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The National Mall will be showcasing the latest innovations in precision agriculture and farm equipment this week.
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers is sponsoring the second Celebration of Modern Ag on the National Mall, which starts today and runs through Wednesday.
By the way: Deputy Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Torres Small will attend the event today along with Robert Bonnie, USDA’s undersecretary for farm production and conservation, and the deputy undersecretary for FPAC, Gloria Montaño Greene.
Twenty member companies of AEM will be taking part in the event along with numerous farm and biofuel industry groups.
“I don't believe you'll find another industry on the face of the earth that is more advanced from a technology standpoint, or that utilizes or deploys technology like the ag industry does,” Bill Hurley, vice president of global government affairs for AGCO Corp., says an Agri-Pulse Open Mic interview. Hurley chairs AEM’s ag sector board.
For more on this week’s D.C. agenda, read our Washington Week Ahead.
Global food prices up marginally
A global index of food commodity prices rose slightly in April, driven largely by higher meat costs. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index was up 0.3% to 119.1 points in April. That was the highest level since December, when the index was 119.2.
The index is still well under the average for 2023 of 124.7, reflecting the softer commodity markets. The average spiked at 144.7 points in 2022.
The details: The index for meat prices rose 1.6% in March, as avian influenza outbreaks and steady Middle East demand help push up the price of poultry. Beef prices also were higher in April.
The indexes for grains and vegetable oils both rose 0.3% last month, while dairy prices fell by the same amount.
Lawmakers urge USDA to reconsider report cancellations
A bipartisan group of 73 lawmakers is urging USDA to reverse the decision to cancel its July cattle report and discontinue its Cotton Objective Yield Survey and county estimates for crops and livestock.
Twenty-six senators and 47 House members say in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that the loss of the cattle report would create uncertainty in livestock markets and that dropping the cotton survey would "reduce the ability of industry participants to engage in forward contracting until later in the season.”
The county estimates report provides a better understanding of the impacts of droughts and disasters, including the wildfires that tore through Texas earlier this year, the lawmakers write.
The lawmakers acknowledge that the National Agricultural Statistics Service had its budget cut this year by Congress.
Dairy groups testify before USTR on supply chain resilience
Dairy industry representatives called for lower tariffs and protection of common food names at a hearing on supply chain resilience held by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Friday.
Tony Rice, director of trade policy at the National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council, also pushed for the eventual elimination of all tariffs on U.S. dairy exports as well as strong dispute settlement provisions.
The dairy industry also is seeking data transparency and supported the Biden administration’s freight logistics optimization work to prevent congestion that may impact perishable goods, said Becky Rasdall, senior vice president of trade and workforce policy at International Dairy Foods Association.
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During questioning she detailed how this was a major challenge for the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic and is an issue that still needs improvements.
Rasdall also said some European Union policies designed to promote environmental sustainability, such as mandatory climate-related disclosure and deforestation-free supply chains, can impede trade. While the dairy industry is not currently subject to the deforestation regulation, Rasdall called it a “dangerous precedent.”
Labor reaffirms validity of H-2A wage rate rule
The Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration has ratified its rule setting wage rates for farmworkers, in response to a lawsuit alleging that the rule was not properly issued.
José Javier Rodríguez, assistant secretary for employment and training at the Labor Department, says in the Federal Register today that “out of an abundance of caution and to avoid any doubt as to its validity, I have independently evaluated the final rule and the basis for adopting it.”
The National Council of Agricultural Employers is appealing a federal district judge’s dismissal of its lawsuit alleging the 2022 rule was issued without the required notice and comment.
Feed industry, regulators call out ‘false’ reports on poultry litter and HPAI
Feed ingredient regulators and manufacturers are defending the occasional use of poultry litter as dairy cattle feed amid what American Feed Industry Association President and CEO Constance Cullman calls “sensational headlines and articles falsely accusing feeding practices of spreading the HPAI virus.”
“While not widely used, the Association of American Feed Control Officials approved the use of dried poultry litter and waste, which are not good hosts for viruses, as a partial source of protein for beef and dairy cattle,” Cullman says. “Recent research shows that it is not a common byproduct used in dairy diets.”
AAFCO Executive Director Austin Therrell says in a statement that while “theoretically possible, it is very unlikely the illness was spread through animal feed.”
He adds that while not widely used, “poultry litter can be a great alternative for cattle to promote sustainability while still gaining a nutritional benefit for the animals.”
He said it: “The best way forward as we see it for our industry and for dairy producers going forward is going to be through comprehensive trade agreements that have tariff-reducing mechanisms as well as addressing non-tariff barriers and strong enforceability,” – Tony Rice, director of trade policy at the National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council, at Friday’s USTR hearing in supply chain resilience.
