Ag Headlines, Tuesday August 25, 2015

11th Hour for WOTUS Opponents

The clock is ticking down to implementation of the Environmental Protection Agencies Waters of the U.S. rule. 13 states have asked for an injunction to delay the rule, set to go into effect Friday. If granted, the injunction would halt the EPA from implementing the rule, which opponents argue is an increase in the agency’s jurisdictional reach, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. When granting a preliminary injunction, the courts must consider four things: the likelihood of irreparable harm to the petitioners if the injunction is not granted; the balance of harm to both parties with or without the injunction; the likelihood of the petitioners to succeed in a trial on the merits of their case and the public interest regarding the granting, or not, of the injunction. The states argue that under all considerations, a preliminary injunction is due. Several lawsuits against the EPA and the rule are pending. Despite several hearings, no rulings on injunctions have been made as of Monday afternoon.

AGP, Monsanto Partnership Brings high Oleic Soybean Variety to Iowa

A partnership announced Monday will allow Iowa farmers access to high oleic soybeans. Ag Processing, Inc. and Monsanto announced AGP will participate in the Pilot program introduction of Monsanto’s Vistive Gold variety. They are the first processor to offer Iowa growers the opportunity to use the high oleic soybean variety. The new soybeans offer nutritionally improved cooking oil for consumers and food companies, according to Monsanto. Field trails for the variety have been ongoing the last three years in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio

China Corn imports Rise Yet Again

For the fourth month, China’s corn imports have increased, according to a report by Bloomberg. Corn imports by China have increased to the highest level in a decade or better as a slump in U.S. prices makes U.S. corn more attractive. Inbound shipments climbed to 1.1 million metric tons in July from near 900,000 tons in June, the highest monthly total since 2005. Bloomberg data shows imports in July of 2014 by China were only 86,000 some metric tons.

NAFB News