The latest outbreak of highly avian pathogenic influenza has now claimed a large layer operation owned by the nation’s largest egg producer, Cal-Maine Foods. Nearly 2 million birds will be killed at the Texas operation, the company said Tuesday.
Also Tuesday, USDA confirmed that a dairy herd in Idaho had tested positive. USDA had previously confirmed cases of HPAI in seven dairy herds in Texas, two in Kansas, and one each in Michigan and New Mexico.
Why it matters: Dairy cows don’t have to be killed after an HPAI infection, but birds do. The last national outbreak of HPAI in poultry caused egg prices to skyrocket by more than 32% in 2022.
World Central Kitchen suspends meal delivery in Gaza after workers killed
World Central Kitchen has suspended operations in Gaza after seven of its workers were killed Monday by Israeli airstrikes. WCK CEO Erin Gore called the incident a “targeted attack.”
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said there was “no evidence” that the aid workers were hit “on purpose.” The Israeli Defense Forces said it is “carrying out an in-depth examination at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.”
The Associated Press reported that “at least one of the vehicles had the charity’s logo printed across its roof to make it identifiable from the air, and the ordnance punched a large hole through the roof.”
The dead include three British citizens, Polish and Australian nationals, a Canadian-American dual national and a Palestinian, AP reported.
World Central Kitchen, founded by well-know chef José Andrés, says it has delivered more than 350 million meals to people in crisis situations throughout the world since it started in 2010.
Another aid group, Washington, D.C.-based Anera, also said Tuesday it was pausing operations in Gaza, citing the loss of one of its own aid workers as well as others in the region.
Administration pushed on details of GREET model update
The Renewable Fuels Association continues to try to shape an update of the model that will be used to measure the carbon footprint of feedstocks for sustainable aviation fuel. RFA is urging the interagency working group that is updating the GREET model to use a 30-year timeframe for analyzing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with land use changes. Those emissions figure into the carbon intensity of corn, soybeans and other feedstocks.
The issue is important to eligibility for new tax credits for SAF.
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The ethanol industry group doesn’t want to see the model use a shorter timeframe, such as 20 or 25 years, noting that EPA uses a 30-year time period for the Renewable Fuel Standard. “EPA has not altered the 30-year time period in subsequent rulemakings and still uses 30 years as the time period for new RFS lifecycle GHG assessments,” RFA says in a letter to the interagency group. A shorter time period would make rules for SAF tax credit eligibility different than the RFS.
USDA sees Brazil boosting corn production, cotton acreage
USDA is projecting that Brazil will increase its cotton acreage by 13% for the 2024/25 marketing year amid relatively strong prices for the crop as compared to corn. But despite the increase in cotton acreage, FAS estimates Brazil’s corn production will increase to 129 million metric tons for 2024-25, up from 122 million metric tons for 2023-24.
The increase in Brazil’s cotton acreage comes as cotton plantings in the U.S. are expected to drop by 4% this spring, based on USDA’s latest prospective plantings survey. The Foreign Agricultural Service says Brazilian cotton yields are expected to be lower this year because of the impact of the El Niño weather patterns.
Lawmakers call for seafood policy office at USDA
Sixteen senators and 20 House members are pressing leaders of the Senate and House Ag committees to use the farm bill to create an Office of Seafood Policy and Program Integration within the Agriculture Department’s Office of the Chief Economist.
In a letter, the lawmakers say "the U.S. has, for too long, failed to think strategically about how to support seafood, both farmed and wild, as a priority food commodity and position U.S. seafood to be more competitive in domestic and global seafood markets.” They say an office devoted to the subject would allow agencies to better coordinate and would “put seafood on par with federal support programs extended to every major domestic food commodity.”
The lawmakers also call for expanding seafood purchasing in federal nutrition programs and approving the Fishing Industry Credit Enhancement Act, which would expand Farm Credit System lenders authorities’ to include fisheries projects.
Alabama farmers pitch in as fire-weary Texas cattlemen search for hay
Alabama farmers have so far donated 21 truckloads of hay to Texas cattlemen scrambling for livestock feed to compensate for the rangeland scorched by a series of fires in the panhandle.
The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association and the Alabama Trucking Association launched the joint effort, which resulted in five truckloads of hay being delivered last week. Seven more loads are on their way and nine are scheduled for later this week, Alabama Agriculture commissioner Rick Pate said in a statement.
Bill to ban paraquat in California set for introduction
A California assemblymember plans to introduce legislation to ban all uses of paraquat in the state, the Environmental Working Group has announced.
Assemblymember Laura Friedman, a Democrat who represents Burbank, is behind the bill, said EWG, which plans to hold a news conference today with Friedman.
Almonds, grapes, cotton and pistachios are among the crops in which paraquat is used to control weeds.
Check out this week’s Agri-Pulse newsletter for our story on comments submitted to EPA on paraquat. We also look at how a new Federal Aviation Administration waiver will allow the first use of drone “swarms” in ag applications.
He said it: “[A] major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult [is] because Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians. Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen. Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians.” – President Joe Biden on the attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers.
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