Washington State Is Set to Vote on a Carbon Tax. For the Governor, It’s a Gamble.

Want the latest climate news in your inbox? You can sign up here to receive Climate Fwd: , our new email newsletter. This week in the statehouse in Olympia, Wash., Gov. Jay Inslee is battling to bring a vote on a historic climate change policy that he has pursued for years: instituting the nation's first tax on planet-warming carbon dioxide pollution.

Farm Republicans revolt against Trumpa s steel a oetax.a Warn ita ll cost him at the polls.

President Donald Trump said he will impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in response to what he called decades of unfair trade policies. Trump summoned steel and aluminum executives to the White House and told them that next week he would levy penalties of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports.

2018 Oregon Wine Industry Recognizes Leaders at Annual Wine Symposium

Oregon's wine community was aglow with recognition during an awards luncheon at the Oregon Wine Symposium on Wednesday, Feb. 21. More than 1,300 wine industry professionals were on hand to celebrate the accomplishments of colleagues throughout the state who continue to champion the advancement of Oregon wine. Nine awards were presented, including the first Oregon Wine Leadership award, presented to Sen. Jackie Winters for her tireless support of the statewide wine industry.

USDA opens new office in Vietnam to help facilitate increasing agricultural trade

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently opened a new office in Hanoi, Vietnam. The office will play a vital role in helping expand the United States' $2.5 billion agricultural export market in Vietnam.

Higher protein production forecast pressures prices for livestock producers

Demand for meat is going to remain firm throughout the rest of 2018, and U.S. livestock producers will continue to see favorable feed prices. But livestock producers are going to be pressured on market prices for beef, hogs, and poultry products because of increased production in most livestock sectors.

USDA Launches Webpage Highlighting Resources To Help Rural Communities Address The Opioid Crisis

Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today unveiled a new webpage featuring resources to help rural communities respond to the opioid crisis. "While no corner of the country has gone untouched by the opioid crisis, small towns and rural places have been particularly hard hit," Hazlett said.

Weber County vegetable farmers dependent on Mexican workers

While the unseasonal weather is allowing local farmers to start plowing fields in February, the American Farm Bureau is lobbying for better access to foreign labor this summer for agriculture. The future of farming depends upon a program that allows Mexican seasonal workers to come here and return when the job is done, local farmers say.

Perdue to food box critics: Give the idea a chance

Perdue is defending a proposal that would cut food stamp benefits in half and replace them with a pre-ass... WASHINGTON - Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Thursday defended a proposal that would replace a portion of food stamp benefits with pre-assembled boxes of shelf-stable goods delivered to recipients' doorsteps - an idea one lawmaker called "a cruel joke." The idea was first floated last week in the Trump administration's 2019 budget proposal, tucked inside a larger plan to slash the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, by roughly $213 billion - or 30 percent- over the next 10 years.

Half of Senate Republicans urge Trump to reconsider TPP

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue attends a Farmer's Roundtable where President Donald Trump signed the Executive Order Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America on April 25, 2017, at the White House in Washington, D.C. Twenty-five Republican senators wrote to President Donald Trump on Feb. 21, encouraging him to "work aggressively" to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership . "We write in support of your recent comments expressing interest in reengaging with the Trans-Pacific Partnership to bring about a stronger agreement for the United States," they wrote.

Congress Calls For Investigation Into Obama Holdover Who Colluded With Unions

The chairman of a House investigative subcommittee asked the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Inspector General to investigate reports an Obama administration appointee may have violated anti-lobbying laws. Texas Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold wants EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins to investigate Chemical Safety Board member Rick Engler's working with union activists to pressure Congress for funding.

Three sectors being transformed by artificial intelligence

But exactly how that technology will influence the enterprise sector remains to be seen. Fiery public debates have swirled in the tech community around whether new advancements involve tactical adoptions for enterprise, like a personalized, improved retail experience, or whether these developments signal the coming of the robot apocalypse.

China to expand production and use of ethanol; 2020 E10 mandate would …

Xinhua reports that China's State Administration of Grain said that China will expand production and consumption of bioethanol fuel this year as the country seeks more channels to use corn and grain stockpiles. Years of government support for corn farmers - paying Chinese corn producers more than twice the international price level until 2016 - have left China with a substantial stockpile.

Will ‘King Corn’ lose its crown?

With snow still blanketing significant portions of the Northern Plains and upper Midwest, planting season may seem ages away - but in reality, it is just several weeks around the corner. Another sign of the upcoming 2018 crop season came today from Arlington, Va., where USDA released its first planting estimates of the year at its annual Agricultural Outlook Forum.

Critics blast EPA for lowering Syngenta pesticide fine

In this Saturday, May 20, 2017, file photo, protesters carry banners during their march against the multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology companies Monsanto and Syngenta in Basel, Switzerland. After a February 2018 announcement, critics are blasting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for dramatically lowering a fine on agribusiness company Syngenta for violations of pesticide regulations.

Critics blast EPA for lowering Syngenta pesticide fine Source: AP

Critics are blasting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for dramatically lowering a fine on agribusiness company Syngenta for violations of pesticide regulations. Syngenta, under a settlement announced this week, will pay $150,000 for improperly using the pesticide chlorpyrifos at a seed corn field in Hawaii in 2016 and 2017.