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Around Washington
Conservation organizations and some farm groups are urging congressional budget writers to restore cuts they put in their fiscal 2016 spending bills and to reject a delay in new conservation compliance requirements for crop insurance.
Senate Republican critics of the Obama administration's Clean Water Act rule initiated another long-shot attempt to strike it down, this time through a disapproval resolution that would have to be enacted over a presidential veto.
Around the Country
The drought is forcing California wildlife managers, researchers and conservationists to shift species protection strategies.
The 2014 Organic Survey, released by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), shows that 14,093 certified and exempt organic farms in the United States sold a total of $5.5 billion in organic products in 2014, up 72 percent since 2008.
Health and Nutrition
Congress is deciding whether it wants another pitched battle with first lady Michelle Obama and the administration over school lunches that put more whole grains in kids' meals and cut salty foods.
Science and Technology
As growers prepare to store their self-propelled sprayers for the winter they'll need to do more than simply drive it into the barn, turn it off and close the door, said Mike Flatt, director of Business Process Improvement for Equipment Technologies, manufacturer of Apache-brand self-propelled sprayers.
Tariffs and Trade
From the edge of his rice fields in southeastern Arkansas, Joe Mencer can climb a levee and lay eyes on a small Mississippi River port that loads up grain for a trip to New Orleans. From there, it could be on its way toward Cuba.
Reports that a China/U.S. rice trade pact had been struck were premature. Hopes that a deal would be signed next week were put to bed during a Wednesday (September 16) conference call between USDA's APHIS and major U.S. rice players.
The Obama administration on Friday will announce an array of regulatory changes to loosen travel, commerce and investment restrictions on Cuba, according to people familiar with the plans, the latest move forward in the thaw in relations with Havana.
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