Secretary of Agriculture Perdue Issues USDA Statement on Plant Breeding Innovation

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today issued a statement providing clarification on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's oversight of plants produced through innovative new breeding techniques which include techniques called genome editing. Under its biotechnology regulations, USDA does not regulate or have any plans to regulate plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques as long as they are not plant pests or developed using plant pests.

Congress pours money into fight against Louisiana’s wetland pest

The fight against an insect invasion that's killing coastal wetlands is receiving long sought-after help from the federal government. Congress plans to contribute $500,000 to help control or eradicate the tiny Asian insect, known as a scale, that's been destroying roseau cane, a sturdy, erosion-resistant reed that holds much of the lower Mississippi River Delta together.

Hemp gains powerful ally to free it from marijuana ties

In this Aug. 13, 2015, file photo, hemp plants tower above researchers who tend to them at a research farm in Lexington, Ky. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday, March 26, 2018, he wants to bring hemp production back into the mainstream by removing it from the controlled substances list that now associates it with marijuana, its illicit cousin.

Deutz wins trip to Washington, D.C. for ag visit

Marshall farmer Allen Deutz took a pivot in his farming operation when he switched from dairy to beef cattle and went back to college for economics at South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D. As a student, he earned a trip to Washington, D.C. Feb. 22-23. "I also work at SDSU part-time as a graduate research assistant for Dr. Deepthi Kolady.

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.