Trump’s top trade nominees lobbied for hormone-meat exports

The nature of Britain's trade deals with the United States after Brexit raises serious concerns about the quality of food on supermarket shelves - and the influence of vested interests in the meat industry, reports LAWRENCE CARTER of EnergyDesk, Greenpeace. I can't see the Farm Bureau and the commodity organisations being willing to say yes, let's do a deal with the UK under the same terms that we have with the European Union Donald Trump's nominee to be the United States' chief agricultural trade negotiator previously called for the US to walk away from trade talks with the EU if it refused to drop its ban on beef reared with antibiotics and growth supplements.

Buffington: Population shifts and the effects

It's difficult to believe when you look around booming northeast Georgia, but not everywhere in the country is growing. A large swath of the American Midwest, from northern Texas up into the Dakotas, is seeing depopulation as young people leave rural communities and move into urban areas where there are more job opportunities.

Letter urges USDA to make milk agricultural commodity

U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-Willsboro, is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make milk an agricultural commodity under the Federal Crop Insurance program. Ms. Stefanik joined other members of Congress in submitting a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue requesting the change, which would put the dairy industry in a better position to recover from severe declines in milk prices.

Study finds city’s south side is a food desert

The lack of a major grocery store and having fewer convenience stores nearby makes Warren's southside neighborhoods more food insecure than the rest of the city, according to a recently released study by Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership. Examining 91 items from a U.S. Department of Agriculture thrifty food plan survey list, stores on the city's southeast side did not have 68 percent of the items, according to a study on food access conducted by TNP over the past year.

Europe Eats Into Butter Mountain in Sign High Prices to Stay

Europeans are eating so much butter that the bloc's stockpiles are nearly empty, adding to a rush of demand that has sent global prices skyrocketing. The star of the U.S. dairy market in recent years, butter costs have now soared to all-time highs in Western Europe and Oceania.

Worsening drought conditions in parts of US stressing crops

Drought conditions worsened in several states over the past week from extreme heat and weeks with little rain, raising the prospect that grocery staples such as bread and beans could cost more as the region that produces those commodities is hardest hit. Drought conditions have begun to stress corn, soybeans, wheat and livestock in some areas, according to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Higher Costs Make 2018 a Great Time to Cut Carbs

It looks like next year might be a good time to cut the carbohydrates as a drought-fueled jump in wheat costs will make bakery goods the food items with the biggest price gains for U.S. consumers. Higher prices paid to farmers, combined with lower imports, may increase grocery and restaurant costs for baked goods and cereals as much as 4 percent next year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday in its first forecast of food-price inflation for 2018.

County discusses prevalence of homelessness

Homelessness is prevalent in the Twin Counties, but United Community Ministries is having success in finding homes for families, according to information presented to the Nash County Board of Commissioners on Monday. Linda Brinson with United Community Ministries told the board at its second monthly meeting that 336 men and women have stayed at the shelter in the last six months.

Congress Continues Work on FY 2018 Science Funding

A number of funding bills have advanced through the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in the past two weeks. Lawmakers are eager to make progress on fiscal year 2018 spending before leaving the Capitol for their annual summer recess.

Duh

FRIDAY, July 21, 2017 - Combining a sugary soda with your burger or fried chicken can really prime your body to pack on more pounds, a new study suggests. Folks who had a sweetened drink with a high-protein meal stored more unused fat, compared to others who ate the same food with a sugar- free beverage, laboratory tests revealed.

Editorial: Trump names an anti-science blowhard as ‘chief…

President Trump's disdain for science apparently knows no bounds. He has now nominated climate change skeptic Sam Clovis, a talk radio host, to serve as the Department of Agriculture's chief scientist - a slap in the face of the scientific community and a disservice to those responsible for the integrity of the USDA's research.

Sen. Murkowski and Senate Appropriations Committee: Looking out for Alaska’s Food Security

The Senate Appropriations Committee has unanimously passed the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2018 Bill - which includes important components for Alaska. The bill requires clear labeling for genetically engineered salmon, allows rural areas to receive summer food services programs in innovative ways, increases fish allowed in WIC programs, and ensures pregnant women receive adequate information about eating seafood during pregnancy.

PETA accuses Fulton meat processor

In a news release emailed Thursday, PETA spokesperson David Perle stated the group contacted Callaway County Prosecutor Christopher Wilson, alleging animal abuse at Central Missouri Meat and Sausage. "The writer of this report has altered the facts to promote their cause of turning the world vegan," Hawkins said.

Australian woman killed by Minneapolis police officer ‘didn’t have to die,’ says police chief

Speaking publicly for the first time since the deadly officer-involved shooting, Minneapolis Police Chief Jane Harteau said Thursday the killing of Au... -- President Donald Trump told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that "ISIS is falling fast." As he and Vice President Mike Pence arrived at the Pentagon for a... The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is investigating about two dozen complaints from farmers about dicamba herbicide drift.

PM markets: US weather outlook rains on grain bulls’ parade

Grain futures, having started the day with a roar, ended with a bit of a whimper as the US weather forecast turned more benign, curbing crop worries. Sure, the weaker dollar , which dropped below 95 against a basket of currencies for the first time in 10 months, offered a lingering tailwind to prices of dollar-denominated commodities, making them more affordable to foreign buyers.