Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters – President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday said the U.S. will spend $7.3 billion from 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act to fund clean energy projects helmed by rural electric cooperatives. The 16 funded projects will reduce energy costs and increase reliability for rural Americans, who tend to pay more for energy, the White House said. […] Read more
U.S. to spend $7.3 billion on rural clean energy projects
Low water on Mississippi River impacts barges, grain exports ahead of harvest
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Low water conditions have led to several barges running aground along a key stretch of the lower Mississippi River, the U.S. Coast Guard told Reuters on Wednesday, just as the busiest U.S. grain export season gets underway. Low water levels are slowing export-bound barge shipments of grain and oilseeds from the […] Read more
Bird flu continues to spread in U.S. dairy farms
Reading Time: < 1 minute The number of dairy farms in the United States that have reported bird flu among their livestock increased to 94 in a dozen states, according to reports. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control said the risk to humans remains low. The CDC noted it’s monitoring more than 500 people with 45 tested for bird flu. […] Read more
Two dozen companies working to find bird flu vaccine for cows, US agriculture secretary says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters – Twenty-four companies are working to develop an avian flu vaccine for cattle, as the virus spreads among U.S. dairy herds, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters on Wednesday. Bird flu has infected 90 dairy herds across 12 states since late March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Three dairy farm workers […] Read more
Canadian farmers blamed for ag chemical in U.S. oat foods
Discovery sets off media story despite samples testing well inside safe levels
Reading Time: 3 minutes A U.S. environmental group is pointing a finger at Canadian oat growers, saying they’re the cause of ag chemical residues found in Cheerios and Quaker Oats.
US court cancels approvals for widely used dicamba weedkillers
EPA violated procedures mandating public input, judge rules
Reading Time: 2 minutes A U.S. court has nullified the government's latest approvals of certain agricultural weedkillers sold by Bayer, BASF and Syngenta, fueling uncertainty among farmers who spray the products on soybeans and cotton genetically engineered to resist them.
China approves seed firms for GMO corn and soybeans
The world's biggest buyer of soybeans and corn wants to reduce its reliance on imports
Reading Time: 2 minutes China has approved a first batch of seed companies to breed and sell genetically modified corn and soybean seeds, paving the way for commercial planting of GMO grains in a move that could cut its reliance on imports from the U.S. and Brazil.
US reopens key rail crossings between Texas and Mexico
American, Mexican agriculture groups express relief
Reading Time: 2 minutes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said operations resumed at 2 p.m. ET at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas. The closures had prompted alarm from railroads, the agriculture industry and some lawmakers over the economic impact to halted export trade.
Biden backs ethanol industry on low-emission aviation fuel tax credits
Aviation is seen as one of the few routes to increase ethanol demand amid rising electric vehicle sales
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters - The Biden administration said on Friday it will recognize a methodology favored by the ethanol industry in guidance to companies looking to claim tax credits for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a pivotal win for the politically powerful U.S. corn lobby.
US-UAE climate-friendly farming effort grows to $17 billion
COP28 has elevated agriculture, U.S. govt's Vilsak says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Funding for a joint effort by the United States and United Arab Emirates to advance climate-friendly farming around the world has grown to more than $17 billion, the countries announced on Friday at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
