Grasshopper-Cricket Infestation and Organic Market Development Act
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**Farmers along the California-Oregon border have reported millions of dollars in losses from a torrent of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets feeding on rangeland and irrigated crops this season.
Siskiyou County Ag Commissioner James Smith filed a request seeking a disaster declaration from the secretary of the state Department of Food and Agriculture.
The preliminary damage is estimated at $8.6 million in reported crop losses, pasture, and rangeland.
**Congress introduced new legislation to give organic producers the tools needed to increase their capacity, reach new markets, and grow their businesses.
The Organic Market Development Act would codify and increase support for a newly announced USDA program aimed at solving supply chain gaps for the organic market through grants.
In 2021, U.S. sales of organic food products reached $52 billion, nearly double sales in 2010.
**A new survey from the American Sugar Alliance shows American voters recognize the importance of agriculture.
The poll says they want Congress to prioritize American farmers in the next farm bill, provide them with a strong and reliable safety net, and protect them from foreign businesses that could displace American farmers and workers and disrupt our national food supply.
Almost two-thirds of the respondents say the nation’s food supply should be less dependent on foreign suppliers.
