Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters – A dozen U.S. lawmakers on Friday urged the Biden administration to address the use of Chinese manufactured agriculture drones, saying their use on American farms poses national security risks. The House Republicans, including Representatives Elise Stefanik, Ashley Hinson and John Moolenaar, who chairs a select committee on China, asked the U.S. Agriculture Department and Cybersecurity […] Read more
U.S. lawmakers want risks posed by Chinese agriculture drones addressed
USDA forecasts smaller drop in 2024 farm income
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – U.S. farm income will fall for a second consecutive year in 2024, but not as much as previously expected as prices of livestock and egg products boom and production expenses ease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Thursday. Declining farm income could ripple across the rural economy in a presidential […] Read more
U.S. to spend $7.3 billion on rural clean energy projects
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
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.
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
