Food

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China’s push to achieve self-sufficiency, which has incentivized the nation to purchase, and even steal, agricultural assets in other countries, could present risks to the economic and national security of the United States, warns a report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

The Food and Drug Administration will accelerate its review of the agency’s food regulatory functions in the wake of the infant formula shortage that has prompted severe criticism of FDA’s ability to react quickly to emergency situations.

Some results from Tuesday’s primaries hold implications for ag policy.

The Biden administration wants to make more farmers eligible for insurance when they grow wheat and soybeans in the same crop year, but some industry experts doubt the plan will do as much as the White House hopes in scaling up wheat production.

The war in Ukraine has laid bare the fact that agriculture is the key to national security. It’s a lesson that world leaders are taking to heart as they scramble to lessen global reliance on key sources of food and fertilizer, but it’s unclear if it will be too late to stop the slide from food crises to famine in some of the poorest and least developed countries.

A partnership aimed at helping farmers and ranchers transition to an electric vehicle future has taken another step as an agribusiness announced plans to purchase 10 electric pick-up trucks for use serving agricultural customers in California.

Agribusinesses giant Bayer on Tuesday signed the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge to help end world hunger by 2030 and committed $160 million to the cause, including a $100 million commitment to improve access to seeds for smallholder farmers.

KIND Healthy Snacks used the recent World Bee Day to announce the company is on track to source the majority — 51% — of its almonds from bee-friendly farms by the end of the year.

An Agriculture Department survey reported a record high cattle inventory for the beginning of May, but feedlot placements are declining and could be showing the early days of a contraction in the cattle cycle.

Farmers are catching up fast on planting, although there continue to be significant delays in North Dakota and Minnesota affecting both corn and spring wheat.