longer the case. In the agricultural year that ended on August 31st, the U.S. gave up that…… MORE
Grape Growers Have New Insurance Program
The USDA is expanding crop insurance options with a new grapevine insurance program. It will provide coverage for the loss of grafted vines caused by natural perils like frost or fire. The new program will also complement the grape crop insurance program that covers the fruit growing on the vine. “We strive to offer the…… MORE
Revised “Waters of the United States” Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers announced a final rule amending the 2023 definition of “waters of the United States.” The final rule intends to conform with the recent Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. EPA. With this action, the Army Corps of Engineers will resume issuing all jurisdictional determinations. The…… MORE
CDFA Now Accepting Ag Plate Grant Proposals
The California Department of Food and Agriculture is posting on its webpage that the department is accepting proposals for the 2023 California Agriculture Special Interest License Plate grant program. This program will provide an estimated $250,000 in grants to promote agricultural education and leadership activities for students at the K-12, post-secondary and adult-education levels. The…… MORE
Farm Bill Could Be Delayed
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Congress will deliver a farm bill, but not likely in September. Roll Call says McConnell told the Kentucky Farm Bureau that Congress is running out of working days on the legislative calendar before the current law expires on September 30th. McConnell is one of the highest-ranking members of Congress…… MORE
Cal Feed Industry Is Going More Green
The California Department of Food and Agriculture says the feed industry diverted more than 18.5 million tons of byproducts from human food, fiber and biofuel production to livestock feed last year. Byproducts include canola meal, cotton seed, almond hulls, distiller’s grains, bakery byproducts, and culled fruits and vegetables. CDFA also says processing fruits, nuts and…… MORE
Milk Pricing Hearing Now Underway
A once-in-a-generation hearing on federal milk pricing started this week. USDA’s Federal Milk Marketing Order hearing is an opportunity for dairy producers to make their case for changes to the pricing program. National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jim Mulhern says, “Thanks to the tireless efforts of dairy farmers and their cooperatives, this industry…… MORE
