Trade tensions, India tariffs put California almonds at risk [Associated Press]
…For California farmers, most immediately the tariffs mean planning difficulties as the harvest season approaches….Some growers worry that if California almonds get too expensive, buyers will look elsewhere….Ultimately, the almond industry will need to make inroads in other markets, which is no small task. “It takes so long for us to build relationships to market our products,” said Sara Neagu-Reed, associate director of the California Farm Bureau Federation’s federal policy division.
https://apnews.com/3bb6130746da48978106b9e05b46f525
WTO members concerned over U.S. farm spending, EU’s Brexit plans [Reuters]
China, India, the European Union, Ukraine and Australia told the World Trade Organization on Wednesday that U.S. farm subsidies risked distorting global markets, and said they feared such funding would be repeated, a Geneva trade official said….Washington told the WTO’s agriculture committee in February that a $12 billion “market facilitation package” to assist farmers hit by trade disruptions would be a one-off. But last month it announced a second tranche of up to $16 billion. A U.S. diplomat told the committee on Wednesday that $8.57 billion had been paid out for the 2018 crop year as of June 7.
Salamanders face extinction from plans to raise Shasta Dam [KRCR-TV, Redding]
Three species of Shasta Salamanders are being threatened by plans to raise the height of the Shasta Dam, which would result in flooding of their habitat. On Wednesday, the Center for Biological Diversity and Environmental Protection Information Center secured a new settlement that will speed up the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision on whether the salamanders warrant Endangered Species Act protection. The agency is now required to make that decision by April 30, 2021.
https://krcrtv.com/news/shasta-county/salamanders-face-extinction-from-plans-to-raise-shasta-dam
US Supreme Court ruling should boost digital wine sales [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued Wednesday has the potential to open digital wine sales to more states across the country. The court in a 7-to-2 decision struck down a Tennessee law that required wine retailers to live in the state for two years before they could apply for a permit to sell alcohol, finding it violated the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution….The case concerned wine retailers such as Total Wine rather than wineries, which gained greater access to sell across state lines as a result of a 2005 Supreme Court decision.
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/9742554-181/us-supreme-court-ruling-should
Bayer to seek help with weedkiller lawsuits [Wall Street Journal]
Bayer AG BAYRY +5.15% on Wednesday bowed to pressure from investors, saying it would seek outside help and review its approach in the legal battle with thousands of cancer patients who blame the herbicide Roundup for their illness….Bayer has faced mounting pressure from shareholders to show it is taking concrete action to resolve litigation over its Roundup weedkillers…Since taking over Monsanto, Bayer has lost the first three Roundup jury trials in California, with the last award topping $2 billion….Bayer, which argues that Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, are safe, is appealing the verdicts.
The future of food needs to focus on bringing broadband to rural communities, says Beth Ford [Forbes]
For people who live in cities, having access to wireless internet is often taken for granted. But for the farmers who live in rural areas of the United States, access to broadband can be a dire and critical need. “Thirty percent of farmers don’t have access to broadband,” says Beth Ford, CEO of dairy co-op Land O’Lakes….With the focus on the future of agriculture, it’s critical to include farmers in the conversation, Ford said in a keynote conversation at the Forbes 2019 AgTech Summit in Salinas, California.
