Labor Day and Ensuring Clean Water for All
Labor Day is coming up and the USDA has a few food safety tips to keep everyone safe. As we head into the Labor Day weekend though, we saw a few articles about global food security, a decrease in U.S. beef cow herd levels, and threats to lime growers.
Read on to learn more about what the week had to offer.
Labor Day Food Safety Tips
When you hit the road for that one last camping trip or beach day, bring food safety along to keep foodborne illness in the rearview mirror. Check out the USDA's Top Ten Labor Day Food Safety Tips to make sure your Labor Day is a good one!
Fighting The Spotted Lanternfly
“Stomp, squash, smash” has been the accompanying soundtrack to the expansion of an odd-looking bug through the Eastern US. The spotted lanternfly, a large planthopper native to Asia, has been popularized in media outlets as the most recent enemy one ought to kill on sight. Read more about Fighting the Spread of the Spotted Lanternfly and why it is so important to do so.
Ensuring Clean Water for All
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army (the agencies) announced a final rule amending the 2023 definition of “waters of the United States” to conform with the recent Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. EPA. The agencies are committed to following the law and implementing the Clean Water Act to deliver the essential protections that safeguard the nation’s waters from pollution and degradation. Read more about it in our EPA and Army Amend “Waters of the United States” Rule article.
Agriculture Sustainability
In recent years, to combat climate change and preserve resources, there has been a push towards more sustainable farming practices by industry, government, and farmers themselves, and the humble potato is a crop that has much to gain from the sustainability movement. Read more about it in our What It Takes to Grow a Sustainable Potato article.
In other news, artificial methods of growing lettuce produce twice the amount of the crop as traditional field-based methods, according to a new study from the University of Surrey. The meta-analysis also found that it was quicker to grow lettuce using artificial methods, with production rates 50% faster in summer periods and up to 300% faster in winter. Read more about it in our Using Artificial Methods for Growing Crops Could Help Solve Global Food Security article.
Crop World
Professor Martina Strömvik and her team have created a potato super pangenome to identify genetic traits that can help produce the next super spud. Read more about it in our The Search for the Super Potato article. Also, research has brought clarity to the longstanding question of how starch granules form in the seeds of Triticeae crops – wheat, barley, and rye – unlocking diverse potential benefits for numerous industries and for human health. Read more about it in our Starch Discovery Reaps Benefits for Brewing, Baking, and Milling Industries article.
In other news, the kind of mass threats and extortion of lime growers in western Mexico that sparked a civilian vigilante uprising a decade ago have returned, and growers say they can’t get their crops to market. Read more about it in our A Decade After Vigilante Uprising, Threats Against Lime Growers Return article.
Livestock World
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The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) released its annual, “Our Industry, Our Promise,” report today, detailing the operational challenges facing today’s animal feed and pet food manufacturers and actions the AFIA is taking to address them. The report provides an analysis of the animal food industry’s contribution to the U.S. and global economies and the forces making it difficult to conduct business. Read more about it in our Report Shows AFIA Working Toward Healthier World Through Advanced Animal Nutrition article.
Also, the U.S. beef cow herd reached its lowest level in decades this summer as prolonged drought conditions in major cattle-producing regions led producers to aggressively cull their herds. The contracting beef herd has led to higher dairy bull calf prices and may compel more dairy producers to leverage beef breed genetics in their reproduction programs and capture an additional revenue stream in the process. Read more about it in our Beef on Dairy Brings New Value to the Marketplace article.
Finally, Purina Animal Nutrition Launches Scholarship Program is designed to assist students involved in agriculture and livestock production in pursuing their passions and furthering their educations.
Farming Economy/Policy
In this year’s June Consumer Food Insights Report, the United States is confronted with a rise in food insecurity, reaching 17 percent. That matches the rate reported back in March 2022, the second instance within just 18 months that the nation has grappled with such distressing levels of food insecurity. Read more about it in our How Will America’s Food Insecurity Surge Affect You? article.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that they will be updating the 2023 Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) payment rate for beef calves over 800 pounds will increase from $1244 per head to $1618, an increase of $374. Read more about it in our USCA: Livestock Indemnity Program Payment Rates Updated article.
Also, the AFBF Presents the First Round of Testimony at the FMMO Hearing, and Ag Organizations React to WOTUS Rule Updates.
New With USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced it will invest $16.2 million to restore forests across tribal, state, and private lands. These funded projects mark the first time the Forest Service will make Landscape Scale Restoration program grants directly available to federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations to restore priority forest landscapes on tribal lands, including trust lands, reservation lands, and other lands owned by tribes. Read more about it in our Restoring Forests Across Tribal, State, and Privately Managed Lands article.
Also, the USDA Made More Grants Available for Meat and Poultry Processors and Updated Livestock Disaster Payment Rate to Assist Producers Hard-Hit by Heat and humidity.
Finally, More Than $800M Aims to Strengthen Rural Infrastructure and Create Jobs, and $266 Million Aims to Help Rural Business Owners, Farmers, and Ranchers.
Other Top Stories
Farm Action and Farm Action Fund released a short film sharing the personal stories of the organization’s co-founders, Angela Huffman and Joe Maxwell. Both farmers themselves, Huffman and Maxwell discuss working against monopoly control over agriculture at a critical point in the 2023 Farm Bill debate. Read more about it in our Film Highlights Farmers Behind Farm Bill Reform article.
Also, China Bans Seafood From Japan due to the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant releasing its first batch of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.
Finally, the results of a checkoff-initiated smoothie program pilot showed increased consumption of milk and yogurt and will be offered to more schools this fall. Read more about it in our School Smoothie Program Expands Following Successful Pilot article.
Come Back Next Week!
Be sure to check in next week for our weekly national news roundup, and don't forget to follow us on all our socials! We can't wait to see what next week holds for agricultural news.