California farmers, winemakers kick dirt over Chinese tariffs

California's vintners and growers fumed Friday at the growing prospect that wine, nuts, fruit and other Golden State exports would become collateral damage in a trade battle between President Trump and China. The $47-billion industry, which largely backed Trump, has been buffeted repeatedly as the Trump administration has halted or reopened trade talks and proposed punitive tariffs aimed at protecting American jobs.

Partnerships key to success at NGFA

The past few months have made tremendous demands on members, officers and staff of the National Grain and Feed Association, who have taken leading roles in establishing partnerships, some unconventional, to address pressing tax, trade and other issues facing the grain trade, growers and the food industry as a whole, said John Heck, outgoing NGFA chairman and senior vice-president, The Scoular Co., Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. The NGFA proved up to the task by demonstrating "strength and success through collaboration," Heck asserted in his address to members of the NGFA at their annual meeting in Scottsdale on March 20. The most pressing immediate challenge was forwarding "a stakeholder-led" solution to resolve the Section 199A tax issue.

Tons of catfish products recalled

A Mississippi company is recalling around 35 tons of catfish products that might have been tainted by a compound that poses a public health concern. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Friday that various fresh and frozen, raw, intact Siluriformes products were produced Feb. 16 at the Heartland Catfish Company.

Maple syrup season gets early start in parts of New England

The annual maple season got off to another early start with warmups in parts of New England, and producers are hopeful the recent cold and snow will extend it. Some producers in Vermont, the country's largest producer of maple syrup, have been going strong and producing a fair amount since about mid-February, but historically the season has been later, said Matt Gordon, executive director of the Vermont Maple Sugar Producers Association.

Debate stirs over ‘America’s Harvest Box,’ food benefit plan

In this Feb. 26, 2018, file photo, Carl Lewis in his market in Rankin, Pa. About half of Lewis' customers pay with benefits from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, so the government's proposal to replace the debit card-type program with a pre-assembled box of shelf-stable goods delivered to recipients worries him and other grocery operators in poor areas.

Food stamp administrators worry about food box proposal

Hawaii's food stamp administrator says he was stunned when he first heard that the U.S. Agriculture Department wanted to replace some cash benefits with a pre-assembled package of shelf-stable goods. That changed quickly to frustration, befuddlement and serious concern.

Renewable fuels on the line

It's his first week on the job. -Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Don Heck, director of the Iowa Central Biofuels Testing Laboratory, talks about their services during a meeting with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and a group of producers concerned about changes to the renewable fuels standards in the Iowa Central Community College Board Room.

US govt to California: You can never leave

The Trump administration on Wednesday came down hard against California, suing the Golden State over its immigration policy that it said is obstructing federal officers from enforcing laws relating to illegal immigrants. WASHINGTON: In a country whose name is prefaced with United and whose pledge of allegiance speaks of "one nation under God, indivisible," secession is a no-go area.

State’s Barely Market Experiences Increased Productivity

The state's barley growers experienced their most productive year last year within the past ten years, as reported by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Alaskan barley farmers planted 5,500 acres of grain last year, while harvesting 239,000 bushels, marking the largest crop this decade, valued from $600,000 to $1.2-million-dollars.

Child marriages decline, led by big fall in South Asia

Setting up a likely legal fight with the Trump administration, Washington has become the first state to enact its own net-neutrality requirements. Rats, mold and fists: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos gives state education chiefs some "tough love" as she pushes them to innovate.