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☆ Government shutdown risks food benefits for 7 million, Biden aide warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Leah Millis Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warned on Monday that a government shutdown risks nutritional assistance for the nearly 7 million low-income women and children who rely on benefits. Vilsack said some benefits could be affected within days or weeks if Congress fails to provide funding for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. A separate benefits program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), will continue as normal for the month of October but could be affected afterward, he said. "If we have a shutdown, WIC shuts down," Vilsack told reporters at a briefing. Nearly half of newborns in the United States rely on WIC, according to the Biden administration.

Persons: Tom Vilsack, Leah Millis, Vilsack, Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, Steve Holland, Trevor Hunnicutt, Mark Potter, Deepa Babington Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, White, REUTERS, Rights, . Agriculture, Women, Assistance, WIC, of Agriculture, Republican, Sunday, House Republicans, Democratic, Biden, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, Mexico, U.S

MIAMI (AP) — A Pacific white-sided dolphin who shared a tank with Lolita the orca at the Miami Seaquarium until Lolita died last month has been moved to SeaWorld San Antonio, where he will live with others of his species, officials said Monday. Li’i will be joining other Pacific white-sided dolphins in San Antonio, some of whom he lived with previously, the park said in a Facebook post. SeaWorld San Antonio is one of only two places in the United States to care for his species, officials said. The 40-year-old aquatic mammal had been the only remaining Pacific white-sided dolphin at the Seaquariam, according to a Seaquariam Facebook post. Political Cartoons View All 1179 ImagesAnimal rights activists had been fighting for years to have Lolita freed from her tank at the Seaquarium.

Persons: Lolita, Li’i, Lolita —, Toki —, Toki, Jim Irsay Organizations: MIAMI, Miami, SeaWorld, Facebook, Dolphin Company, Indianapolis Colts, U.S . Department of Agriculture Locations: SeaWorld San Antonio, San Antonio, United States, Pacific, Federal

"The alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state," Murphy - who would appoint a temporary replacement for Menendez should he resign - said in a statement. "Behind the scenes, Senator Menendez was doing those things for certain people - the people that were bribing him and his wife," Williams said. A lawyer for Nadine Menendez, 56, who has been married to the senator since 2020, said she denied wrongdoing and would "vigorously defend" against the allegations in court. MENENDEZ HAS FACED OTHER PROBESThe investigation marks the third time Menendez has been investigated by federal prosecutors, although he has never been convicted. Bob and Nadine Menendez also each face one count of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.

Persons: Bob Menendez, Menendez, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden, Phil Murphy, Murphy, Prosecutors, Damian Williams, Williams, Nadine Menendez, MENENDEZ, Robert Menedez, Jonathan Ernst, Ben Cardin, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Ted Stevens, Larry Craig, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, Fred Daibes, Bob, Hana, Washington, Uribe, Daibes, Luc Cohen, Jonathan Stempel, Patricia Zengerle, Matt Spetalnick, Simon Lewis, Makini Brice, Andrew Goudsward, Tom Hals, Mark Porter, Daniel Wallis, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: U.S, Jersey businessmen, U.S . Senate, Foreign, Democratic, U.S . House, Representatives, Benz, Capitol, REUTERS, Republican, U.S . Department of Agriculture, New, Menendez, Daibes, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, Jersey, U.S, Manhattan, Egypt, Ukraine, China . New Jersey, New Jersey, Washington , U.S, Cuban American, Cuba, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Alaska, Idaho, United States, Washington, New York

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A bipartisan coalition of U.S. lawmakers has introduced a proposal designed to cut food waste in half by 2030. The lawmakers submitted their legislation on Thursday and said it would improve collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and regional waste prevention and food recovery organizations. The lawmakers said the proposal would also support new technological innovations and bolster the federal government's approach to food waste. Pingree said an estimated 30% to 40% of the U.S. food supply is discarded every year, and that is both bad for the environment and a contributor to food insecurity. Pingree said the proposal "would strengthen the federal government’s approach to food loss by tackling waste in every step of our food system - from prevention research and education to composting and donation programs.”The proposal would also establish an Office of Food Loss and Waste within the USDA.

Persons: Chellie Pingree, Mike Lawler, Democratic Sen, Chris Coons, Republican Sen, Jerry Moran of, Pingree Organizations: U.S, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Democratic, Republican, U.S . House, U.S . Senate Locations: PORTLAND, Maine, Chellie Pingree of Maine, New York, U.S, Delaware, Jerry Moran of Kansas

Senator Robert Menedez (D-NJ) walks to the Senate floor for a procedural vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. September 20, 2023. The investigation marks the third time Menendez has been investigated by federal prosecutors, but he has never been convicted. Prosecutors said Hana, who is originally from Egypt, arranged dinners and meetings between Menendez and Egyptian officials in 2018 at which the officials pressed Menendez on the status of U.S. military aid. Menendez at a meeting in 2018 told Hana non-public information about the status of the aid, prosecutors said. Hana then texted an Egyptian official, "The ban on small arms and ammunition to Egypt has been lifted," according to the indictment.

Persons: Robert Menedez, Jonathan Ernst, Bob Menendez, Menendez, Joe Biden, Prosecutors, Damian Williams, Nadine Menendez, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, Fred Daibes, Uribe, Daibes, Hana, Egypt’s, Jon Corzine, Clifford Case, Luc Cohen, Jonathan Stempel, Simon Lewis, Andrew Goudsward, Tom Hals, Mark Porter Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, New Jersey businessmen, U.S . Senate, Foreign Relations, Prosecutors, NBC, Benz, Hana, State Department, U.S . Department of Agriculture, USDA, New, Republican, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, WASHINGTON, New Jersey, U.S, Manhattan, Egypt, Ukraine, China, United States, Washington, New York

☆ Biden's IRA Drives Surge in US Imports of Chinese Used Cooking Oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Andrew HayleyBEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. incentives to boost consumption of more environmentally friendly fuel has created a new market for used Chinese cooking oil, worth almost $390 million in the last 12 months and growing rapidly, China's customs data shows. In the first eight months of 2023, Chinese exports of used cooking oil (UCO) to the U.S. totalled almost 384,000 metric tons, customs data shows. Used cooking oil can be refined into fuels such as biodiesel and SAF, which can be blended with conventional fuels to reduce carbon emissions. State-run Chinese oil majors Sinopec and PetroChina, which are among those shipping UCO cargoes to the U.S., according to Kpler, did not respond to requests for comment. Used cooking oil can be one-third the price of fresh vegetable oil, and has lower carbon intensity than non-waste feedstocks such as palm or canola oil.

Persons: Andrew Hayley BEIJING, Biden, Kpler, Sophie Byron, Global's Byron, Andrew Hayley, Stephanie Kelly, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: U.S, SAF, P, Argonne National Laboratory, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Exports, European Commission, European Union Locations: China, U.S, California, Argonne, U.S . China, Europe, Germany

In the week ended Sept. 12, money managers expanded their net short position in CBOT corn futures and options to 134,909 contracts from 93,913 a week earlier. That marked funds’ most bearish corn stance since mid-August 2020, when CBOT corn was trading below $3.50 per bushel. Most-active corn futures have traded below $5 since Aug. 21, and they fell 2% in the week ended Sept. 12. Managed money net position in CBOT corn futures and optionsCorn dropped to $4.73-1/2 per bushel on Sept. 12, tying mid-August for the lowest price since December 2020. Most-active CBOT wheat shed 2% in the week ended Sept. 12, dropping to the lowest price since December 2020.

Persons: Lucas Jackson, Corn, Bean, soyoil, Karen Braun, Diane Craft Organizations: Carbon Solutions, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Department, Agriculture, Futures, Funds, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Defiance, Shelby County , Iowa, Rights NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Chicago, U.S, soymeal, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Can Joe Biden and a fistful of cash win rural America for Democrats?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Trump widened his lead among rural voters to 65% in 2020 from 59% in 2016. That includes $20 billion for rural health systems, $20 billion for clean-energy agriculture projects, $11 billion for rural electrification and $13 billion towards rural clean energy projects, the White House calculates. "You get out into the rural areas, and the folks are older and don't have the educational level. USDA data shows 21% of working-age adults in rural areas have at least a bachelor's degree compared to 37% in urban areas. "Biden and [Democratic] Maine Governor Janet Mills: they're too much bleeding hearts.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Andrea Shalal, Rhiannon Hampson, she's, Hampson, We've, Donald Trump, Trump, Barack Obama, Mark Brewer, Suzanne Mettler, Trevor Brown, Brown, Ron Kaufman, Kaufman, Mitt Romney, George H, Bush, Biden, Tom Perez, I'm, John Piotti, James Gimpel, Gimpel, Orange, Dick Bouchard, Janet Mills, Jared Golden, overplaying, TRUMP, Paul Tewes, Matt Hildreth, Nathan Layne, Heather Timmons, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Department, Republicans, Democratic, Biden, Republican, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Trump, University of Maine, Cornell, Republican National Committee, Democratic National Committee, Political, Trust, Pew, Center for Information, Research, Civic, Tufts University . White, Family Foundation, Data, University of Maryland, Pew Research, DEMOCRATS Maine, Maine, Reuters, Democrats, Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Waterville , Maine, U.S, Waterville, Presque Isle, America, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Maine, Orono, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Utah, Maine's, Vietnam, Poland, Iowa, Ohio , Montana

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hundreds of communities around the country will share more than $1 billion in federal money to help them plant and maintain trees under a federal program that is intended to reduce extreme heat, benefit health and improve access to nature. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will announce the $1.13 billion in funding for 385 projects at an event Thursday morning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Cedar Rapids has made the restoration of its tree canopy a priority since that storm, called a derecho, and will receive $6 million in funding through the new grants. She told reporters earlier that many communities have lacked access to nature and that all the tree grants would benefit marginalized and underrepresented communities. “Urban forests can really play a key role in ensuring both that access but also increasing the climate resilience of communities, helping reduce extreme heat and making communities more livable.”The federal money comes from the Inflation Reduction Act.

Persons: Tom Vilsack, ” Vilsack, Brenda Mallory, ” Mallory Organizations: DES, U.S . Department of Agriculture, D.C, Virgin, White, Council, Environmental, Vilsack Locations: DES MOINES, Iowa, Cedar Rapids , Iowa, Washington, Puerto Rico, Cedar Rapids, Cedar, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Tarpon Springs , Florida, Hutchinson , Kansas

NAPERVILLE, Illinois, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Chicago wheat futures this week hit their lowest levels in almost three years, yet relative to demand, exportable global wheat supplies are expected to approach historic minimums by mid-2024. Russia’s early 2022 invasion of Ukraine sent wheat prices to new highs as the two countries account for nearly 30% of global exports. Wheat stocks-to-use in major global exportersThe distinction between global stocks and stocks among exporting countries is important because top wheat grower China carries about half the world’s supply but trades a relatively small amount. A 13.5% stocks-to-use is the second lowest on record behind 13.1% in 2007-08, another extremely volatile time for wheat prices. A year ago, exportable wheat stocks-to-use were predicted to reach 15-year lows by mid-2023, and two years ago, mid-2022 was expected to feature all-time lows.

Persons: Karen Braun Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, European Union, USDA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Chicago, Ukraine, China, Argentina, Australia, Canada, UKRAINE, Russia, Black

Versus the June survey, a corn harvested area increase of 774,000 acres in the fall is the largest ever back to at least the mid-1990s. Only 2012's increase of 890,000 acres (0.9%) was larger, though final corn acres usually come in lower than in June (15 of last 20 years). USDA was not the only entity too low on U.S. corn acres this year. The March planting survey came in more than a million acres above the trade estimate, then June corn acres blew out the highest trade guess by more than a million acres, topping the average guess by more than 2 million acres. That is the opposite of what happened in 2021, the last time USDA’s fall area review substantially boosted corn acres.

Persons: NASS, Karen Braun, Sam Holmes Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, USDA's Farm Service Agency, Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, Analysts, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, U.S

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Indigenous tribes in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin have asked federal officials to deny a utility's request for a loan to help build a natural gas-fired power plant on the shores of Lake Superior, calling the project unthinkable in the face of climate change. Chippewa tribes located across the northern third of the three states sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture officials on Sunday asking them to deny Dairyland Power Cooperative's request for a $350 million public loan. The request is intended to cover the utility's share of the cost of building the Nemadji Trail Energy Center power plant. Dairyland Power Cooperative, Minnesota Power and Basin Electric Cooperative have been working to gain permission to build the $700 million power plant for more than three years. The tribes also noted that the new plant would be situated near a cemetery where about 180 Fond du Lac tribal members are buried in a mass grave.

Persons: Red Cliff, Wisconsin —, didn't, Dairyland, Katie Thomson Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, Sunday, Energy, Power Cooperative, Cooperative, Minnesota Power, Basin Electric, Bands of Michigan, USDA, Associated Press Locations: MADISON, Wis, Michigan , Minnesota, Wisconsin, Lake Superior, Chippewa, Superior , Wisconsin, Lac, Minnesota

In recent weeks, U.S. consumers have seen high-profile food recalls for an unappetizing reason: They're contaminated with foreign objects that have no place on a dinner plate. “Extraneous materials” triggered nine recalls in 2022 of more than 477,000 pounds of food regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service — triple the number of recalls tied to food contaminated with toxic E. coli bacteria. Trader Joe’s wouldn’t elaborate on how material got into the foods that led to its recent recalls. In recent years, firms have become increasingly cautious and are recalling products more frequently than before, said Nathan Mirdamadi, a consultant with Commercial Food Sanitation, which advises the industry about food safety. Consumers who find foreign materials in food should notify manufacturers, experts said, but also realize that recalls are likely to stick around.

Persons: Tyson, Keith Belk, “ they’re, ” Belk, Nathan Mirdamadi, “ It’s, Mirdamadi, there’s, Dee, Ann Durbin Organizations: U.S . Food, U.S . Department of Agriculture’s, USDA, FDA, Regulators, ConAgra Brands Inc, Center for Meat Safety, Colorado State University ., Centers for Disease Control, Food Sanitation, Consumers, AP, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group Locations: U.S

☆ Most first-time homebuyers don't put down 20%, expert says. Here's how much you may need
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But you probably don't need as much money as you think. In the following decades, many government-backed mortgages mandated a 20% down payment. The typical house in the U.S. has a median price of around $400,000. Applying the 20% rule would mean you'd need $80,000. Some states, cities and other groups have programs that award grants to homebuyers that bolster their down payment or help cover closing costs.

Persons: SurveyMonkey, Jessica Lautz, Lautz, Freddie Mac, Daniel Brennan Organizations: Istock, CNBC, National Association of Realtors, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Federal Housing Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Bank Locations: U.S, Arizona, Maine

Analysts' corn yields span from 171.5 to 175 bpa, meaning all 18 analysts polled by Reuters expect a lower number than in August. Since 2004, corn yield landed outside the range of trade estimates only twice in September: 2018 and 2005. Those increases would account for less than 0.2% of each crop's total harvested area, seen at 86.4 million acres for corn and 82.8 million acres for soybeans. Final harvested corn acres have been lower than in August in eight of the last 10 years. Since the mid-1990s, the largest increase in harvested corn area from August to final was 1.1 million acres (1.3%) in 2007.

Persons: Daniel Acker, Karen Braun, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Reuters, USDA's Farm Service Agency, USDA, Thomson Locations: Tiskilwa , Illinois, U.S, Rights NAPERVILLE , Illinois

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Vermont a natural disaster area from the catastrophic July flooding, making farms eligible for emergency federal loans, Republican Gov. It's the second USDA disaster declaration for Vermont this summer. In July, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack approved Scott's request for a disaster declaration for the May frost that hit many growers, including vineyards and apple orchards. Since the July flooding, farmers have reported over $16 million in damage and losses, according to Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts. “This designation can provide a lifeline to these important farm and food businesses with resources until next year’s growing season.”The latest designation makes farms hit by the flooding eligible for emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency, Scott said.

Persons: Phil Scott, It's, Tom Vilsack, Anson Tebbetts, ” Tebbetts, Scott Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, Republican Gov, Farm Service Agency Locations: Vermont

Speculators responded by boosting their bullish Chicago soybean bets, which they have held for more than three years, and easing bearishness in corn futures. Most-active CBOT corn futures rose 1.5% during the period but stayed below $5 per bushel throughout. Last week’s rise in oilseed optimism extended to the soy products, as CBOT soybean meal futures increased more than 4% and soybean oil added 2.5%. Managed money net position in CBOT soybean futures and optionsMost-active CBOT wheat futures lost more than 4% in the week ended Aug. 29. Corn futures dropped 1.1% over the last three sessions, soybeans lost 1.7%, soymeal lost 3% and soyoil was mostly unchanged.

Persons: Lucas Jackson, soymeal, soyoil, Karen Braun, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Funds, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Dixon , Nebraska, U.S, Rights NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Chicago, Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Mato Grosso

The Pro Farmer Crop Tour has been following the same routes in seven major U.S. corn and soybean producing states for more than three decades. Pro Farmer on Friday pegged U.S. corn yield at 172 bushels per acre, below USDA’s 175.1 bpa and the year-ago 173.3. The advisory firm placed soybean yield at 49.7 bpa, below USDA’s 50.9 but above the 2022 yield of 49.5. For the past four years, Pro Farmer’s corn yield has correctly informed on the direction of USDA’s corn yield from August to September, but it had the wrong lean in the two prior years (2017 and 2018). For example, Pro Farmer’s 2022 corn yield suggested USDA’s September 2022 forecast should come in below that of August, and it did.

Persons: Lucas Jackson, Farmer, Pro Farmer, Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Carbon Solutions, REUTERS, Rights, Farmer, U.S . Department, Scouts, Iowa, USDA, Versus, Pro, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Defiance, Shelby County , Iowa, Rights NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, U.S

☆ Is China really buying up U.S. farmland? Here’s what we found
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Laura Strickler | Nicole Moeder | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In fact, the total amount of U.S. agricultural land owned by Chinese interests is less than three-hundredths of 1%. NBC News was able to review filings on foreign purchases and leases of agricultural land, meaning both farm and forestry land, from 35 states since Jan. 1, 2022. The vast majority of the transactions were European wind power companies leasing land from U.S. farmers to build wind turbines. One Italian wind company disclosed 40 new leases of farmland in just one rural Illinois county. "Ownership of U.S. agricultural land is not one of them."

Persons: Jim Monroe, Syngenta, Saswato Das Organizations: NBC, U.S . Department of Agriculture, NBC News, Smithfield Foods, U.S, Syngenta Locations: U.S, Italian, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, China, Iowa, Florida, California, Swiss

☆ Brazil clears bottlenecks to oust US as top corn exporter
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"We celebrated a lot... when (corn export) volumes via northern ports equaled Santos," said Sergio Mendes, head of Brazilian grain exporter group Anec. "By using northern ports... you are saving 20 reais ($4.12) per ton (of corn)." Treemap with data from Cargonave show the percentage share of corn exports of Brazil ports in north and south part of the country. CHEAPER ROUTE TO CHINAThe new export capacity has helped grains shipped from Brazil's northern ports to compete on logistics costs with U.S. farmers. "The greater share of shipments through northern ports reflects cheaper freight costs compared to routes to the ports in the south and southeast," said Thome Guth, a Conab official.

Persons: Adriano Machado, Sergio Mendes, Louis Dreyfus, Brazil's, Thiago Pera, Santos, ", Thome Guth, Ana Mano, Brad Haynes, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, China, U.S, Cargill, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, TCU, Shipping, U.S . Department of Agriculture, COFCO, Santos, Thomson Locations: Brasilia, Brazil, Santos, Ukraine, China, U.S, Northern, Madeira, Santarem, Barcarena, Itaqui, Canada, Argentina, Mato Grosso, CHINA, Iowa, Shanghai, Itacoatiara, Chicago, Para, Norte Sul, Tocantins, Goias, Minas Gerais, Mato

☆ Opinion | The Great Wheat Price Surge That Sputtered
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I share Ghosh’s concern for the impact of high wheat prices on the poor, but the story is more complicated than greedy speculators versus needy consumers. For one thing, consider this statistic: While speculators were betting on higher wheat prices in the spring of 2022, they’re betting on lower prices now. Managed funds have had a net short position in wheat futures contracts since July 2022, according to data compiled by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. That undermines the narrative that they invariably root for higher prices. Ghosh told me that there was no justification for prices to spike in the spring of 2022 because the market was well supplied with wheat.

Persons: Ghosh, —, Vladimir Putin, it’s, ” Scott Irwin, Seth Meyer, ” Organizations: Commodity Futures Trading Commission, University of Illinois, U.S . Department of Agriculture Locations: Russia, Urbana, Champaign, Ukraine

Romulo Lollato, a wheat agronomist for Kansas State University, examines wheat in a field on an annual crop tour, near Washington, Kansas, U.S., May 16, 2023. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts 2023 corn yield in Illinois will be similar to that of 2021. USDA pegs Iowa’s corn yield just below 2021’s record, which also came amid dry conditions with well-timed showers. The tour uses a rough corn yield calculation, though it does not estimate soybean yield. Final soybean yield across the whole of Nebraska last year was the lowest since 2012 and 18% below the 2019-2021 average.

Persons: Romulo Lollato, Tom Polansek, Pro Farmer, Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Kansas State University, REUTERS, Rights, Farmer, U.S . Department, Agriculture, Pro, Farm Journal Media, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington , Kansas, U.S, Rights NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois , Iowa , Nebraska , Minnesota , Indiana , Ohio, South Dakota, Nebraska

☆ Fact Check-No evidence lab-grown meat authorized in the US contains human cells
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Regulators told Reuters that they had ensured the product labels stating the contents are made from chicken cells are “truthful.” Both companies deny that any human cells are involved in their products’ manufacture. “This claim is completely false,” Good Meat spokesperson Carrie Kabat said in an email. “Good Meat cultivated chicken is made from chicken cells and does not use human cells in any stage of our process.”Upside Foods spokesperson Brooke Whitney also said by email: “This claim is false. Reuters has previously addressed a satirical claim that human meat is being grown in the lab (here). Companies, regulators, and a Reuters reporter describe lab-grown chicken products approved for sale in the U.S. as made from chicken cells, not human cells.

Persons: Carrie Kabat, Brooke Whitney, it’s, Leah Douglas, Douglas, FSIS, Read Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Department of Agriculture, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, Regulators, Food Safety, Inspection, USDA, Safety, Federal, Poultry, Foods Locations: U.S

☆ An Invasive Hornet Species Is Spotted in the U.S. for the First Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Rebecca Carballo | More About Rebecca Carballo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An invasive hornet species was spotted this month in the United States for the first time, and state officials in Georgia, fearing it could harm the agriculture industry, said they were working with federal officials and academic experts to eradicate it. A beekeeper in Savannah, Ga., discovered an unusual insect on his property and reported it to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, which worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the University of Georgia to confirm that it was a yellow-legged hornet. Native to tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia, the yellow-legged hornet could threaten the state’s honey production, native pollinators and agriculture industry, the state’s Agriculture Department said in a statement on Tuesday. The species’ appearance is troubling because the hornet preys on honeybees, said Chuck Bargeron, director of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia.

Persons: Chuck Bargeron Organizations: Georgia Department of Agriculture, U.S . Department of Agriculture’s, Plant Health, Service, University of Georgia, state’s Agriculture Department, Center Locations: United States, Georgia, Savannah , Ga, Southeast Asia

In the week ended Aug. 8, money managers established a net short position in CBOT corn futures and options of 26,656 contracts compared with the previous week’s net long of 16,741 contracts. Money managers’ net long in CBOT soybean futures and options in late July was at a seven-year high for the date, but funds have sold aggressively in the last couple weeks. Most-active CBOT wheat drifted fractionally higher in the week ended Aug. 8. Wheat futures tumbled 4.5% in the last three sessions and finished at $6.26-3/4 per bushel, their lowest settle in two months. Funds reduced their net long in Minneapolis wheat to 4,497 contracts from 7,592 a week earlier, and they slashed their K.C.

Persons: Dane Rhys, Karen Braun, Chris Reese Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Department of Agriculture, USDA, Funds, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ravenna , Ohio, U.S, NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City

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