7 ag stories you might have missed this week - April 2, 2021

The Ever Given is freed, lean hogs are hot and Biden introduces $2 trillion infrastructure package.

Janet Kubat Willette, E-Content Editor

April 2, 2021

3 Min Read
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Need a quick catch up on the news? Here are seven ag stories you might have missed this week.

1. The Ever Given was dislodged on Monday after being stuck in the Suez Canal for six days. There are several theories on why the ship got stuck. More than 300 ships were unable to pass through the canal after the Ever Given blocked it. There's even an app to place the Ever Given in your back yard.  – Insider, The New York Times, Mashable

2. Lean hogs are the world's top-performing major asset. Prices has risen by more than 60% over the past year. Prices rose to their highest level since September 2014 last week and there's still potential for prices to move higher. High prices aren't deterring consumers, with USDA forecasting U.S. per capita pork consumption at 52.5 pounds per person, the highest since 1981. – Axios

3. The Renewable Fuels Standard continues to be contested in court. The court case, HollyFrontier Cheyenne Refining v. Renewable Fuels Association, will determine whether or not the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to enact small-refinery waivers, which allow oil companies to avoid blending ethanol into its fuel. – Biofuels International

4. The $2 trillion Biden infrastructure bill would make the most significant domestic U.S. investments in generations. The plan would repair roads and bridges, rebuild schools and replace lead pipes. It would build the nation's clean energy workforce, expand manufacturing and boost caregiving as a profession. The proposal has drawn mixed reviews from the agricultural community.  – USA Today, Farm Futures

5. Researchers at Oregon State University are studying whether hemp or spent hemp biomass can be fed to animals and whether any residual cannabis compounds are present in meat and milk. Spent leafy biomass is the leafy byproduct left over after processing hemp for cannabidiol or CBD oil. – East Oregonian

6. Many of the big trade organizations representing cash-crop and livestock farmers are supporting a list of federal policy recommendations that include a USDA carbon bank. The shift is reflective of both a growing awareness of the dangers of climate change and a sense that farmers might be able to profit from being part of the solution by reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Many individual farmers, though, remain uncomfortable with acknowledging a human role in climate change. – Politico

7. A federal judge in Minnesota invalidated a Trump-era rule allowing hog slaughter plants to run without line speed limits. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union and three of its local chapters challenged the 2019 USDA rule, arguing faster slaughter speeds increased workplace injury potential.  – Voice of America

And your bonus.

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