Highest corn and soybean prices since commodity boom, says USDA
U.S. farmers, who harvested some of their largest corn and soybean crops ever last fall, will reap the highest season-average prices for the crops since the heady days of the commodity boom that ended in worldwide surpluses seven years ago, said the government on Tuesday.
Temp-agency food workers should be prioritized for vaccine, advocates say
Workers in food distribution, production, and logistics who are employed by temporary staffing agencies and other subcontractors should be prioritized for early access to the Covid-19 vaccine alongside other food system workers, argues a new report focused on the Chicago labor force.
Free meals proposed for all students
Congress should permanently expand the school food program so that all public school students can eat breakfast and lunch for free, said the School Nutrition Association on Tuesday. The association said many school food directors expect to run a deficit this school year because of school closures and the higher cost of preparing and serving meals during the pandemic.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Tyson Foods settles price-fixing suit too: Tyson Foods joined Pilgrim’s Pride in saying it reached a settlement in a price-fixing lawsuit brought by customers but it did not say how much it would pay. (Reuters)
Former CFTC chief may lead SEC: Gary Gensler, who implemented the Dodd-Frank reforms of the future industry as chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for President Obama, is the likely nominee by President-elect Joe Biden to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Los Angeles Times)
China approves more GMO corn and cotton: The Chinese agriculture ministry has approved imports of two GMO corn varieties from Syngenta and Bayer and three GMO cotton strains from BASF and Syngnenta for the next five years. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
Court rebuff of toxic pesticide: A U.S. appeals court in San Francisco rejected an EPA request to allow farmers to use sulfoxaflor, while the agency studies the pesticide’s impact on endangered species. The EPA previously had deemed the pesticide “very highly toxic” to bees. (Center for Food Safety)