Pacific Northwest Ag Network

Kicking off an expected loosening of U.S. monetary policy, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percentage point earlier this week.  The move brings a larger-than-normal reduction in the cost of borrowing, which followed growing concern about the health of America’s job market.  According to ...

Efforts to keep AM radio in the dashboards of U.S. vehicles have taken a step forward in the House.  The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 45-2 to send the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to the full House for a vote.   “It’s been a stalwart of American prosperity and information sharing,” said Representative Jeff Duncan, a South Carolina Republican. “Having AM radio available...

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization says its Food Price Index stood at 120.7 points in August, down marginally from July. Decreases in the price indexes for sugar, meat, and cereals outweighed increases for those in vegetable oils and dairy products. The ...

The Agriculture Department is expecting at home food prices this year to increase by 1.2%, which is a slight increase from the 1% that USDA economists had expected.  USDA economist Meghan Schweitzer says prices for a couple of key food categories have been higher than expected, inching that rate up.   “...

A federal judge blocked the U.S. Labor Department from enforcing a rule in 17 states that would prevent agricultural employers from retaliating against migrant workers with H-2A visas for joining labor unions.  Employers also couldn’t retaliate for workers organizing against wage theft, trafficking, and other abuses.   Courth...

In 2023. farmers and truckers of agricultural goods in Washington started paying a Climate Commitment Act fuel tax that, even through, by law, they are exempt.  Since then, Ag groups have been pushing for a fix to this exemption problem, with little help from the Department of Ecology.   “So, ...

It's an effort within our nation going on almost a decade now.  “In 2015, USDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set a national goal to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030,” noted Jean Busby who has been involved in these efforts for several years now as USDA’s Food Loss and Waste Liaison.    That include...

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition announced that Amazon has joined its expanding membership. The tech leader’s inclusion underscores the commitment to advancing SAF as a key element to improve the efficiency and environmental impact of jet fuel, create domestic jobs, and enhance American energy independence.  ...

U.S. agriculture is currently running a trade deficit of almost $19 billion and growing.  And while some say this reflects a weak noncompetitive American farm sector, one expert says that doesn’t tell the whole story.   “To look at the trade balance and say it's negative, so we're being outcompeted. It's, it's really oversim...

Late last week, the Bureau of Land Management announced its intent to develop a Federal Advisory Committee to engage the public and help inform the BLM’s implementation of the Public Lands Rule.  The committee will allow the agency to continue working with and hearing from a range of experts and the public to support successful rule implementation.   “The P...