JD Vance used Tuesday night’s vice-presidential debate to defend Donald Trump’s tariff proposals. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz touted Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s “opportunity economy.”
Walz acknowledged the necessity of trade and criticized Trump's 20% across-the-board tariff proposal as a national sales tax that would cost taxpayers up to $4,000 a year.
"I'm not a guy who wanted to ship things overseas, but I understand that. Look, we produce soybeans and corn. We need to have fair trading partners,'' Walz said.
Vance defended Trump's tariff plans by emphasizing the GOP ticket’s desire to boost U.S. manufacturing jobs.
“You’re probably surprised to hear me praising Joe Biden, but the one thing that Joe Biden did is he continued some of the Trump tariffs that protected American manufacturing jobs,” Vance said before asserting Harris had run away from Biden’s record. Harris has been critical of Trump’s across-the-board tariff plan but hasn’t said whether she would roll back existing tariffs.
Ag and food groups urge agreement to end port strike
Groups from across the agriculture sector are calling for port workers and their employers to reach an agreement to end a strike that has stalled containerized shipping along the East and Gulf Coasts.
The American Feed Industry Association warns that prolonged port closures “could escalate into an animal welfare crisis,” as animal feed makers could be unable to secure foreign-sourced vitamins, minerals and amino acids essential for the health of livestock and pets.
The National Milk Producers Federation says the strike “jeopardizes $32 million in dairy exports per week.” American Farm Bureau Federation Zippy Duvall warns that continued port disruptions “could leave perishable food rotting at the docks, which threatens the livelihood of farmers.”
The path forward: Some ag groups have issued statements calling for President Biden to intervene, but so far the president isn’t doing so. In a public statement Tuesday, Biden said “collective bargaining is the best way for workers to get the pay and benefits they deserve."
He also appeared to show some support for the dockworkers’ cause. "I have urged USMX, which represents a group of foreign-owned carriers, to come to the table and present a fair offer to the workers of the International Longshoremen’s Association that ensures they are paid appropriately in line with their invaluable contributions,” he said.
Power still out for thousands in rural South after Helene’s devastation
Nearly 500,000 rural electric cooperative customers are still left without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. It could take days, or even weeks for them to get it back.
The hurricane had originally hit 1.25 million electrical users across Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and other parts of the South, though crews from across the country have been able to successfully restore some service.
Helene is one of the most devastating hurricanes seen in the 87 years history of electric cooperatives, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson told reporters. Georgia electrical coops had 166 distribution stations out at the peak of the storm, though only 39 remain out-of-order.
“It is devastation that’s hard to describe,” said Dennis Chasten, CEO of the Georgia Electric Membership Corp. “I’ve been in this business for 38 years and I’ve never seen anything like it."
For more on Hurricane Helene’s devastation, plus a report from Sacramento on California’s move toward allowing E15, read our weekly Agri-Pulse newsletter today.
Kentucky sociologist who examines rural woes gets $800K grant
A sociologist who examines “the intersection of environmental injustice, corporate and state power, and anti-government sentiment in American rural communities” is among the latest recipients of a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant.
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Loka Ashwood, a professor at the University of Kentucky, “reveals how state support for some corporate interests can come at a high cost for rural residents,” the MacArthur Foundation website says.
Ashwood has been particularly critical of right-to-farm laws, which she contends have not served their intended purpose.
As a MacArthur fellow, Ashwood will receive an award of $800,000, paid out in equal quarterly installments over five years.
EPA finalizes mitigation requirements for chlorpyrifos
EPA has issued new mitigation requirements for chlorpyrifos, including restrictions on when, where and how to apply the insecticide, in order to protect endangered species.
The agency will issue a proposed rule soon to revoke chlorpyrifos tolerances associated with all food uses, except for 11 food and feed crops. A federal appeals court ordered the agency in 2022 to re-examine its decision to revoke all food tolerances.
The Center for Biological Diversity continues to push for a full ban on the organophosphate product. “It’s great news that the EPA is restricting chlorpyrifos in endangered species habitat, but this toxic pesticide is far too dangerous to the environment and people’s health to stop there,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the center.
EPA to award $10 million in farmworker pesticide grants
EPA is making close to $10 million available in grants under three programs to help educate farmworkers about pesticides and their rights under the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard.
One grant of $2.1 million will go toward improving health care providers’ ability “to prevent, recognize, treat, manage and report pesticide-related illness,” EPA says.
EPA anticipates awarding two cooperative agreements worth $6.3 million to community-based farmworker organizations. A total of up to $6.3 million will be awarded to these five-year agreements beginning in 2025.
By the way: EPA’s Farmworker Training and Education Program for Pesticide Safety website has more information on eligibility and how to apply.
Also from EPA: Jake Li, the deputy assistant administrator for pesticides, is leaving the agency to go to the Fish and Wildlife Service, where he will be assistant director for ecological services. Li has been a key driver of EPA’s efforts to align pesticide regulations with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.
Read about more personnel changes in Farm Hands in this week’s newsletter.
