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Biden to formally announce $5 billion in funds for rural America during Northfield visit

President Joe Biden is scheduled to make a stop in Minnesota Wednesday afternoon, the first stop of a nationwide tour lasting two weeks. He’s expected to visit a family farm in Northfield to highlight government spending in rural America. MORE

Source: MN Chamber

Mike Johnson is the GOP's Next Speaker

Mike Johnson is House Republicans’ next speaker. The fourth-term Louisianan sailed to victory with 220 votes, more than the 215 he needed to be elected speaker on the House floor. The final vote on the first ballot was 220-209. Johnson’s win marked a stunning turnaround after more than three weeks of chaotic limbo in the House following the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the demise of three other failed speaker candidates. MORE

Source: IMA

60 House Republicans call on Speaker Mike Johnson to Pass Farm Bill

More than 60 House Republicans are putting pressure on newly minted Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to pass the Farm Bill. The omnibus appropriations bill expired at the end of September amid broader disarray in the chamber — casting the future of a wide swath of American food and nutrition programs into doubt. Now a coalition of agriculture state Republicans are pushing the House’s new leader to pass a new bill before the funding runs out. MORE

Source: WMC

Biden Wants to Move Fast on AI Safeguards, Signs an Executive Order to Address Concerns

President Joe Biden on Monday signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to balance the needs of cutting-edge technology companies with national security and consumer rights, creating an early set of guardrails that could be fortified by legislation and global agreements. Before signing the order, Biden said AI is driving change at “warp speed” and carries tremendous potential as well as perils. MORE

Source: Fluence Media

US Budget Gap Soars to $1.7 Trillion, Largest Outside COVID Era

The U.S. government on Friday posted a $1.695 trillion budget deficit in fiscal 2023, a 23% jump from the prior year as revenues fell and outlays for Social Security, Medicare and record-high interest costs on the federal debt rose. The Treasury Department said the deficit was the largest since a COVID-fueled $2.78 trillion gap in 2021. It marks a major return to ballooning deficits after back-to-back declines during President Joe Biden's first two years in office. MORE

Source: Constitution Partners

U.S. Economy Grew a Strong 4.9%, Driven by Consumer Spree That May Not Last

U.S. economic growth surged this summer at the fastest pace since 2021, as consumers spent at a blockbuster rate that will be difficult to sustain. Gross domestic product expanded at a 4.9% seasonally- and inflation-adjusted annual rate in the third quarter—more than double the second quarter pace—the Commerce Department reported Thursday. But there are warning signs underlying the eye-popping numbers. MORE

Source: WMC

Feds Pledge $2.3 Billion To Boost Ag Exports Amid Farm Bill Uncertainty

Federal agricultural officials plan to spend up to $2.3 billion to promote farm exports and to send U.S. grain to countries that are suffering food shortages. “This will complement existing trade promotion programs as we await Congress’s action on both the budget and the farm bill,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Tuesday. MORE

Source: Constitution Partners

A Third of America’s Food Supply Is Thrown Away. Should The Federal Government Step In?

More than one-third of the food produced in the U.S. is never eaten. Much of it ends up in landfills, where it generates tons of methane that hastens climate change. That's why more than 50 local officials signed onto a letter Tuesday calling on the EPA to help municipal governments cut food waste in their communities. MORE

Source: Constitution Partners



Minnesota Budget Surplus Grows Again, Now Estimated At $2.4 Billion

Five months after the end of the legislative session, Minnesota’s budget surplus has grown again. Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) released its end of the biennium report this week, finding that the state’s balance is around $820 million higher than estimated when the session ended in May. MORE

Source: Fluence Media

New Report Projects Increase in Paid Family Leave Cost

The MN Paid Family and Medical Leave program won’t officially begin for more than two years, but a new actuarial study commissioned by the state is showing the payroll tax required to support the program will likely have to go up. When the bill passed in the last legislative session, the payroll tax was estimated at .70%. An actuarial report by a firm called Milliman projects the first three years will likely require a .78% payroll tax on employers and their employees. That might not sound like much, but the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) says its analysis shows that will be an extra $628 million dollars over three years. MORE See REPORT

Source: Fluence Media

Wisconsin Ends Fiscal Year with Record-Breaking Surplus for Second Year in Row

For the second year in a row, Wisconsin ended with a record-breaking state surplus, Gov. Tony Evers announced Monday. The 2023 fiscal year ended with a positive balance of $7.07 billion, compared to 2022's record surplus of $4.3 billion. The state has also maintained its "rainy day" fund -- also known as the Budget Stabilization Fund -- at a record $1.8 billion. MORE

Source: WMC

Senate Republicans Oust 8 of Tony Evers' Appointees, Including for Elections Commission, Natural Resources Board

In a single floor session, Senate Republicans on Tuesday voted to reject eight appointments made by Gov. Tony Evers, including the Democratic governor’s pick for the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission and four members of the state’s natural resources policy board. MORE

Source: WisPolitics

Ocean Spray Rolls Out Digital Transformation Program

Ocean Spray Cranberries has unveiled the xELERATE program, which involves expanding its digital capabilities to improve core business functions via new hires with Chris Domey to serve as the program's vice president, announced Jamie Head, Ocean Spray's chief digital and technology officer. MORE

Source: CBA

FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Commits to Fulfilling Vision of Proposed Program

Earlier this year, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. laid out a bold vision to transform the agency's human foods enterprise. I am thrilled to have joined the FDA last month as the first Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods to help make this vision a reality. Commissioner Califf's proposal outlined a framework for a unified Human Foods Program (HFP) and new model for the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA). MORE

Source: MBS

Consumer Brands helps form FDA Foods Coalition

The Consumer Brands Association has joined other industry groups in founding the FDA Foods Coalition, which aims to increase stakeholder engagement, funding and accountability for the newly reorganized Human Foods Program. The group hopes these efforts will drive the policy and cultural changes needed to improve food safety. MORE

Source: CBA

Vilsack Reveals Details of Trade Promotion, Food Aid Plan

In a telephone news conference Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack discussed the details of the $2.3 billion in additional trade promotion and international food aid that the Biden administration announced earlier Tuesday would be provided through the Commodity Credit Corporation. MORE

Source: MBS

Food Insecurity Rose Sharply In 2022, New Report from USDA Shows

Millions more U.S. households had difficulty securing enough food last year compared to 2021, including 1 million more households with children, a bleak report from the U.S. Agriculture Department showed Wednesday. MORE

Source: Constitution Partners

Growth in Plant-based Foods Industry is Slowing. Where Does it Go from Here?

Plant-based foods grew to an $8 billion industry last year, including several Minnesota brands, but gone are the days of double-digit growth. An unlikely consensus was forged on a stage in St. Paul this month as a plant-based advocate and a Cargill beef representative agreed that the food system has to change to sustainably feed the world. MORE

Source: MN Chamber

Food Demand Drives Need for Genetically Engineered Crops, Meat, UNL Report Says

Wars in Europe and the Middle East, increased demand and a changing climate are making food scarcer and costlier. American farmers say they can fill the gap with help from biotechnology, but to do so, they need help from Congress and federal regulators. MORE

Source: MBS

Digging for Cold: How to Obtain More Cold Storage

The point has come in this series where we are finally getting into the meat and potatoes of what "Farm to Frozen" is all about. In the first two articles of the series, we established why cold storage is important and why it is hard to come by. Now we'll begin exploring different methodologies for food manufacturers, processors and distributors ("occupiers") to use in securing the much needed refrigerated and cold storage space their businesses need. MORE

Source: CLFP

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November 28 - 30 - 2023 MWFPA Convention & Expo

Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells

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