By ALLISON WINTER <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/clash-over-climate-change-funding-emerging-in-farm-bill-debate/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — &nbsp; As lawmakers begin
 envisioning the next farm bill, some U.S. House Republicans are wary of
 making climate change a priority for farmers and ranchers.

The pushback from Republicans at a Tuesday hearing came as the Biden 
administration has tried to make significant new investments in climate 
change mitigation on farmland, last week announcing 70 pilot projects to
 support climate-friendly food production.

Lawmakers must rewrite the sweeping farm bill every five years to set
 policy and funding for agriculture, conservation and nutrition 
programs. The next farm bill is due in 2023, and some environmental 
groups are eyeing it as a potential boon for fighting climate change.

It’s also unclear which party will control the U.S. House and Senate following November’s midterm elections.

The farm bill includes massive funding for conservation programs—the 
previous legislation budgeted nearly $30 billion over five years.

More than 140 million acres of farmland in the U.S. are currently 
receiving conservation-related financial and technical assistance from 
the federal government, according to an analysis from the Farm Bureau. 
By comparison, the national park system has more than 85 million acres, 
according to the National Park Service.

The farmland conservation programs have received bipartisan support 
in the past, but some Republicans on Tuesday expressed concern about a 
growing interest in climate mitigation on farmland.

“Congress must be mindful of this massive amount of funding before 
amending programs or making policy changes that reorient programs toward
 climate. No one natural resource concern should be prioritized over 
others,” California Republican Rep. Douglas LaMalfa said at a hearing in
 a panel of the House Agriculture Committee.

LaMalfa is currently the top ranking Republican on the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.

At issue is both how to shape the conservation programs in the next 
farm bill and how to manage an extra funding infusion from the recently 
approved&nbsp; Inflation Reduction Act.

That bill, which the House and Senate passed in August, has a slate 
of programs to address climate change, including more than $20 billion 
for climate investments on farmland. Those include support for no-till 
agriculture, cover crops or other programs that affect the soil’s 
ability to hold carbon.

It will provide about a 47 percent increase over previous farm bill 
levels, according to an analysis from the National Sustainable 
Agriculture Coalition.

But for his part, the top Republican on the full committee indicated he would prefer to go his own way in directing the funding.

“I don’t feel bound by the amount of funding or the specific program 
allocation passed in the partisan IRA bill. I am especially worried 
about earmarking of all the new money just for climate, rather than 
letting the locally led process work,” Rep. Glenn Thompson, a 
Pennsylvania Republican, told colleagues at the hearing.

Republicans were critical of the new USDA initiative.

“We got the White House combined with my colleagues who are a real 
threat to the family farm today, in the name of this climate god, this 
new world religion,” said Rep. Rick Allen, a Georgia Republican.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/09/14/usda-more-than-triples-funding-for-climate-smart-agriculture/">announced last week</a>&nbsp;that the administration would invest $2.8 billion in pilot projects.

The program,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usda.gov/climate-solutions/climate-smart-commodities">Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities</a>,
 will fund programs for greenhouse gas reductions on dairy farms, and 
projects to build markets for climate-smart beef, grains and fruits and 
vegetables.

“There is strong and growing interest in the private sector and among
 consumers for food that is grown in a climate-friendly way,” Vilsack 
said in a statement announcing the new programs.

The Agriculture Department plans a second round of funding for more pilot projects later this year.

Applicants submitted more than 450 project proposals for this first funding pool, according to USDA. The money comes from the<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usda.gov/ccc">&nbsp;Commodity Credit Corporation</a>,
 a government corporation created in 1933 that has traditionally funded 
foreign market development projects, price support, domestic farm income
 and conservation programs.

Vilsack and other Democrats see farmers as key stakeholders in 
addressing climate change. Agriculture was responsible for just over 11 
percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, according to the EPA.

Virginia Democrat Abigail Spanberger, the chairwoman of the 
conservation subcommittee, said that she hopes to partner with farmers 
on climate programs.

“We are looking to find on-farm efficiencies and boost the bottom 
line for producers and make sure we are combating the climate crisis 
with the first conservationists, who are our nation’s farmers and 
producers,” Spanberger said at the conclusion of the hearing.

The hearing is one in a series to prepare for the 2023 farm bill.

The farm bill’s conservation programs pay farmers to make 
environmental improvements on working land or to replace crops on highly
 erodible and environmentally sensitive land.

Despite the funding increases in recent farm bills, demand from 
producers for the programs still outpaces the availability from the 
Natural Resources Conservation Service, the agency within the 
Agriculture Department that oversees most of the conservation programs.

“NRCS continues to be oversubscribed,” said Nicole Berg, president of the National Association of Wheat Growers.

Since the 2018 farm bill, wheat farmers have entered 7,500 contracts 
in conservation programs, but another 5,000 valid applications from 
wheat growers did not receive funding, according to Berg.

“Noticing that a significant number of producers on the ground want 
to participate and can’t is a good call to action for us in the future,”
 Spanberger said.

Other producers complained that the application process is lengthy, 
and it can take months to get a response—which can be particularly 
problematic if producers want to address a pressing issue on their land.

“We were in a drought, and we needed some new water infrastructure, 
it was our biggest dilemma. I applied to NRCS, and we waited and waited 
but finally had to bite the bullet and do the project ourselves,” Shayne
 Wiese, a rancher from Manning, Iowa, told the committee—noting that new
 farmers and ranchers might not be able to finance a project on their 
own.

Lawmakers agreed they would like to support staffing for NRCS and a simpler application process for producers.

“I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel here. What we need are 
common sense adjustments to ensure that programs are serving their 
producers and their land well,” said Rep. Kim Schrier, a Washington 
Democrat.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663772933681.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By ALLISON WINTER <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/clash-over-climate-change-funding-emerging-in-farm-bill-debate/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — &nbsp; As lawmakers begin
 envisioning the next farm bill, some U.S. House Republicans are wary of
 making climate change a priority for farmers and ranchers.The pushback from Republicans at a Tuesday hearing came as the Biden 
administration has tried to make significant new investments in climate 
change mitigation on farmland, last week announcing 70 pilot projects to
 support climate-friendly food production.Lawmakers must rewrite the sweeping farm bill every five years to set
 policy and funding for agriculture, conservation and nutrition 
programs. The next farm bill is due in 2023, and some environmental 
groups are eyeing it as a potential boon for fighting climate change.It’s also unclear which party will control the U.S. House and Senate following November’s midterm elections.The farm bill includes massive funding for conservation programs—the 
previous legislation budgeted nearly $30 billion over five years.More than 140 million acres of farmland in the U.S. are currently 
receiving conservation-related financial and technical assistance from 
the federal government, according to an analysis from the Farm Bureau. 
By comparison, the national park system has more than 85 million acres, 
according to the National Park Service.The farmland conservation programs have received bipartisan support 
in the past, but some Republicans on Tuesday expressed concern about a 
growing interest in climate mitigation on farmland.“Congress must be mindful of this massive amount of funding before 
amending programs or making policy changes that reorient programs toward
 climate. No one natural resource concern should be prioritized over 
others,” California Republican Rep. Douglas LaMalfa said at a hearing in
 a panel of the House Agriculture Committee.LaMalfa is currently the top ranking Republican on the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.<h2>New money at hand</h2>At issue is both how to shape the conservation programs in the next 
farm bill and how to manage an extra funding infusion from the recently 
approved&nbsp; Inflation Reduction Act.That bill, which the House and Senate passed in August, has a slate 
of programs to address climate change, including more than $20 billion 
for climate investments on farmland. Those include support for no-till 
agriculture, cover crops or other programs that affect the soil’s 
ability to hold carbon.It will provide about a 47 percent increase over previous farm bill 
levels, according to an analysis from the National Sustainable 
Agriculture Coalition.But for his part, the top Republican on the full committee indicated he would prefer to go his own way in directing the funding.“I don’t feel bound by the amount of funding or the specific program 
allocation passed in the partisan IRA bill. I am especially worried 
about earmarking of all the new money just for climate, rather than 
letting the locally led process work,” Rep. Glenn Thompson, a 
Pennsylvania Republican, told colleagues at the hearing.Republicans were critical of the new USDA initiative.“We got the White House combined with my colleagues who are a real 
threat to the family farm today, in the name of this climate god, this 
new world religion,” said Rep. Rick Allen, a Georgia Republican.<h2>Climate-smart commodities&nbsp;</h2>Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/09/14/usda-more-than-triples-funding-for-climate-smart-agriculture/">announced last week</a>&nbsp;that the administration would invest $2.8 billion in pilot projects.The program,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usda.gov/climate-solutions/climate-smart-commodities">Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities</a>,
 will fund programs for greenhouse gas reductions on dairy farms, and 
projects to build markets for climate-smart beef, grains and fruits and 
vegetables.“There is strong and growing interest in the private sector and among
 consumers for food that is grown in a climate-friendly way,” Vilsack 
said in a statement announcing the new programs.The Agriculture Department plans a second round of funding for more pilot projects later this year.Applicants submitted more than 450 project proposals for this first funding pool, according to USDA. The money comes from the<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usda.gov/ccc">&nbsp;Commodity Credit Corporation</a>,
 a government corporation created in 1933 that has traditionally funded 
foreign market development projects, price support, domestic farm income
 and conservation programs.Vilsack and other Democrats see farmers as key stakeholders in 
addressing climate change. Agriculture was responsible for just over 11 
percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, according to the EPA.Virginia Democrat Abigail Spanberger, the chairwoman of the 
conservation subcommittee, said that she hopes to partner with farmers 
on climate programs.“We are looking to find on-farm efficiencies and boost the bottom 
line for producers and make sure we are combating the climate crisis 
with the first conservationists, who are our nation’s farmers and 
producers,” Spanberger said at the conclusion of the hearing.The hearing is one in a series to prepare for the 2023 farm bill.<h2>&nbsp;High demand</h2>The farm bill’s conservation programs pay farmers to make 
environmental improvements on working land or to replace crops on highly
 erodible and environmentally sensitive land.Despite the funding increases in recent farm bills, demand from 
producers for the programs still outpaces the availability from the 
Natural Resources Conservation Service, the agency within the 
Agriculture Department that oversees most of the conservation programs.“NRCS continues to be oversubscribed,” said Nicole Berg, president of the National Association of Wheat Growers.Since the 2018 farm bill, wheat farmers have entered 7,500 contracts 
in conservation programs, but another 5,000 valid applications from 
wheat growers did not receive funding, according to Berg.“Noticing that a significant number of producers on the ground want 
to participate and can’t is a good call to action for us in the future,”
 Spanberger said.Other producers complained that the application process is lengthy, 
and it can take months to get a response—which can be particularly 
problematic if producers want to address a pressing issue on their land.“We were in a drought, and we needed some new water infrastructure, 
it was our biggest dilemma. I applied to NRCS, and we waited and waited 
but finally had to bite the bullet and do the project ourselves,” Shayne
 Wiese, a rancher from Manning, Iowa, told the committee—noting that new
 farmers and ranchers might not be able to finance a project on their 
own.Lawmakers agreed they would like to support staffing for NRCS and a simpler application process for producers.“I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel here. What we need are 
common sense adjustments to ensure that programs are serving their 
producers and their land well,” said Rep. Kim Schrier, a Washington 
Democrat.

Clash over climate change funding emerges in farm bill debate

By ARIANA FIGUEROA <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/09/17/topsoil-protection-should-be-stressed-in-the-next-farm-bill-u-s-house-ag-panel-told/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — Farmers and academics at
 a hearing this week stressed the need for members of the U.S. House 
Agriculture Committee to support regenerative agriculture farming 
practices in the upcoming farm bill in order to protect topsoil.

U.S. House Agriculture Committee 
Chair David Scott said he held the hearing Wednesday to discuss ways 
policymakers and the Department of Agriculture could help farmers 
incorporate regenerative agriculture practices. That investment in soil 
health would curb climate change and prevent a food shortage, the 
Georgia Democrat said.

Regenerative agriculture occurs in 
farming and grazing practices that focus on rebuilding organic matter in
 topsoil, restoring degraded soil biodiversity and improving the water 
cycle. All of these mitigate climate change by growing plants that 
capture carbon dioxide and move it into the soil.&nbsp;

“Conventional agriculture models are 
degrading American soil,” Jeff Moyer, the chief executive officer of 
Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, said. Rodale was a pioneer 
in organic farming.

About 95% of food is grown from 
topsoil, which is the most important component to food systems. If soil 
cannot filter water and adsorb carbon, it will hinder farmers’ ability 
to grow food to feed people, creating a food crisis. Around the world, 
soil is eroding 10<a target="_blank" href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2006/03/slow-insidious-soil-erosion-threatens-human-health-and-welfare"> to 40 times faster than it can be replaced.&nbsp;</a>

Moyer said that a third of the 
world’s soil has already degraded, and if “the current rate of soil 
degradation continues, all of the world’s topsoil could be lost within 
60 years.”

“The very start of our food supply 
chain is the Earth, and we are losing the viable component of carbon,” 
Scott said, adding that it’s important to get carbon back into the soil.
 Carbon is the primary energy source for plants.

<a target="_blank" href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021EF002396">A study</a>
 by the University of Massachusetts Amherst in February found that “the 
Midwest has lost approximately 57.6 billion metric tons of topsoil since
 farmers began tilling the soil, 160 years ago.”&nbsp;

“The historical erosion rates exceed 
predictions of present-day erosion rates from national soil erosion 
assessments and levels considered tolerable by the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture,” according to the report.

The Biden administration has funneled
 as much as $3 billion to projects that will reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions and sequester carbon in agriculture. On Wednesday, <a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/09/14/usda-more-than-triples-funding-for-climate-smart-agriculture/">USDA announced</a> an expansion of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program to fund conservation programs.

Scott said a documentary, titled “<a target="_blank" href="https://kissthegroundmovie.com">Kiss the Ground</a>,” helped open his eyes to the need to invest in regenerative agriculture.

“That is the way that we make sure that we have food security,” he said.

Republicans on the committee stressed
 that USDA programs based around regenerative agriculture should not 
become mandatory, and the top GOP lawmaker, Glenn Thompson, of 
Pennsylvania, argued that “tying food policy to climate policy is 
harmful.”&nbsp;

“Small farmers can’t always take on 
the risks that large farms can when adopting new practices, and I 
certainly don’t want to be the person that walks on to one of their 
farms and tells them the federal government mandates that they uphold 
your economic viability of their operations and livelihoods for the sake
 of climate change,” Thompson said.

He added that inflation was also more of an issue to farmers and that many farmers in his state <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/100551/eib-222.pdf">already practice regenerative agriculture</a> such as cover crops, which help prevent soil erosion and keep nutrients in the soil.&nbsp;

Rep. Jim Baird, an Indiana 
Republican, also questioned whether organic food was more nutritious 
than that produced by standard farming practices.&nbsp;

Rebecca Larson, the vice president of
 the Western Sugar Cooperative in Denver, said there’s no substantial 
research that organic food has more nutrients and much of that rhetoric 
is “fear-based marketing.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26878105/">A study from 2019</a> has found that organic production can boost some key nutrients in foods, but most of those increases are moderate.

Rick Clark, a farmer from 
Williamsport, Indiana, said he adopted regenerative farming practices 
for his 7,000-acre cattle farm to rebuild the soil health over the past 
decade.&nbsp;

“We need to preserve our soil, ’cause that is going to be the future of our farming,” he said.

Rep. Shontel Brown, an Ohio Democrat, asked Clark how Congress can support regenerative farming efforts.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Clark, a representative from 
Regenerate America, urged lawmakers to consider bolstering education and
 technical assistance to farmers wanting to start using those practices,
 such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program from USDA. 
Regenerate America is a coalition of farmers and business partners that 
lobby for regenerative farming practices in the upcoming farm bill.&nbsp;

“Teaching and a support group is so critical here,” he said.

Clark said that he believes these 
programs should remain voluntary but that the government should consider
 giving farmers who implement these practices the biggest share of 
federal subsidiary benefits. He also urged lawmakers to bolster crop 
insurance to help reduce the risk farmers have when implementing 
regenerative farming practices.&nbsp;

“This means bolstering crop insurance
 by removing outdated barriers and creating incentives that recognize 
the risk-reduction benefits of soil health and conservation practices 
and reward farmers implementing those practices — like a ‘good driver’ 
discount on your car insurance,” he said.

Moyer also pushed for lawmakers to 
reform crop insurance because current policies “create disincentives for
 American farmers seeking to transition and operate under a regenerative
 organic model.”

Clark added that USDA should consider
 defining what regenerative agriculture means and those practices should
 be added to labels for consumers. Clark added that many of the 
practices used in regenerative farming originated from Indigenous 
farming practices, and said those voices need to be heard by the 
committee.

&nbsp;Rep. Alma Adams, a North Carolina 
Democrat, asked one of the witnesses, Steve Nygren from Chattahoochee 
Hills, Georgia, how regenerative agriculture can help build local 
economies.

Nygren is the founder and chief 
executive officer of Serenbe, which is an urban village within the city 
limits of Chattahoochee Hills that he and his wife <a target="_blank" href="https://www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=47383">created</a> with the vision of a sustainable community.&nbsp;

“Soil health leads to economic vitality,” he said.

He said the shrinking of family farms
 has an economic impact on the local community. Industrial agriculture 
is not going to support the local economy the way local farmers do, he 
said.&nbsp;

“Think of soil health as a way to bring small towns back to life,” Nygren said.

He pointed to his state as an 
example. In 1950, nearly half of Georgia’s food came from the state, and
 today that number is nearly a quarter. In Serenbe, 70 percent of the 
40,000 acres is reserved for agriculture and each week 75 families pay 
$34 for their weekly produce.&nbsp;

“If we bring small farms back into 
rural communities across the United States we’ll not only have a local 
food system that doesn’t depend on fossil fuels to get it to the shelf, 
but it can go directly from the farms to the consumer … it will really 
stimulate the local economy,” he said.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663608069576.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By ARIANA FIGUEROA <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/09/17/topsoil-protection-should-be-stressed-in-the-next-farm-bill-u-s-house-ag-panel-told/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — Farmers and academics at
 a hearing this week stressed the need for members of the U.S. House 
Agriculture Committee to support regenerative agriculture farming 
practices in the upcoming farm bill in order to protect topsoil.U.S. House Agriculture Committee 
Chair David Scott said he held the hearing Wednesday to discuss ways 
policymakers and the Department of Agriculture could help farmers 
incorporate regenerative agriculture practices. That investment in soil 
health would curb climate change and prevent a food shortage, the 
Georgia Democrat said.Regenerative agriculture occurs in 
farming and grazing practices that focus on rebuilding organic matter in
 topsoil, restoring degraded soil biodiversity and improving the water 
cycle. All of these mitigate climate change by growing plants that 
capture carbon dioxide and move it into the soil.&nbsp;“Conventional agriculture models are 
degrading American soil,” Jeff Moyer, the chief executive officer of 
Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, said. Rodale was a pioneer 
in organic farming.About 95% of food is grown from 
topsoil, which is the most important component to food systems. If soil 
cannot filter water and adsorb carbon, it will hinder farmers’ ability 
to grow food to feed people, creating a food crisis. Around the world, 
soil is eroding 10<a target="_blank" href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2006/03/slow-insidious-soil-erosion-threatens-human-health-and-welfare"> to 40 times faster than it can be replaced.&nbsp;</a>Moyer said that a third of the 
world’s soil has already degraded, and if “the current rate of soil 
degradation continues, all of the world’s topsoil could be lost within 
60 years.”“The very start of our food supply 
chain is the Earth, and we are losing the viable component of carbon,” 
Scott said, adding that it’s important to get carbon back into the soil.
 Carbon is the primary energy source for plants.<a target="_blank" href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021EF002396">A study</a>
 by the University of Massachusetts Amherst in February found that “the 
Midwest has lost approximately 57.6 billion metric tons of topsoil since
 farmers began tilling the soil, 160 years ago.”&nbsp;“The historical erosion rates exceed 
predictions of present-day erosion rates from national soil erosion 
assessments and levels considered tolerable by the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture,” according to the report.<h2>USDA project funding</h2>The Biden administration has funneled
 as much as $3 billion to projects that will reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions and sequester carbon in agriculture. On Wednesday, <a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/09/14/usda-more-than-triples-funding-for-climate-smart-agriculture/">USDA announced</a> an expansion of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program to fund conservation programs.Scott said a documentary, titled “<a target="_blank" href="https://kissthegroundmovie.com">Kiss the Ground</a>,” helped open his eyes to the need to invest in regenerative agriculture.“That is the way that we make sure that we have food security,” he said.Republicans on the committee stressed
 that USDA programs based around regenerative agriculture should not 
become mandatory, and the top GOP lawmaker, Glenn Thompson, of 
Pennsylvania, argued that “tying food policy to climate policy is 
harmful.”&nbsp;“Small farmers can’t always take on 
the risks that large farms can when adopting new practices, and I 
certainly don’t want to be the person that walks on to one of their 
farms and tells them the federal government mandates that they uphold 
your economic viability of their operations and livelihoods for the sake
 of climate change,” Thompson said.He added that inflation was also more of an issue to farmers and that many farmers in his state <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/100551/eib-222.pdf">already practice regenerative agriculture</a> such as cover crops, which help prevent soil erosion and keep nutrients in the soil.&nbsp;Rep. Jim Baird, an Indiana 
Republican, also questioned whether organic food was more nutritious 
than that produced by standard farming practices.&nbsp;Rebecca Larson, the vice president of
 the Western Sugar Cooperative in Denver, said there’s no substantial 
research that organic food has more nutrients and much of that rhetoric 
is “fear-based marketing.”<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26878105/">A study from 2019</a> has found that organic production can boost some key nutrients in foods, but most of those increases are moderate.<h2>Rebuilding soil health</h2>Rick Clark, a farmer from 
Williamsport, Indiana, said he adopted regenerative farming practices 
for his 7,000-acre cattle farm to rebuild the soil health over the past 
decade.&nbsp;“We need to preserve our soil, ’cause that is going to be the future of our farming,” he said.Rep. Shontel Brown, an Ohio Democrat, asked Clark how Congress can support regenerative farming efforts.&nbsp;&nbsp;Clark, a representative from 
Regenerate America, urged lawmakers to consider bolstering education and
 technical assistance to farmers wanting to start using those practices,
 such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program from USDA. 
Regenerate America is a coalition of farmers and business partners that 
lobby for regenerative farming practices in the upcoming farm bill.&nbsp;“Teaching and a support group is so critical here,” he said.Clark said that he believes these 
programs should remain voluntary but that the government should consider
 giving farmers who implement these practices the biggest share of 
federal subsidiary benefits. He also urged lawmakers to bolster crop 
insurance to help reduce the risk farmers have when implementing 
regenerative farming practices.&nbsp;“This means bolstering crop insurance
 by removing outdated barriers and creating incentives that recognize 
the risk-reduction benefits of soil health and conservation practices 
and reward farmers implementing those practices — like a ‘good driver’ 
discount on your car insurance,” he said.Moyer also pushed for lawmakers to 
reform crop insurance because current policies “create disincentives for
 American farmers seeking to transition and operate under a regenerative
 organic model.”Clark added that USDA should consider
 defining what regenerative agriculture means and those practices should
 be added to labels for consumers. Clark added that many of the 
practices used in regenerative farming originated from Indigenous 
farming practices, and said those voices need to be heard by the 
committee.<h2>Economic benefits</h2>&nbsp;Rep. Alma Adams, a North Carolina 
Democrat, asked one of the witnesses, Steve Nygren from Chattahoochee 
Hills, Georgia, how regenerative agriculture can help build local 
economies.Nygren is the founder and chief 
executive officer of Serenbe, which is an urban village within the city 
limits of Chattahoochee Hills that he and his wife <a target="_blank" href="https://www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=47383">created</a> with the vision of a sustainable community.&nbsp;“Soil health leads to economic vitality,” he said.He said the shrinking of family farms
 has an economic impact on the local community. Industrial agriculture 
is not going to support the local economy the way local farmers do, he 
said.&nbsp;“Think of soil health as a way to bring small towns back to life,” Nygren said.He pointed to his state as an 
example. In 1950, nearly half of Georgia’s food came from the state, and
 today that number is nearly a quarter. In Serenbe, 70 percent of the 
40,000 acres is reserved for agriculture and each week 75 families pay 
$34 for their weekly produce.&nbsp;“If we bring small farms back into 
rural communities across the United States we’ll not only have a local 
food system that doesn’t depend on fossil fuels to get it to the shelf, 
but it can go directly from the farms to the consumer … it will really 
stimulate the local economy,” he said.&nbsp;

Topsoil protection should be stressed in the next farm bill, panel told

KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) — President Joe Biden vowed to help American farmers try to ease a global spike in food prices following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s invasion of Ukraine</a>&nbsp;as he visited a family farm Wednesday and unrolled policies meant to increase harvests in ways that the administration believes could also help to reduce grocery bills at home.

(Click below to listen's to the President's comments)

“I stand here today to thank American farmers who are the breadbasket of democracy,” Biden said. “We can make sure that American agricultural exports will make up for the gap in Ukrainian supplies.”

His administration announced three policy shifts to help U.S. farmers amid the global challenges. These include doubling funding for domestic fertilizer production to $500 million, greater access to farm management tools for plant and soil needs, and efforts to increase the number of counties eligible for “double cropping” insurance so that farmers can reuse their land for planting in the same year.

Biden noted that Ukraine has 20 million metric tons of wheat and corn in storage that the U.S. and its allies are trying to help ship out of the country. This would help to address some supply issues, though challenges could persist.

The war in Ukraine has disrupted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-canada-lifestyle-middle-east-1c8918d4734f0974eefe09121d2090ed">the supply of that country’s wheat</a>&nbsp;to global markets, while also triggering higher costs for oil, natural gas and fertilizer. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its food price index in April jumped nearly 30% from a year ago, though the index did decline slightly on a monthly basis. Americans are also bearing some pain as food prices are up 9.4% from a year ago, the largest increase in 41 years.

Biden toured the 800-acre O’Connor Farms in Illinois with its owners, Jeff and Gina O’Connor. They’re growing wheat to be harvested in July and will later use the same land for soybeans. Biden asked to drive one of their tractors, only to be told it drives itself.

Surveying the wheat, the president observed, “It looks healthy to me.”

Wednesday’s trip was an opportunity for Biden to tackle two distinct challenges that are shaping his presidency. First, his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-biden-business-congress-dca6b1eba4979bcec8bef1a80c9f0098">slumping approval rating</a>&nbsp;has been dogged by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-inflation-rate-historic-high-4ba3435cc3730198e299690a9d968038">high inflation</a>&nbsp;and his visit coincided with the release of the April consumer price index. Consumer prices rose 8.3% from a year ago, a slight decline from the 8.5% annual increase in March. The drop-off reflected in part a cooling in gasoline prices last month after the jump caused by the start of the war in Ukraine. Still, volatility remains with energy costs as gas prices have climbed in May to an average of $4.40 a gallon on Wednesday, according to AAA.

Much more broadly, Biden’s visit offered a chance to reinforce America’s distinct role in helping to alleviate the challenges caused by the war in Ukraine. The trip follows a similar pattern as Biden’s recent visit to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-kyiv-business-europe-70535a0ca1e616f387911c66451c8c51">an Alabama weapons factory</a>&nbsp;highlighted the anti-tank Javelin missiles provided by the U.S. to Ukraine.

Several House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, met with Biden on Tuesday after having visited Ukraine. They warned that the food shortage meant the consequences of the war started by Russian President Vladimir Putin would extend well beyond Ukrainian borders to some of the world’s poorest nations.

“It’s going to result in a hunger crisis, much worse than anybody anticipated,” Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern following the White House meeting.

<a href="https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/how-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-is-affecting-global-agricultural-markets/" target="_blank">An analysis</a>&nbsp;this month for the center-right American Enterprise Institute by Joseph Glauber and David Laborde noted that countries in the Middle East and North Africa are mostly likely to suffer from the higher prices caused by grain shortages.

There are limits to how much wheat the U.S. can produce to offset any shortages. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/pspl0322.pdf" target="_blank">Agriculture Department</a>&nbsp;estimated in March that 47.4 million acres of wheat were planted this year, an increase of just 1% from 2021. This would be the fifth lowest amount of acres dedicated to wheat in records that go back to 1919.

Biden later went to Chicago to address a supportive crowd at the convention for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a group that was an early and pivotal backer when his 2020 presidential bid was struggling.

“You’re the reason I’m standing here today as president,” Biden said. “I’ve never forgotten, not only what you’ve done for me, but what you’ve done for America.”

The president cheered the $1 trillion, bipartisan public works legislation passed last fall, saying it will fund union-built infrastructure projects all over the country.

“We’re making ‘Buy American’ a reality, not just a slogan,” Biden said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652298181707.png" alt="President Biden delivered remarks on what he called the "Putin’s Price Hike" and his Administration’s actions to support farmers and food processors, lower their costs and lower prices for families-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden delivered remarks on what he called the "Putin’s Price Hike" and his Administration’s actions to support farmers and food processors, lower their costs and lower prices for families-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) — President Joe Biden vowed to help American farmers try to ease a global spike in food prices following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s invasion of Ukraine</a>&nbsp;as he visited a family farm Wednesday and unrolled policies meant to increase harvests in ways that the administration believes could also help to reduce grocery bills at home.(Click below to listen's to the President's comments)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F582246879631409%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=492" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“I stand here today to thank American farmers who are the breadbasket of democracy,” Biden said. “We can make sure that American agricultural exports will make up for the gap in Ukrainian supplies.”His administration announced three policy shifts to help U.S. farmers amid the global challenges. These include doubling funding for domestic fertilizer production to $500 million, greater access to farm management tools for plant and soil needs, and efforts to increase the number of counties eligible for “double cropping” insurance so that farmers can reuse their land for planting in the same year.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652305374909.png" alt="Biden said. “We can make sure that American agricultural exports will make up for the gap in Ukrainian supplies.”-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Biden said. “We can make sure that American agricultural exports will make up for the gap in Ukrainian supplies.”-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Biden noted that Ukraine has 20 million metric tons of wheat and corn in storage that the U.S. and its allies are trying to help ship out of the country. This would help to address some supply issues, though challenges could persist.The war in Ukraine has disrupted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-canada-lifestyle-middle-east-1c8918d4734f0974eefe09121d2090ed">the supply of that country’s wheat</a>&nbsp;to global markets, while also triggering higher costs for oil, natural gas and fertilizer. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its food price index in April jumped nearly 30% from a year ago, though the index did decline slightly on a monthly basis. Americans are also bearing some pain as food prices are up 9.4% from a year ago, the largest increase in 41 years.Biden toured the 800-acre O’Connor Farms in Illinois with its owners, Jeff and Gina O’Connor. They’re growing wheat to be harvested in July and will later use the same land for soybeans. Biden asked to drive one of their tractors, only to be told it drives itself.Surveying the wheat, the president observed, “It looks healthy to me.”Wednesday’s trip was an opportunity for Biden to tackle two distinct challenges that are shaping his presidency. First, his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-biden-business-congress-dca6b1eba4979bcec8bef1a80c9f0098">slumping approval rating</a>&nbsp;has been dogged by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-inflation-rate-historic-high-4ba3435cc3730198e299690a9d968038">high inflation</a>&nbsp;and his visit coincided with the release of the April consumer price index. Consumer prices rose 8.3% from a year ago, a slight decline from the 8.5% annual increase in March. The drop-off reflected in part a cooling in gasoline prices last month after the jump caused by the start of the war in Ukraine. Still, volatility remains with energy costs as gas prices have climbed in May to an average of $4.40 a gallon on Wednesday, according to AAA.Much more broadly, Biden’s visit offered a chance to reinforce America’s distinct role in helping to alleviate the challenges caused by the war in Ukraine. The trip follows a similar pattern as Biden’s recent visit to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-kyiv-business-europe-70535a0ca1e616f387911c66451c8c51">an Alabama weapons factory</a>&nbsp;highlighted the anti-tank Javelin missiles provided by the U.S. to Ukraine.Several House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, met with Biden on Tuesday after having visited Ukraine. They warned that the food shortage meant the consequences of the war started by Russian President Vladimir Putin would extend well beyond Ukrainian borders to some of the world’s poorest nations.“It’s going to result in a hunger crisis, much worse than anybody anticipated,” Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern following the White House meeting.<a href="https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/how-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-is-affecting-global-agricultural-markets/" target="_blank">An analysis</a>&nbsp;this month for the center-right American Enterprise Institute by Joseph Glauber and David Laborde noted that countries in the Middle East and North Africa are mostly likely to suffer from the higher prices caused by grain shortages.There are limits to how much wheat the U.S. can produce to offset any shortages. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/pspl0322.pdf" target="_blank">Agriculture Department</a>&nbsp;estimated in March that 47.4 million acres of wheat were planted this year, an increase of just 1% from 2021. This would be the fifth lowest amount of acres dedicated to wheat in records that go back to 1919.Biden later went to Chicago to address a supportive crowd at the convention for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a group that was an early and pivotal backer when his 2020 presidential bid was struggling.“You’re the reason I’m standing here today as president,” Biden said. “I’ve never forgotten, not only what you’ve done for me, but what you’ve done for America.”The president cheered the $1 trillion, bipartisan public works legislation passed last fall, saying it will fund union-built infrastructure projects all over the country.“We’re making ‘Buy American’ a reality, not just a slogan,” Biden said.

🎥Biden sees bigger role for US farms due to Ukraine war

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is visiting corn-rich Iowa on Tuesday to announce he’ll suspend a federal rule preventing the sale of higher ethanol blend gasoline this summer as his administration tries to tamp down prices at the pump that have spiked during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-7dd1f64818de5eadb86f12ad58e12a25">Russia’s war with Ukraine</a>.

Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-environment-covid-19-pandemic-f1c7a7c8e05247f3456e26d449d88ab3">blended with 10% ethanol</a>. The Environmental Protection Agency will issue an emergency waiver to allow widespread sale of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-environment-smog-clean-air-act-us-news-2fa4d36b2aa5418184a3833c69efc9f9">15% ethanol blend</a>&nbsp;that is usually prohibited between June 1 and Sept. 15 because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures.

Senior Biden administration officials said the move will save drivers an average of 10 cents per gallon at 2,300 gas stations. Industry groups say most of those stations are in the Midwest and the South, including Texas.

Biden is to announce the move at a biofuel company in Menlo, west of Des Moines. Iowa is the country’s largest producer of corn, key to producing ethanol.

The waiver is another effort to help ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-science-business-prices-opec-cf470e24ebc8b7bb4a74bf1ed50d5e6d">global energy markets</a>&nbsp;that have been rocked since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-moscow-kyiv-626a8c5ec22217bacb24ece60fac4fe1">Russia invaded Ukraine</a>. Last month, the president announced the U.S. will release&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-europe-3e1808077371b88ae043c86584763afd">1 million barrels of oil</a>&nbsp;per day from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-ae5200310e3d3c0390d9e1cbb3c5a964">the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve</a>&nbsp;over the next six months. His administration said that has helped to slightly reduce gas prices lately, after they climbed to an average of about $4.23 a gallon by the end of March, compared with $2.87 at the same time a year ago, according to AAA.

Members of Congress from both parties, as well as industry groups, had urged Biden to grant the E15 waiver.

“Homegrown Iowa biofuels provide a quick and clean solution for lowering prices at the pump and bolstering production would help us become energy independent once again,″ said Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. He was among nine Republican and seven Democratic senators from Midwestern states who sent Biden a letter last month urging him to allow year-round E15 sales.

The trip will be Biden’s first as president to Iowa, where his 2020 presidential campaign limped to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-in-state-wire-ia-state-wire-caucuses-joe-biden-53a3df6f615b9cec6e12c216307f0624">a fourth-place finish</a>&nbsp;in the state’s technologically glitchy caucus.

After bouncing back to win&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bb261be1a4ca285b9422b2f6b93d8d75">the Democratic nomination</a>, Biden returned for a rally at the Iowa state fairgrounds four days before Election Day 2020, only to see Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-hillary-clinton-iowa-iowa-city-3652c57038446e453516b9370c1ab243">win the state</a>&nbsp;by 8 percentage points.

Biden heads back to the state at a moment when he’s facing yet more political peril. He’s saddled with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-business-health-inflation-6b6b0abfef867fc405e9f358ce2c3a09">sagging approval ratings</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-inflation-soars-776c03520c90083894fedf31f1a7db00">inflation at a 40-year high</a>&nbsp;while his party faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-georgia-donald-trump-2ad863083ef6a097dc5785977c7bd9aa">the prospect of big midterm election losses that could cost it control of Congress</a>.

The president also planned to promote his economic plans to help rural families struggling with higher costs, while highlighting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-technology-business-broadband-internet-congress-d89d6bb1b39cd9c67ae9fc91f5eb4c0d">the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law</a>&nbsp;enacted last fall. The law includes money to improve internet access, as well as for modernizing wastewater systems, reducing flooding threats and improving roads and bridges, drinking water and electric grids in sparsely populated areas.

“Part of it is showing up in communities of all sizes, regardless of the results of the last election,” said Jesse Harris, who was a senior adviser to Biden’s 2020 campaign in Iowa and directed get out the vote and early voting efforts for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.

Harris said most presidents who visit Iowa typically go to the state’s largest cities. Hitting an area like Menlo, part of Guthrie County, which backed Trump over Biden by 35 percentage points in 2020, “does speak to the importance the administration places on infrastructure broadly but also infrastructure in rural and smaller communities.”

The Biden administration plans to spend the coming weeks pushing billions of dollars in funding for rural areas. Cabinet members and other senior officials will travel the country to help communities get access to money available as part of the infrastructure package.

“The president is not making this trip through a political prism,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “He’s making this trip because Iowa is a rural state in the country that would benefit greatly from the president’s policies.”

Still, administration officials have long suggested that Biden travel more to promote an economy that is rebounding from the setbacks of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">the coronavirus pandemic</a>. The number of Americans collecting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-unemployment-jobless-claims-aea70c27cbaebdb732cf7426e37a5b58">unemployment has fallen to the lowest levels since 1970</a>, for example.

But much of the positive jobs news nationally has been overshadowed by surging gas, food and housing prices that have pushed consumer inflation to 7.9% over the past year ending in February. That’s the sharpest spike since 1982. Inflation figures for March, due out Tuesday, are likely to bring more bad news for the Biden administration.

“Maybe a trip back to Iowa will be just what Joe Biden needs to understand what his reckless spending, big government policies are doing to our country,” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement.

After Iowa, Biden will visit Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday.

Psaki blamed Russia’s war in Ukraine for helping to drive up gas prices and said the administration expects the consumer price index for March to be “extremely elevated” in large part because of it.

The EPA has lifted seasonal restrictions on E15 in the past, including after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hurricane-harvey">Hurricane Harvey</a>&nbsp;in 2017. The Trump administration allowed for selling E15 in the summer months two years later but had the rule struck down by a federal appeals court.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is visiting corn-rich Iowa on Tuesday to announce he’ll suspend a federal rule preventing the sale of higher ethanol blend gasoline this summer as his administration tries to tamp down prices at the pump that have spiked during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-7dd1f64818de5eadb86f12ad58e12a25">Russia’s war with Ukraine</a>.Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-environment-covid-19-pandemic-f1c7a7c8e05247f3456e26d449d88ab3">blended with 10% ethanol</a>. The Environmental Protection Agency will issue an emergency waiver to allow widespread sale of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-environment-smog-clean-air-act-us-news-2fa4d36b2aa5418184a3833c69efc9f9">15% ethanol blend</a>&nbsp;that is usually prohibited between June 1 and Sept. 15 because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures.Senior Biden administration officials said the move will save drivers an average of 10 cents per gallon at 2,300 gas stations. Industry groups say most of those stations are in the Midwest and the South, including Texas.Biden is to announce the move at a biofuel company in Menlo, west of Des Moines. Iowa is the country’s largest producer of corn, key to producing ethanol.The waiver is another effort to help ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-science-business-prices-opec-cf470e24ebc8b7bb4a74bf1ed50d5e6d">global energy markets</a>&nbsp;that have been rocked since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-moscow-kyiv-626a8c5ec22217bacb24ece60fac4fe1">Russia invaded Ukraine</a>. Last month, the president announced the U.S. will release&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-europe-3e1808077371b88ae043c86584763afd">1 million barrels of oil</a>&nbsp;per day from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-ae5200310e3d3c0390d9e1cbb3c5a964">the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve</a>&nbsp;over the next six months. His administration said that has helped to slightly reduce gas prices lately, after they climbed to an average of about $4.23 a gallon by the end of March, compared with $2.87 at the same time a year ago, according to AAA.Members of Congress from both parties, as well as industry groups, had urged Biden to grant the E15 waiver.“Homegrown Iowa biofuels provide a quick and clean solution for lowering prices at the pump and bolstering production would help us become energy independent once again,″ said Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. He was among nine Republican and seven Democratic senators from Midwestern states who sent Biden a letter last month urging him to allow year-round E15 sales.The trip will be Biden’s first as president to Iowa, where his 2020 presidential campaign limped to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-in-state-wire-ia-state-wire-caucuses-joe-biden-53a3df6f615b9cec6e12c216307f0624">a fourth-place finish</a>&nbsp;in the state’s technologically glitchy caucus.After bouncing back to win&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bb261be1a4ca285b9422b2f6b93d8d75">the Democratic nomination</a>, Biden returned for a rally at the Iowa state fairgrounds four days before Election Day 2020, only to see Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-hillary-clinton-iowa-iowa-city-3652c57038446e453516b9370c1ab243">win the state</a>&nbsp;by 8 percentage points.Biden heads back to the state at a moment when he’s facing yet more political peril. He’s saddled with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-business-health-inflation-6b6b0abfef867fc405e9f358ce2c3a09">sagging approval ratings</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-inflation-soars-776c03520c90083894fedf31f1a7db00">inflation at a 40-year high</a>&nbsp;while his party faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-georgia-donald-trump-2ad863083ef6a097dc5785977c7bd9aa">the prospect of big midterm election losses that could cost it control of Congress</a>.The president also planned to promote his economic plans to help rural families struggling with higher costs, while highlighting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-technology-business-broadband-internet-congress-d89d6bb1b39cd9c67ae9fc91f5eb4c0d">the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law</a>&nbsp;enacted last fall. The law includes money to improve internet access, as well as for modernizing wastewater systems, reducing flooding threats and improving roads and bridges, drinking water and electric grids in sparsely populated areas.“Part of it is showing up in communities of all sizes, regardless of the results of the last election,” said Jesse Harris, who was a senior adviser to Biden’s 2020 campaign in Iowa and directed get out the vote and early voting efforts for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.Harris said most presidents who visit Iowa typically go to the state’s largest cities. Hitting an area like Menlo, part of Guthrie County, which backed Trump over Biden by 35 percentage points in 2020, “does speak to the importance the administration places on infrastructure broadly but also infrastructure in rural and smaller communities.”The Biden administration plans to spend the coming weeks pushing billions of dollars in funding for rural areas. Cabinet members and other senior officials will travel the country to help communities get access to money available as part of the infrastructure package.“The president is not making this trip through a political prism,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “He’s making this trip because Iowa is a rural state in the country that would benefit greatly from the president’s policies.”Still, administration officials have long suggested that Biden travel more to promote an economy that is rebounding from the setbacks of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">the coronavirus pandemic</a>. The number of Americans collecting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-unemployment-jobless-claims-aea70c27cbaebdb732cf7426e37a5b58">unemployment has fallen to the lowest levels since 1970</a>, for example.But much of the positive jobs news nationally has been overshadowed by surging gas, food and housing prices that have pushed consumer inflation to 7.9% over the past year ending in February. That’s the sharpest spike since 1982. Inflation figures for March, due out Tuesday, are likely to bring more bad news for the Biden administration.“Maybe a trip back to Iowa will be just what Joe Biden needs to understand what his reckless spending, big government policies are doing to our country,” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement.After Iowa, Biden will visit Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday.Psaki blamed Russia’s war in Ukraine for helping to drive up gas prices and said the administration expects the consumer price index for March to be “extremely elevated” in large part because of it.The EPA has lifted seasonal restrictions on E15 in the past, including after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hurricane-harvey">Hurricane Harvey</a>&nbsp;in 2017. The Trump administration allowed for selling E15 in the summer months two years later but had the rule struck down by a federal appeals court.___

Biden waiving ethanol rule in bid to lower gasoline prices

DETROIT (AP) — Canadian Teamsters and CP Rail blamed each other for a work stoppage Sunday that brought trains to a halt across Canada and interrupted fertilizer and other shipments to and from the U.S.

More than 3,000 Canadian Pacific Rail conductors, engineers, train and yard workers represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference are off the job after both sides couldn't reach a deal by a midnight deadline.

Both sides say they are still talking with federal mediators.

Canadian Pacific covers much of the U.S. Midwest and is a large shipper of potash and fertilizer for agriculture. It also carries grain from the U.S. to its northern neighbor for domestic use and exports. The railroad serves the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and other states, according to a map on its investor website. CP also operates in New England and upstate New York, spokesman Patrick Waldron said.

CP says it's the leading carrier of potash, a plant nutrient used in the production of multiple crops. The company says in investor documents that it carries 70% of the potash produced in North America, all from mines in Saskatchewan.

The railroad says it also carries fertilizers, including phosphate, urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia. About half its fertilizer shipments originate from processing plants in Alberta.

CP got 29% of its 2020 freight revenue from cross-border shipments between the U.S. and Canada, its investor website said.

A lengthy interruption of fertilizer shipments could hurt U.S. farmers, who are nearing the spring planting season. The work stoppage could also exacerbate existing supply chain bottlenecks in the U.S. and Canada that stem from the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. trains were not affected by the work stoppage, but the railroad cannot make shipments between the two nations, Waldron said.

On Saturday, the Teamsters said in a statement that the company had locked the workers out, but later issued another statement saying the workers were also on strike.

The original statement posted to the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference website late Saturday said the union wanted to continue bargaining but the company "chose to put the Canadian supply chain and tens of thousands of jobs at risk.″

"As Canadians grapple with a never-ending pandemic, exploding commodity prices and the war in Ukraine, the rail carrier is adding an unnecessary layer of insecurity, especially for those who depend on the rail network,″ the statement said.

CP Rail, Canada’s second-largest railroad operator, said it was the company that wanted to keep talking, and the union that pulled its employees off the job.

CP President Keith Creel said in a news release the union "failed to respond″ to a new offer presented by mediators before the midnight deadline.

“Instead, the TCRC opted to withdraw their services before the deadline for a strike or lockout could legally take place,″ he said. "The TCRC is well aware of the damage this reckless action will cause to the Canadian supply chain.″

Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan urged the two sides to keep bargaining.

The Canadian and U.S. supply chains also were hit by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-detroit-canada-20f273b32bfa8ef695fdabcc7e11321e">trucker convoy protests&nbsp;</a>blocking border crossings in February, and now are dealing with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-biden-business-europe-b20d71c150712fe2e6dc3d44af8d1268">the effects, particularly on global fuel supplies, of the Russian invasion in Ukraine and sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.</a>

All the disruptions pushed inflation to its highest level since the early 1980s, with essentials such as food and fuel facing some of the sharpest price hikes.

CP and the union have been negotiating since September, with wages and pensions a sticking point. A clause on where employees take their federally mandated break periods is also an issue.

CP Rail says this is the fifth work stoppage since 1993.

DETROIT (AP) — Canadian Teamsters and CP Rail blamed each other for a work stoppage Sunday that brought trains to a halt across Canada and interrupted fertilizer and other shipments to and from the U.S.More than 3,000 Canadian Pacific Rail conductors, engineers, train and yard workers represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference are off the job after both sides couldn't reach a deal by a midnight deadline.Both sides say they are still talking with federal mediators.Canadian Pacific covers much of the U.S. Midwest and is a large shipper of potash and fertilizer for agriculture. It also carries grain from the U.S. to its northern neighbor for domestic use and exports. The railroad serves the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and other states, according to a map on its investor website. CP also operates in New England and upstate New York, spokesman Patrick Waldron said.CP says it's the leading carrier of potash, a plant nutrient used in the production of multiple crops. The company says in investor documents that it carries 70% of the potash produced in North America, all from mines in Saskatchewan.The railroad says it also carries fertilizers, including phosphate, urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia. About half its fertilizer shipments originate from processing plants in Alberta.CP got 29% of its 2020 freight revenue from cross-border shipments between the U.S. and Canada, its investor website said.A lengthy interruption of fertilizer shipments could hurt U.S. farmers, who are nearing the spring planting season. The work stoppage could also exacerbate existing supply chain bottlenecks in the U.S. and Canada that stem from the COVID-19 pandemic.U.S. trains were not affected by the work stoppage, but the railroad cannot make shipments between the two nations, Waldron said.On Saturday, the Teamsters said in a statement that the company had locked the workers out, but later issued another statement saying the workers were also on strike.The original statement posted to the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference website late Saturday said the union wanted to continue bargaining but the company "chose to put the Canadian supply chain and tens of thousands of jobs at risk.″"As Canadians grapple with a never-ending pandemic, exploding commodity prices and the war in Ukraine, the rail carrier is adding an unnecessary layer of insecurity, especially for those who depend on the rail network,″ the statement said.CP Rail, Canada’s second-largest railroad operator, said it was the company that wanted to keep talking, and the union that pulled its employees off the job.CP President Keith Creel said in a news release the union "failed to respond″ to a new offer presented by mediators before the midnight deadline.“Instead, the TCRC opted to withdraw their services before the deadline for a strike or lockout could legally take place,″ he said. "The TCRC is well aware of the damage this reckless action will cause to the Canadian supply chain.″Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan urged the two sides to keep bargaining.The Canadian and U.S. supply chains also were hit by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-detroit-canada-20f273b32bfa8ef695fdabcc7e11321e">trucker convoy protests&nbsp;</a>blocking border crossings in February, and now are dealing with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-biden-business-europe-b20d71c150712fe2e6dc3d44af8d1268">the effects, particularly on global fuel supplies, of the Russian invasion in Ukraine and sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.</a>All the disruptions pushed inflation to its highest level since the early 1980s, with essentials such as food and fuel facing some of the sharpest price hikes.CP and the union have been negotiating since September, with wages and pensions a sticking point. A clause on where employees take their federally mandated break periods is also an issue.CP Rail says this is the fifth work stoppage since 1993.

Canadian Pacific rail work stoppage could hit U.S. agriculture

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators on Monday cleared the way for the sale of beef from gene-edited cattle in coming years after the Food and Drug Administration concluded the animals do not raise any safety concerns.

The cattle by Recombinetics are the third genetically altered animals given the green light for human consumption in the U.S. after salmon and pigs. Many other foods already are made with genetically modified ingredients from crops like soybeans and corn.

The cattle reviewed by the FDA had genes altered with a technology called CRISPR to have short, slick coats that let them more easily withstand hot weather. Cattle that aren’t stressed by heat might pack on weight more easily, making for more efficient meat production.

The company did not say when home cooks or restaurants might be able to buy the beef, but the FDA said it could reach the market in as early as two years.

Unlike the salmon and pigs, the cattle did not have to go through a yearslong approval process. The FDA said the cattle were exempt from that because their genetic makeup is similar to other existing cattle and the trait can be found naturally in some breeds.

Dr. Steven Solomon, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said the agency’s review of Recombinetics' cattle took several months. He said there’s no reason meat from the animals or their offspring would need to be labeled differently.

Solomon said a genetically altered animal marketed as having a special advantage — such a higher than normal ability to withstand heat — might need to go through the full approval process.

“This opens up a completely different pathway,” he said, noting the decision could be encouraging for other biotech companies, many of which are small startups.

The gene-edited trait in the Recombinetics cattle can be passed down so semen and embryos from them could be used to produce offspring with the same shorter coats.

The trait will make beef production more sustainable and to improve animal welfare in warmer climates, Recombinetics said in a statement without providing further details.

Greg Jaffe, who specializes in biotechnology at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the FDA’s announcement made clear it wasn't exempting all gene-edited animals from the longer approval process.

“They reinforce the idea that this is a case-by-case review,” Jaffe said.

He said the agency should be more transparent about the review process so people know what's in the works. That could lead to better public acceptance and minimize any potential economic disruptions from global trade, since other countries might consider the animals genetically modified foods that need to be labeled, he said.

Jaydee Hanson, of the Center for Food Safety, said the agency should keep track of the animals for several generations to ensure there aren’t any unintended issues.

The genetically modified pig is intended mainly for medical purposes, not meat, according to the company that developed it. The firm recently provided a pig heart that was transplanted into a dying man in an experimental surgery.

The company behind the modified salmon said the fish are being sold to distributors in the Midwest and Northeast.

Alison Van Eenennaam, an animal geneticist at University of California, Davis who has worked with Recombinetics, said requiring all companies to go through the lengthy approval process could end the possibility of commercializing gene-edited animals in the U.S.

For the gene-edited cattle cleared by the FDA, she said it could take about two years for beef from the offspring to reach the market.

Once the semen is used to create embryos, she said gestation would take about nine months and the resulting calves might be slaughtered after about 10 months. She noted the market isn’t limited to the U.S., given the way cattle are bred.

“Let’s face it, bull semen goes all over the world,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590681306227.jpeg" alt="Image from Pixabay&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Image from Pixabay&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By CANDICE CHOI, Associated PressNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators on Monday cleared the way for the sale of beef from gene-edited cattle in coming years after the Food and Drug Administration concluded the animals do not raise any safety concerns.The cattle by Recombinetics are the third genetically altered animals given the green light for human consumption in the U.S. after salmon and pigs. Many other foods already are made with genetically modified ingredients from crops like soybeans and corn.The cattle reviewed by the FDA had genes altered with a technology called CRISPR to have short, slick coats that let them more easily withstand hot weather. Cattle that aren’t stressed by heat might pack on weight more easily, making for more efficient meat production.The company did not say when home cooks or restaurants might be able to buy the beef, but the FDA said it could reach the market in as early as two years.Unlike the salmon and pigs, the cattle did not have to go through a yearslong approval process. The FDA said the cattle were exempt from that because their genetic makeup is similar to other existing cattle and the trait can be found naturally in some breeds.Dr. Steven Solomon, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said the agency’s review of Recombinetics' cattle took several months. He said there’s no reason meat from the animals or their offspring would need to be labeled differently.Solomon said a genetically altered animal marketed as having a special advantage — such a higher than normal ability to withstand heat — might need to go through the full approval process.“This opens up a completely different pathway,” he said, noting the decision could be encouraging for other biotech companies, many of which are small startups.The gene-edited trait in the Recombinetics cattle can be passed down so semen and embryos from them could be used to produce offspring with the same shorter coats.The trait will make beef production more sustainable and to improve animal welfare in warmer climates, Recombinetics said in a statement without providing further details.Greg Jaffe, who specializes in biotechnology at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the FDA’s announcement made clear it wasn't exempting all gene-edited animals from the longer approval process.“They reinforce the idea that this is a case-by-case review,” Jaffe said.He said the agency should be more transparent about the review process so people know what's in the works. That could lead to better public acceptance and minimize any potential economic disruptions from global trade, since other countries might consider the animals genetically modified foods that need to be labeled, he said.Jaydee Hanson, of the Center for Food Safety, said the agency should keep track of the animals for several generations to ensure there aren’t any unintended issues.The genetically modified pig is intended mainly for medical purposes, not meat, according to the company that developed it. The firm recently provided a pig heart that was transplanted into a dying man in an experimental surgery.The company behind the modified salmon said the fish are being sold to distributors in the Midwest and Northeast.Alison Van Eenennaam, an animal geneticist at University of California, Davis who has worked with Recombinetics, said requiring all companies to go through the lengthy approval process could end the possibility of commercializing gene-edited animals in the U.S.For the gene-edited cattle cleared by the FDA, she said it could take about two years for beef from the offspring to reach the market.Once the semen is used to create embryos, she said gestation would take about nine months and the resulting calves might be slaughtered after about 10 months. She noted the market isn’t limited to the U.S., given the way cattle are bred.“Let’s face it, bull semen goes all over the world,” she said.

Gene-edited beef cattle get regulatory clearance in US

By JARED STRONG <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/07/usda-pledges-1b-for-climate-smart-ag-products/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>

The U.S.
 Department of Agriculture plans to spend up to $1 billion to foster the
 creation of climate-friendly agricultural and forestry products by 
offering grants to facilitate their production and the markets to sell 
them.

The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon in those industries.

“Agriculture is such an exciting but 
challenging, critical but dynamic space. It’s easy to make the case to 
young people to get engaged in this,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom 
Vilsack said Monday in announcing the program at Missouri’s Lincoln 
University, a historically Black university with a robust agricultural 
program. “It’s at the heart of our fight against climate change.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
estimates that about 10% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions — 
which are key drivers of a warming climate — come from agriculture, 
especially livestock production. Cattle are agriculture’s primary 
emitters of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

The USDA’s new Partnerships for 
Climate-Smart Commodities program will provide up to $100 million for 
individual pilot projects to plan and implement emission-reducing 
practices, create new markets to sell the products that result from 
those practices and quantify the effectiveness of the practices.

Measuring livestock emissions has long been a
 tricky proposition for federal regulators. An example: The U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency suspended its enforcement of the Clean 
Air Act as it might pertain to animal confinements about 16 years ago as
 it seeks to develop a reliable way to measure the buildings’ emissions.

Beef production is potentially a bigger 
quandary because the animals are often raised in open-air lots. However,
 researchers have been able to estimate the average annual methane 
production from cows and how much it can be reduced with <a href="https://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2020/01/unh-scientists-expand-seaweed-research-benefit-regions-dairy-farmers" target="_blank">specialized diets</a>.

The <a href="https://www.usda.gov/climate-solutions/climate-smart-commodities" target="_blank">new USDA grant program</a>
 is open to a wide variety of entities: businesses, nonprofit 
organizations, governments, Native American tribal governments and 
organizations, and colleges and universities.

The department has set an April 8 deadline 
for proposals that range from $5 million to $100 million and a May 27 
deadline for those that would cost less than $5 million, according to 
the department’s <a href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/climate-smart-nfo-usda-nrcs-comm-22-nofo0001139-02062022-web-final.pdf" target="_blank">public Notice</a><a href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/climate-smart-nfo-usda-nrcs-comm-22-nofo0001139-02062022-web-final.pdf" target="_blank"> of Funding Opportunity.</a>
 Small and “historically underserved” agricultural producers and 
“minority-serving institutions” will get priority, the notice says.

“This might look, for example, like a group 
of small farmers working with a nonprofit to implement and quantify 
climate-smart practices in partnership with a retailer,” Vilsack said. 
“Or it could be a network of commodity organizations recruiting 
specialty crop farmers to quantify reduced emissions and market the 
resulting products. It may be a farmer-partner organization working with
 universities to test innovative approaches to monitor and verify 
climate benefits to aid in marketing. It could be all of that or any of 
it, along with a lot of other ideas and concepts.”

Vilsack did not say whether the products 
would bear a “climate smart” label that is subject to USDA 
certification, similar to organic foods.

This article first appeared in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a sister site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom&nbsp;network.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644333577889.png" alt="U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a $1 billion grant program to boost agricultural and forestry products that are made with reduced greenhouse gas emissions. (Screenshot from USDA video)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a $1 billion grant program to boost agricultural and forestry products that are made with reduced greenhouse gas emissions. (Screenshot from USDA video)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JARED STRONG <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/07/usda-pledges-1b-for-climate-smart-ag-products/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>The U.S.
 Department of Agriculture plans to spend up to $1 billion to foster the
 creation of climate-friendly agricultural and forestry products by 
offering grants to facilitate their production and the markets to sell 
them.The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon in those industries.“Agriculture is such an exciting but 
challenging, critical but dynamic space. It’s easy to make the case to 
young people to get engaged in this,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom 
Vilsack said Monday in announcing the program at Missouri’s Lincoln 
University, a historically Black university with a robust agricultural 
program. “It’s at the heart of our fight against climate change.”The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
estimates that about 10% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions — 
which are key drivers of a warming climate — come from agriculture, 
especially livestock production. Cattle are agriculture’s primary 
emitters of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.The USDA’s new Partnerships for 
Climate-Smart Commodities program will provide up to $100 million for 
individual pilot projects to plan and implement emission-reducing 
practices, create new markets to sell the products that result from 
those practices and quantify the effectiveness of the practices.Measuring livestock emissions has long been a
 tricky proposition for federal regulators. An example: The U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency suspended its enforcement of the Clean 
Air Act as it might pertain to animal confinements about 16 years ago as
 it seeks to develop a reliable way to measure the buildings’ emissions.Beef production is potentially a bigger 
quandary because the animals are often raised in open-air lots. However,
 researchers have been able to estimate the average annual methane 
production from cows and how much it can be reduced with <a href="https://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2020/01/unh-scientists-expand-seaweed-research-benefit-regions-dairy-farmers" target="_blank">specialized diets</a>.The <a href="https://www.usda.gov/climate-solutions/climate-smart-commodities" target="_blank">new USDA grant program</a>
 is open to a wide variety of entities: businesses, nonprofit 
organizations, governments, Native American tribal governments and 
organizations, and colleges and universities.The department has set an April 8 deadline 
for proposals that range from $5 million to $100 million and a May 27 
deadline for those that would cost less than $5 million, according to 
the department’s <a href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/climate-smart-nfo-usda-nrcs-comm-22-nofo0001139-02062022-web-final.pdf" target="_blank">public Notice</a><a href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/climate-smart-nfo-usda-nrcs-comm-22-nofo0001139-02062022-web-final.pdf" target="_blank"> of Funding Opportunity.</a>
 Small and “historically underserved” agricultural producers and 
“minority-serving institutions” will get priority, the notice says.“This might look, for example, like a group 
of small farmers working with a nonprofit to implement and quantify 
climate-smart practices in partnership with a retailer,” Vilsack said. 
“Or it could be a network of commodity organizations recruiting 
specialty crop farmers to quantify reduced emissions and market the 
resulting products. It may be a farmer-partner organization working with
 universities to test innovative approaches to monitor and verify 
climate benefits to aid in marketing. It could be all of that or any of 
it, along with a lot of other ideas and concepts.”Vilsack did not say whether the products 
would bear a “climate smart” label that is subject to USDA 
certification, similar to organic foods.This article first appeared in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a sister site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom&nbsp;network.

USDA pledges $1B for ‘climate smart’ ag products

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden met virtually with independent farmers and ranchers on Monday to discuss initiatives to reduce&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-health-business-poland-f559465c6a822d12b2dd513f122d5a31">food prices</a>&nbsp;by increasing competition within the meat industry, part of a broader effort to show his administration is trying to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-business-richard-nixon-ae06d5cccf066239f9aa7f06491c7698">combat inflation</a>.

“Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism — it’s exploitation,” Biden said.

Higher-than-expected inflation has thwarted Biden’s agenda, hurt his public approval rating, become fodder for Republican attacks and prompted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/manchin-rejects-biden-spending-bill-democrats-election-e7a0ca4c25c686e91cb21e166c44821b">Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.</a>, to cite higher prices as a reason to sideline the Democratic president’s tax, social and economic programs. In November, consumer prices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/latest-inflation-numbers-consumer-prices-616055db3bf67691b4fdc0015fc00783">rose 6.8%</a>&nbsp;over the prior 12 months — a 39-year high.

On food costs, Biden is building off a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/07/09/executive-order-on-promoting-competition-in-the-american-economy/" target="_blank">July executive order</a>&nbsp;that directed the Agriculture Department to more aggressively look at possible violations of the 1921 Packers and Stockyards Act, which was designed to ensure fair competition and protect consumers. Meat prices have climbed 16% from a year ago, with beef prices up 20.9%.

The president said the higher prices have been the subject of frustration at his own kitchen table. His wife, Jill, was talking on Sunday with her sister and a friend about a pound of hamburger meat costing $5 a pound, compared with less than $4 before the pandemic.

The administration is targeting meat processing plants, which can shape the prices paid to farmers and charged to consumers. The White House issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/03/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-action-plan-for-a-fairer-more-competitive-and-more-resilient-meat-and-poultry-supply-chain/" target="_blank">fact sheet</a>&nbsp;saying that the top four companies control 85% of the beef market. In poultry, the biggest four processing firms control 54% of the market. And for pork, the figure is 70% for the four biggest firms.

Many industry groups are pushing back against the administration’s planned oversight of the food industry.

Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the coronavirus and higher costs for energy and labor are driving meat prices higher, not the corporate structure of the industry.

Bradley said the administration is practicing politics instead of economics and “government intervention would likely further constrain supply and push prices even higher.”

Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council, said, “This looks like a solution in search of a problem.” He said the administration is using the food industry as a “scapegoat for the significant challenges facing our economy. ”

Biden outlined plans to distribute $1 billion from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-vote-coronavirus-relief-package-33f4902ca9a2aed4e76274af6bb2ea5c">coronavirus relief package</a>&nbsp;to help independent meat processors expand. He also highlighted money to train workers in the industry and improve conditions, as well as issue new rules for meatpackers and labeling requirements for being designated a “Product of USA.”

The Justice Department and the Agriculture Department will launch a joint effort to make it easier to report anti-competitive actions to the government. The administration will also seek to improve the transparency of the cattle market, with Biden saying, “A free market isn’t truly free without transparency around prices.”

The effort is part of a broader attempt to regain control of America’s economic narrative. Besides inflation, the repeated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-lifestyle-health-travel-80caac77e0cfed7e0e08cfa024ed3a9b">waves of coronavirus outbreak</a>&nbsp;have dampened people’s opinions about the economy despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-economy-gross-domestic-product-119b8182404771d0362da6d0d49891c0">strong growth</a>&nbsp;over the past year.

Biden will have an opportunity to highlight the economy’s strengths with the December jobs report being released Friday. Economists surveyed by FactSet expect that the United States added 362,000 jobs last month with the unemployment rate ticking down to 4.1%. Gains of that magnitude would indicate that the U.S. added roughly 6.5 million jobs last year, more than in any other previous year in a reflection of population growth and government spending.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641245951468.png" alt="The president said the higher prices have been the subject of frustration at his own kitchen table. His wife, Jill, was talking on Sunday with her sister and a friend about a pound of hamburger meat costing $5 a pound, compared with less than $4 before the pandemic-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>The president said the higher prices have been the subject of frustration at his own kitchen table. His wife, Jill, was talking on Sunday with her sister and a friend about a pound of hamburger meat costing $5 a pound, compared with less than $4 before the pandemic-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden met virtually with independent farmers and ranchers on Monday to discuss initiatives to reduce&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-health-business-poland-f559465c6a822d12b2dd513f122d5a31">food prices</a>&nbsp;by increasing competition within the meat industry, part of a broader effort to show his administration is trying to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-business-richard-nixon-ae06d5cccf066239f9aa7f06491c7698">combat inflation</a>.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1615116315497364%2F&show_text=true&width=560&t=70" width="560" height="429" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism — it’s exploitation,” Biden said.Higher-than-expected inflation has thwarted Biden’s agenda, hurt his public approval rating, become fodder for Republican attacks and prompted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/manchin-rejects-biden-spending-bill-democrats-election-e7a0ca4c25c686e91cb21e166c44821b">Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.</a>, to cite higher prices as a reason to sideline the Democratic president’s tax, social and economic programs. In November, consumer prices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/latest-inflation-numbers-consumer-prices-616055db3bf67691b4fdc0015fc00783">rose 6.8%</a>&nbsp;over the prior 12 months — a 39-year high.On food costs, Biden is building off a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/07/09/executive-order-on-promoting-competition-in-the-american-economy/" target="_blank">July executive order</a>&nbsp;that directed the Agriculture Department to more aggressively look at possible violations of the 1921 Packers and Stockyards Act, which was designed to ensure fair competition and protect consumers. Meat prices have climbed 16% from a year ago, with beef prices up 20.9%.The president said the higher prices have been the subject of frustration at his own kitchen table. His wife, Jill, was talking on Sunday with her sister and a friend about a pound of hamburger meat costing $5 a pound, compared with less than $4 before the pandemic.The administration is targeting meat processing plants, which can shape the prices paid to farmers and charged to consumers. The White House issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/03/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-action-plan-for-a-fairer-more-competitive-and-more-resilient-meat-and-poultry-supply-chain/" target="_blank">fact sheet</a>&nbsp;saying that the top four companies control 85% of the beef market. In poultry, the biggest four processing firms control 54% of the market. And for pork, the figure is 70% for the four biggest firms.Many industry groups are pushing back against the administration’s planned oversight of the food industry.Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the coronavirus and higher costs for energy and labor are driving meat prices higher, not the corporate structure of the industry.Bradley said the administration is practicing politics instead of economics and “government intervention would likely further constrain supply and push prices even higher.”Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council, said, “This looks like a solution in search of a problem.” He said the administration is using the food industry as a “scapegoat for the significant challenges facing our economy. ”Biden outlined plans to distribute $1 billion from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-vote-coronavirus-relief-package-33f4902ca9a2aed4e76274af6bb2ea5c">coronavirus relief package</a>&nbsp;to help independent meat processors expand. He also highlighted money to train workers in the industry and improve conditions, as well as issue new rules for meatpackers and labeling requirements for being designated a “Product of USA.”The Justice Department and the Agriculture Department will launch a joint effort to make it easier to report anti-competitive actions to the government. The administration will also seek to improve the transparency of the cattle market, with Biden saying, “A free market isn’t truly free without transparency around prices.”The effort is part of a broader attempt to regain control of America’s economic narrative. Besides inflation, the repeated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-lifestyle-health-travel-80caac77e0cfed7e0e08cfa024ed3a9b">waves of coronavirus outbreak</a>&nbsp;have dampened people’s opinions about the economy despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-economy-gross-domestic-product-119b8182404771d0362da6d0d49891c0">strong growth</a>&nbsp;over the past year.Biden will have an opportunity to highlight the economy’s strengths with the December jobs report being released Friday. Economists surveyed by FactSet expect that the United States added 362,000 jobs last month with the unemployment rate ticking down to 4.1%. Gains of that magnitude would indicate that the U.S. added roughly 6.5 million jobs last year, more than in any other previous year in a reflection of population growth and government spending.___

🎥 Biden talks with farmers, ranchers on reducing food prices

DETROIT (AP) — Deere &amp; Co. workers approved a new contract Wednesday that will deliver 10% raises immediately and end a monthlong strike for more than 10,000 employees.

The United Auto Workers union said 61% of its members approved the deal with the tractor maker on their third vote, even though this offer was strikingly similar to one that 55% of workers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-strikes-united-auto-workers-7124f0d5f729c0a722e62c87c94fc14a">rejected two weeks ago</a>.

Deere workers — and other unions — have been emboldened to ask for more this year because of the ongoing worker shortages and because workers didn’t always feel appreciated while working long hours during the pandemic.

This latest proposal made only modest changes to the details of Deere’s internal incentive pay plan. The new contract covers 12 plants in Iowa, Illinois and Kansas where the Moline, Illinois-based company’s iconic John Deere green agricultural and construction equipment is made.

The company said work would resume on Wednesday night.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634596496067.png" alt="The strike began Oct. 14 -Photo courtesy WQAD TV" />
 <figcaption>The strike began Oct. 14 -Photo courtesy WQAD TV</figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) — Deere &amp; Co. workers approved a new contract Wednesday that will deliver 10% raises immediately and end a monthlong strike for more than 10,000 employees.The United Auto Workers union said 61% of its members approved the deal with the tractor maker on their third vote, even though this offer was strikingly similar to one that 55% of workers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-strikes-united-auto-workers-7124f0d5f729c0a722e62c87c94fc14a">rejected two weeks ago</a>.Deere workers — and other unions — have been emboldened to ask for more this year because of the ongoing worker shortages and because workers didn’t always feel appreciated while working long hours during the pandemic.This latest proposal made only modest changes to the details of Deere’s internal incentive pay plan. The new contract covers 12 plants in Iowa, Illinois and Kansas where the Moline, Illinois-based company’s iconic John Deere green agricultural and construction equipment is made.The company said work would resume on Wednesday night.

Deere workers approve 3rd contract offer, will end strike

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed his $1 trillion infrastructure deal into law Monday on the White House lawn, hailing it as an example of what bipartisanship can achieve.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?516100-1/president-biden-signs-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill&amp;live">Click here </a>to watch the President's comments

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637009964663.png" alt="President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris embrace ahead of Monday's bill signing-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris embrace ahead of Monday's bill signing-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed his $1 trillion infrastructure deal into law Monday on the White House lawn, hailing it as an example of what bipartisanship can achieve.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?516100-1/president-biden-signs-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill&amp;live">Click here </a>to watch the President's commentsThe president hopes to use the law to build back his popularity and says it will deliver jobs, clean water, high-speed internet and a clean energy future. Support for Biden has taken a hit amid rising inflation and the inability to fully shake the public health and economic risks from COVID-19.A smattering of Republican lawmakers were on hand for what might be one the last celebratory displays of bipartisanship ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637013446903.png" alt="Photo courtesy White. House" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy White. House</figcaption>
 </figure>“My message to the American people is this: America is moving again and your life is going to change for the better,” Biden said.