Regulatory

A federal judge has vacated the U.S. Department of Agriculture's approval of pilot programs in five states that barred Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients from using their benefits to buy soda, candy, and other items, ruling that the agency exceeded its legal authority and bypassed required public notice procedures.

A New Mexico dog confirmed with a case of New World screwworm last week is no longer believed to have traveled to Mexico, New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte says. As Senate Agriculture Committee leaders prepare to release farm bill text, Vermont Sen. Peter Welch says lawmakers need to focus on the growing economic reality that farmers are spending more to produce crops than they're earning. 

Dairy operations can use the H-2A program if they can demonstrate a temporary or seasonal labor need, the Homeland Security and Labor departments said in new guidance released Wednesday.

The Agriculture Department is putting $105 million into 40 research projects aimed at better equipping the U.S. to combat the spread of New World screwworm, the agency says. The National Corn Growers Association and 15 state corn organizations are calling on USDA to fund research supporting the full value of corn as a driver of new market opportunities and farm revenue.

Sustainable aviation fuel is widely hailed by corn, soybean and ethanol groups as a future boon to the ag industry, but a raft of policy and market challenges must be overcome. 

The European Union has adopted a regulation allowing streamlined approvals for gene-edited plants — a development that seed and biotech companies are lauding as a breakthrough on a continent known for its strict oversight of agricultural production.