One of the most vulnerable Democrats on the House Ag Committee is showing little sign that she’ll back the GOP farm bill the panel will consider next week.
Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., reiterated her concerns Tuesday evening about the cut to the nutrition title and the removal of climate guardrails around the Inflation Reduction Act’s conservation funding. “If you want to get a bipartisan farm bill across the finish line, you’re going to have to come back to the table and work in a bipartisan way, and I just haven’t seen that,” she told reporters.
Another House Ag Democrat who faces a close re-election race, Don Davis of North Carolina, told Agri-Pulse’s Noah Wicks he’s still analyzing the framework and "has not landed on a decision yet."
Keep in mind. Democrats on the committee will be meeting today with Senate Ag Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.
Check out this week’s Agri-Pulse newsletter for a look at key differences between the House and Senate Ag farm bill plans.
Biden blocks Chinese-owned company’s purchase of land near Wyoming military base
President Biden is ordering a majority-Chinese owned cryptocurrency company to divest land it bought near a Wyoming military base.
MineOne Partners Limited, the majority of which is owned by People’s Republic of China nationals, acquired property within one mile of Wyoming’s Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in June 2022, and the land was converted to use for “specialized cryptocurrency mining operations,” according to a Treasury Department release.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. referred the case to the White House after it found “national security risks arising from the transaction” due to its proximity to the base. The company has 120 calendar days to sell or transfer the land, according to the president’s order.
CPI due out; Dems want Biden to battle food industry
The latest inflation numbers are due out today, even as President Biden and congressional Democrats continue to struggle with the issue.
Ahead of the release of the Consumer Price Index for April, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., led a 12-page letter that details steps his administration ought to take to combat consolidation and market power in the food industry. Among other things, the lawmakers want the Federal Trade Commission to issue guidance on potential violations of the Robinson Patman Act, which prevents price discrimination, and “take enforcement action where merited.”
The letter also calls for the FTC to work with USDA to prohibit exclusionary contracting in the industry and says USDA should do more contracting with very small businesses.
"We believe you can exercise your executive authority to take additional action to address rising food prices without congressional action. Americans are facing sky-high food prices, caused by excessive price gouging by food and grocery giants,” the letter says.
Keep in mind: Food inflation has actually eased considerably over the past year. The cost of eating at home was unchanged in March as well as February after rising 0.4% in January. USDA has forecast food inflation for 2024 at 1.2%.
Report: Consumers remain anxious about grocery store prices
Consumers remain more concerned about grocery store food inflation than other categories like gas or housing, even as food prices have dropped, according to a report from FMI-Food Industry Association, which represents supermarket chains.
Shoppers are spending more on average for their weekly groceries, according to the report. In February, the average weekly spending per household on groceries hit a new high of $165. This is a small increase from February 2023, but a 36% increase from the $121 reported in February 2020.
The concern over grocery prices is at its lowest level since FMI began tracking the issue in 2022, but anxiety over food prices ranked higher than other concerns like gas, housing, clothing and restaurant meals.
Drain tile installation allowed on land enrolled in wetland easements
Farmers in the prairie pothole region can officially install drain tiles on land enrolled in wetland easements so long as they do not indirectly or directly empty the protected wetlands, according to a new rule finalized by the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Approximately 28,000 wetland easements are scattered across Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Most of these are found on privately owned farmland, according to the rule.
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Take note: According to the rule, approximately 20 landowners per year are required to remove drain tile systems based on current regulations. The extra clarification “may provide the incentive to these landowners to adhere to the contract and, thus, reduce the costs of removing drain tile systems,” the rule says.
Eight farmworkers in Florida dead after drunk driver runs into bus
Eight farmworkers died and eight more were critically injured when a pickup truck hit a bus carrying more 53 workers who were headed to pick watermelons in Dunellon, Florida.
The early morning accident Tuesday was the result of a drunk driver hitting the bus, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, which charged the driver of the pickup with eight counts of driving under the influence-manslaughter.
The Associated Press reported that the trucking company had recently sought approval to hire 43 people this year under the H-2A program to pick watermelons.
The bus didn’t have seat belts. A new rule from the Labor Department would require their use.
Agri-Pulse trade editor Bill Tomson dies
The Agri-Pulse team is missing longtime trade editor Bill Tomson, who has died after bravely fighting brain cancer. He was 55.
Tomson was a highly skilled reporter whose persistence and deep sourcing helped him break many stories over the eight years he was at Agri-Pulse. He contributed regularly to Daybreak.
“Bill was extremely dedicated to bringing our readers the very best insights on trade and any topic he covered. He worked tirelessly to get information from his vast network of sources,” said Agri-Pulse Founder and Publisher Sara Wyant. “We will miss him terribly.”
For more about Bill’s career, please read the story on our website.
