Pacific Northwest Ag Network

Efforts to keep AM radio in the dashboards of U.S. vehicles have taken a step forward in the House.  The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 45-2 to send the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to the full House for a vote.   “It’s been a stalwart of American prosperity and information sharing,” said Representative Jeff Duncan, a South Carolina Republican. “Having AM radio available...

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization says its Food Price Index stood at 120.7 points in August, down marginally from July. Decreases in the price indexes for sugar, meat, and cereals outweighed increases for those in vegetable oils and dairy products. The ...

The Agriculture Department is expecting at home food prices this year to increase by 1.2%, which is a slight increase from the 1% that USDA economists had expected.  USDA economist Meghan Schweitzer says prices for a couple of key food categories have been higher than expected, inching that rate up.   “...

A federal judge blocked the U.S. Labor Department from enforcing a rule in 17 states that would prevent agricultural employers from retaliating against migrant workers with H-2A visas for joining labor unions.  Employers also couldn’t retaliate for workers organizing against wage theft, trafficking, and other abuses.   Courth...

Just 16 hours after Canada’s two primary railway freight lines locked out Teamster Union employees on Thursday, Federal Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon stepped in to order binding arbitration on the parties involved.  For some weeks ahead of the deadline, management at both railways had been asking for binding arbitration, while the union had rejected government interference.   MacKin...

A Washington, D.C., Circuit Court panel vacated a swath of government decisions denying requests from small fossil fuel refineries to be temporarily exempt from the Renewable Fuel Standard.   In 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency denied all pending exemption requests from small refineries, finding the only costs that could cause such economic hardship were those tied to compliance with the

In 2023. farmers and truckers of agricultural goods in Washington started paying a Climate Commitment Act fuel tax that, even through, by law, they are exempt.  Since then, Ag groups have been pushing for a fix to this exemption problem, with little help from the Department of Ecology.   “So, ...

According to the U.S. Census, American producers saw moderate improvement in internet access from 2017 to 2022.   Across rural America, the percentage of farm operations or operator residences with internet access increased from 75.4% i...

It's an effort within our nation going on almost a decade now.  “In 2015, USDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set a national goal to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030,” noted Jean Busby who has been involved in these efforts for several years now as USDA’s Food Loss and Waste Liaison.    That include...

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition announced that Amazon has joined its expanding membership. The tech leader’s inclusion underscores the commitment to advancing SAF as a key element to improve the efficiency and environmental impact of jet fuel, create domestic jobs, and enhance American energy independence.  ...