EPA To Grant E-15 Waiver
EPA is expected to announce today that it is issuing a waiver to allow the use of E15 nationwide again this summer, a move supported by National Sorghum Producers and ethanol groups. EPA previously issued waivers for 2022 and 2023. The waivers are necessary until such time that Congress and the White House enact legislation to provide permanent year-round E15 authority. Read more here.
USDA Announces $1 Billion in Foreign Food Aid Purchases Using CCC Funds
On Thursday, the USDA committed $1 billion to purchase, ship and distribute U.S. grown commodities, in collaboration with USAID, to provide emergency food assistance with an initial round of support directed at 18 countries. The selected commodities in the initial tranche of $950 million include those that traditionally align with USAID international food programs, including U.S. sorghum, wheat, rice, lentils, chickpeas, dry peas, vegetable oil, cornmeal, navy beans, pinto beans and kidney beans.
The CCC funded program comes after Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and the Ranking Member Senator John Boozman (R-AR), sent a joint request letter in August of 2023, requesting the USDA use CCC funds to bolster funding on overseas marketing and international food aid. Read the press release here.
Six National Commodity Groups Call On U.S. International Trade Commission To Nix Petition Related To Duties On Herbicides
This week, National Sorghum Producers and five other major commodity groups sent a letter to the U.S. International Trade Commission encouraging it to vote negative in advancing a petition by Corteva Agribusiness to place antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of the herbicide 2,4-D shipped from India and China. The letter said if the U.S. International Trade Commission votes to continue the case beyond the preliminary stage, farmers across the country could soon find it difficult to access critical supplies.
The letter also said, “The imports covered by this case are the large majority of sources of supply other than Corteva, which is the only U.S. supplier. To put it simply, America’s farmers cannot rely upon a sole domestic supplier of 2,4-D to meet nearly all the market’s needs, and imports are needed to meet the majority of market needs.” Duties on 2,4-D imports from the two countries would intensify what is already a difficult period for many growers as key input costs continue to increase. The ITC is scheduled to vote on its preliminary determination in this case on May 17, 2024. Read more here.
EPA on Track to Meet Court-Ordered Deadlines to Reduce Impacts of Crop Protection on Endangered Species but Other Work Will Be Delayed
EPA says it will meet court-ordered deadlines to complete strategies to reduce the impacts of herbicides and insecticides on endangered species but some other work of the agency will be delayed. Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticide Programs Jake Li said some delays in pesticide registrations and in IT modernization and fewer crop tours for agency staff will occur. A draft of the insecticide plan is due by July 30. A final herbicide plan is due by Aug. 30. Read more here.
