Ethanol advocates are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to raise the 2019 federal ethanol production mandate to make up for waivers granted this year. Scott Pruitt, the EPA Administrator who resigned earlier this month, issued waivers so some small refineries didn’t have to blend ethanol into gasoline. Ethanol advocates say more than two billion gallons of the corn-based fuel would have been added to gasoline if Pruitt hadn’t granted those waivers. Lamberty and others are lobbying the EPA to add onto the 2019 federal production guidelines to make up for the losses. [node:read-more:link]

Despite the ever-increasing separation between farming and the general public, today’s consumers are increasingly interested in where their food comes from and how it is produced. With regard to animal food products, animal welfare, food quality, and sustainability have become key issues of consumer concern resulting in increased pressure for farmers to transition from conventionally raised poultry to free-range poultry production. [node:read-more:link]

Climate lobbying is big business. A new analysis shows that between 2000 and 2016, lobbyists spent more than two billion dollars on influencing relevant legislation in the US Congress. Unsurprisingly, sectors that could be negatively affected by bills limiting carbon emissions, such as the electrical utilities sector, fossil fuel companies and transportation corporations had the deepest pockets. [node:read-more:link]

The Custom Machine and Work Rate Estimates for 2018 are detialed in this report. [node:read-more:link]

Purdue University agricultural economist Chris Hurt paints a bleak picture for the U.S. pork industry in the coming months as broader trade issues with major export markets are resulting in retaliation against U.S. pork exports.  Hurt outlines prospects for large pork supplies pushing prices down as low as $10 per head below cost of production this year. [node:read-more:link]

Mercy For Animals released hidden camera footage Tuesday from an undercover investigation they say they conducted at a facility owned by a Tennessee-based pig farm. The nonprofit, which is dedicated to preventing cruelty to farmed animals, said the video was filmed at a Tosh Farms facility in Franklin, Kentucky, just a few miles from the Tennessee border.  [node:read-more:link]

Rural households across the United States spend a disproportionately high share of their income on energy bills — about 40 percent more than their metropolitan counterparts, according to a new report released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) coalition. The problem is most glaring in the East and Southeast, and among low-income households across all regions. [node:read-more:link]

After recent statements from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb about what makes “milk,” both dairy and its plant-based opponents see a win.Can you call it “milk” if it didn’t come from a mammalian breast? That’s a question the Food and Drug Administration plans to take up soon, according to statements from Commissioner Scott Gottlieb at a Politico Pro Summit on Tuesday. But depending on who you ask, the agency has already answered it—either with a “no,” according to the National Milk Producers Federation, or with a “maybe,” according to the Plant Based Foods Association.  [node:read-more:link]

Baltimore has become the first major city to prohibit restaurants from including sugary drinks on children's menus. The measure, which went into effect on Wednesday, is intended to promote healthy habits in young children and their families by making the default kids' menu options water, milk and 100 percent fruit juices.Parents will still be able to order sugary drinks, such as sodas, for their children. [node:read-more:link]

Sixth District- Atlanta– “Agriculture conditions across the District were mixed. Significant rain improved drought conditions in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia; however, there were abnormally dry conditions reported mostly in Louisiana and to a lesser degree in Mississippi and Tennessee. There were also some areas that experienced above-normal temperatures and locally heavy rains, resulting in some crop stress. Seventh District- Chicago– “The outlook for agriculture income dimmed some over the reporting period as prices for most commodities fell. [node:read-more:link]