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A leading U.S. ag economist thinks the Biden administration may have to open up the Conservation Reserve Program to cropping this year because of grain shortages that could result from the crisis in Ukraine.

Four nominees to be commissioners of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission were warmly received Wednesday by the Senate Ag Committee, where members are eager to fill four vacancies in a five-member board.

As Russian missiles continued to bombard Ukraine, President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address to express American support for the beleaguered nation and tackle a number of domestic issues, including food price inflation and supply chain disruptions.

The nearly week-long Russian invasion of Ukraine is threatening to restrict already tight global supplies of grain and fertilizer as Black Sea distribution hubs and supply lines shut down amid the chaos and violence that is only expected to worsen as Russian aggression intensifies and Western sanctions broaden.

Leaders of major crop groups say the farm bill commodity programs won’t adequately protect their margins at a time of skyrocketing input costs, but the organizations aren’t ready to propose specific changes.

The Supreme Court is considering a case that could restrict EPA’s authority not just to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, but to implement other regulations without explicit congressional authorization.

The Agriculture Department is going to take a closer look at how retailers and seed companies are interacting with producers, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says.

The Biden administration Tuesday rolled out its 2022 Trade Policy Agenda report to Congress, pledging to further develop its Indo-Pacific Strategy – an effort to strengthen ties with the Asian region – as well as continue to reduce trade barriers across the globe and bring new reform pressure on China.

Not much has been said about dairy quotas by either the U.S. or Canadian governments since Canada earlier this month submitted a proposal to alter the way it operates its tariff rate quotas for dairy imports, but both sides have been meeting on the issue over the past three weeks, sources tell Agri-Pulse.