Farm groups are cheering EPA’s decision on over-the-top use of dicamba for five years – with some new restrictions on how the herbicide is applied.

The Senate is officially out of action until Oct. 19, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says negotiations on a potential coronavirus relief package will continue today. “We’re having our conversations,” she told reporters on Monday.

There are some reasons to have hope for a major new coronavirus relief package, although President Trump’s illness has obviously has raised questions about when an agreement could be reached or enacted.

The Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief plan Thursday evening even as leaders continue to negotiate a final package. Ahead of the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats were still trading proposals with the White House but wouldn’t have a deal before today. ”We’re going back and forth,” she said.

Last week’s Hurricane Laura may have struck near the border of Texas and Louisiana, but most of the damage, including losses in agriculture, is being recorded to the east of the Lone Star State.

American rice farmers are counting on a recent $450 million loan from the U.S. Export-Import bank to Iraq to restart the country’s rice imports.