Articles by Bill Tomson

In a potential new milestone in agricultural biotechnology, a gene-edited tomato that’s high in antioxidants believed to fight cancer and heart disease, has cleared a key hurdle.

The Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved USDA adviser Doug McKalip to be the chief agricultural negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, sending the nomination to the full Senate for final approval.

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service is still planning to resume publishing its weekly export sales report on Sept. 15, but that report will be much larger than normal because it will contain four weeks of data that haven’t been published because of problems installing a new reporting system, according to USDA officials.

The Senate is back in session after the August recess, and there’s a full slate of committee activity today.

Some ag shippers are still using the Port of Oakland to send wine, walnuts, fruits, vegetables, hay and rice to foreign buyers, but many other exporters are also looking for alternatives to the key — but troubled — West Coast shipping point.

The Senate’s back in action this week as lawmakers prepare to clear a to-do list in time to get home to campaign ahead of the mid-term elections.

The top Republican on the House Ag Committee is making clear he wants nothing to do with some proposals by fellow conservatives to slash farm bill programs.

The 2022-23 soybean marketing year starts officially on Thursday, and signs indicate exports will get off to a strong start. USDA data shows China is buying heavily, but marketing and education efforts by U.S. farm groups are paying off as demand is also growing in places like Egypt.

The USDA Tuesday raised its forecast for ag exports in fiscal year 2022 to $196 billion, but the department also predicted the value of overseas shipments will fall in FY 2023.