A train derailment south of Eagle Pass, Texas, is further complicating congestion challenges for agricultural shippers trying to send goods to Mexico.
The Union Pacific railway has temporarily stopped issuing new permits for agricultural shipments to Mexico after the accident, which occurred last Saturday. It’s the second suspension the company has placed over the past month, according to USDA’s weekly Grain Transportation Report.
Why it matters: Mexican rail networks have been plagued with delays over the past year, and the latest disruptions will further hamper harvest-season exports of U.S. grain and other products. Mexico was the second largest importer of U.S. agricultural products last year, including large amounts of corn, soybeans, wheat, soybean meal and pork products, according to USDA.
Some good news: Residents of the Mexican community of Chapulco have stopped blockading a railroad line that was preventing grain shipments from reaching livestock producers in the central part of the country, according to the Grain Transportation Report.
Produce industry encouraged to take more intentional advocacy role
The CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association is calling on the global produce and floral industry to be more engaged and aggressive about policy advocacy ahead of global elections.
At IFPA’s annual State of the Industry keynote in Atlanta Thursday, CEO Cathy Burns unveiled a new “Fight for Fresh” campaign. This new push aims to get the attention of policymakers and regulators given the industry impacts of over 70 elections worldwide in 2024.
This campaign will model efforts like the Women, Infants, and Children campaign that maintained the fresh produce benefit and a recent lawsuit challenging the Department of Labor’s H-2A rule.
“The size and scope of the global fresh produce and floral community alone gives us immense influence. It’s time we fully tap into that,” Burns said. “At the end of the day, when we come together as a community united by voice and purpose, we don't just create a profound sense of belonging; we ignite a powerful force of togetherness. We do not go into advocacy lightly. Fresh produce and floral is absolutely, undoubtedly, 100% worth fighting for.”
Florida Ag leader requests disaster declaration
The Florida Commissioner of Agriculture has asked USDA to issue a disaster declaration for parts of Florida impacted by Hurricane Milton.
In a letter, Commissioner Wilton Simpson cited initial assessments that put estimated losses in the agriculture sector between $1.5 and $2.5 billion.
"Hurricane Milton has left a broad path of devastation, impacting our farmers and threatening Florida’s position as a leading agricultural producer," Simpson said in a release. "We need the USDA's immediate support to help these family farms recover from yet another historic storm. The time to act is now."
Specifically, Simpson urged the agency to expedite the review process and make all available assistance through the Farm Service Agency and other programs open to farmers.
SNAP successfully served 88% of eligible individuals in 2022
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was able to serve 88% of eligible individuals in fiscal 2022, a record high in the program’s history, USDA says.
The Food and Nutrition Service released its latest report Thursday analyzing SNAP participation rates. It found that of 38 million people eligible for SNAP each month of FY22, about 34 million participated in the program. This is an increase from pre-pandemic levels.
FNS also found that those with no income, or low incomes, participated at higher rates than other eligible individuals. In addition, participation rates for households in rural areas increased from the pre-pandemic level of 84% in FY 2020 to 94%.
Georgia Republican Scott outlines principles for disaster aid package
House Agriculture Committee Republican Austin Scott discounted the idea of passing the farm bill along with a disaster aid package in this Congress in an interview with Agri-Pulse Newsmakers airing today.
“I don't know that it would be in the same piece of legislation that the disaster package is,” Scott told Agri-Pulse’s Lydia Johnson, while criticizing the lack of Democratic support for the Republican farm bill. The committee approved the bill in May, but it has not received a floor vote. Four committee Democrats voted for the bill.
Scott also laid out what he and other lawmakers, including Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., are seeking in a disaster package. They want to give land-grant institutions enough time to estimate hurricane damages before moving an agriculture-specific appropriation along with a larger disaster bill, Scott said.
For producers and forest owners not covered by crop insurance, funding would go to the states in the form of block grants.
“We need to allow the state departments of agriculture and the governors and the legislatures at the state level to determine how that should be best allocated,” Scott said. He cautions that the aid will only go so far. “We're not going to get anybody equal to where you were before the storm.”
Vilsack touts climate-smart partnerships program in Pennsylvania
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack trumpeted the success of USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program at an event in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Thursday.
The program, which has provided about $3 billion in funding for 135 projects, has produced tangible results, Vilsack said, pointing to products such as certified climate-friendly rice grown in Arkansas and milled in Wisconsin. He also mentioned Proximity Malt, a project participant “that is connecting regenerative, climate-smart barley farmers with brewing companies across the country, including major names like new Belgium's Fat Tire.”
The department released a brief progress report estimating that the program has resulted in sequestration of 400,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide thus far. That’s equal to emissions from about 95,000 passenger cars.
Reed leaving Ecosystem Services Market Consortium
Debbie Reed, who has been executive director of the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium since 2019, is leaving the organization. Reed told Agri-Pulse Thursday she’s retiring at the end of the year.
The existing chief operating officer, Alana Pacheco, will become the new executive director, Reed said in response to an inquiry. In addition, ESMC will hire a CEO so Pacheco can focus on operations “and the CEO can be focused more on external activities, strategies, business development and fundraising,” Reed said.
ESMC has 16 Eco-Harvest projects across the country that pay farmers for reducing greenhouse gases from their operations.
Final word: “We have more than 14,000 enrolled farms with over 3.2 million acres of working lands already enrolled in projects producing over 100 commodities that are being developed through a range of climate-smart practices geared for climate smart markets. In fact, speaking of climate-smart commodities, … over 40 of the commodities within this program are already being sold in the marketplace to a variety of buyers, buyers that include universities, food hubs, processors, retailers and directly to consumers.” – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, speaking Thursday in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
