The Trump administration unleashed a flood of outrage earlier this month after unveiling a proposal to overhaul the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps. The plan would replace half the benefits people receive with boxed, nonperishable — i.e. not fresh — foods chosen by the government and not by the people eating them. Among those horrified at the thought: American Indians who recognized this as the same type of federal food assistance that tribes have historically received, with devastating implications for health.  Since 1977, the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

China’s Commerce Ministry said it has removed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on U.S. white-feathered broiler chickens, ending a years-long dispute between the world’s largest economies amid growing tensions over agricultural trade. [node:read-more:link]

President Trump’s relentless crusade against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is already creating trouble for a community the White House has long purported to champion: U.S. farmers.  exclusive report from Reuters published on Thursday indicates that Mexican buyers are following through on their threats to shift away from U.S. suppliers. [node:read-more:link]

Washington lawmakers appear willing to throw a lifeline to the state Department of Agriculture’s hemp program. House and Senate budget proposals released this week allocated funds to resume issuing and renewing licenses to grow and process hemp. WSDA suspended processing applications late last year because it ran out of money. [node:read-more:link]

Strong overseas demand for milk powder, whey and cheese led the way for a 14 percent jump in U.S. dairy exports last year. [node:read-more:link]

Six dog handlers, each escorting a greyhound, stepped onto the wet sand of Asia’s only legal dog-racing track to little noise except a subtropical rain. In the stands, about two dozen men watched as the greyhounds were led to their starting positions and then released to sprint after a rabbit-shaped lure around a ring. [node:read-more:link]

roundwater pumpers have until April 1 to have an approved flow meter installed on their wells. Dairies were required to comply by Jan. 1. Those qualifying for a variance must have an approved variance on record. [node:read-more:link]

Dairy farmers have always dealt with big swings in milk prices. But now that that swing is hovering at some of the lowest prices per hundredweight since 2006. The USDA’s mid-January report predicted prices to fall to under $16 per hundredweight in February and beyond, a far cry from 2014 milk prices which exceeded $24 per 100 lbs. The underlying facts behind the price decline include an oversupply of milk in the United States and the closing or shrinking of what were reliable export markets a year ago. [node:read-more:link]

Northwest Iowa is one of the safest places for Republicans in the country. t's represented in the U.S. Congress by hardliner Steve King, who has a long history of controversial positions and comments. But David Johnson also represents part of northwest Iowa. And while King might look to the White House and see a kindred spirit, Johnson calls Donald Trump's rhetoric "misogynistic," "race-baiting," and "bigoted." David Johnson is a former dairy farmer who's been a senator in the state legislature since 2003. He was a prominent local leader for both George W. [node:read-more:link]

EPA administrator has been under fire for first-class travel and luxury hotel stays.  As questions about the official travel habits of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt mount, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is demanding documents and other information on his first-class flights, as it looks into whether federal laws were broken.Pruitt has for several months been under fire for incurring high travel costs at taxpayer expense. [node:read-more:link]