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Corn and rice harvest underway in Arkansas
Abnormally dry conditions throughout the Arkansas Delta during the last month have sped the rice and corn harvest, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service...
MDARD announces funding for Saginaw townhome project, West Branch business
New investments announced by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Wednesday at the Upper Peninsula State Fair include grant funding for projects in mid-Michigan.
Anne M. Brown named to National Academies' New Voices program
Brown, associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has been named to the 2026-28 New Voices cohort, recognizing emerging leaders in science, engineering, and medicine.
Ag field trip gives teachers firsthand look at plant science across Colorado
Seven Colorado agriculture teachers and two CSU Extension faculty members traveled more than 1,000 miles across the state July 27-31, gaining firsthand experience with plant science research, production and agricultural businesses as part of CSU Extension’s Train-the-Teachers in Plant Science Program.
Lahn talks agriculture, water quality at Edgewood forum
EDGEWOOD, Iowa — On Wednesday, Republican gubernatorial nominee Zach Lahn made his campaign pitch to voters in Edgewood, where he addressed topics such as Iowa’s water quality and cancer crises,
Washington County Fair kicks off with five days of agriculture, entertainment
NBC 10 WJAR is the news, sports and weather leader for Providence, Rhode Island and surrounding communities, including Cranston, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Warwick, Newport, Bristol and Narragansett, Rhode Island and Attleboro, North Attleborough, Swansea, Fall River, Taunton and New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Wayne County Fair returns with rides, agriculture and entertainment for its 164th year
Agriculture and entertainment collide for family fun at Clark County Fair
The Clark County Fair’s opening weekend brought in tens of thousands of visitors seeking family entertainment in the form of concerts, carnival rides, agricultural animal barns and much more. …
Public health alert issued related to potential salmonella contamination recall
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert, specifically targeting meat and poultry products that contain FDA-regulated jalapeños that could be
Public health alert issued for meat and poultry products containing recalled jalapeños
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is issuing a public health alert for meat and poultry products containing Food and Drug Administration-regulated jalapeños that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
Public health alert issued for meat and poultry products containing recalled jalapeños
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is issuing a public health alert for meat and poultry products containing Food and Drug Administration-regulated jalapeños that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
Public health alert issued for meat and poultry products containing recalled jalapeños
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is issuing a public health alert for meat and poultry products containing Food and Drug Administration-regulated jalapeños that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
Public health alert issued for meat and poultry products containing recalled jalapeños
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is issuing a public health alert for meat and poultry products containing Food and Drug Administration-regulated jalapeños that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
Public health alert issued for meat and poultry products containing recalled jalapeños
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is issuing a public health alert for meat and poultry products containing Food and Drug Administration-regulated jalapeños that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
Public health alert issued for meat and poultry products containing recalled jalapeños
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is issuing a public health alert for meat and poultry products containing Food and Drug Administration-regulated jalapeños that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
Public health alert issued for meat and poultry products containing recalled jalapeños
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is issuing a public health alert for meat and poultry products containing Food and Drug Administration-regulated jalapeños that may be contaminated with Salmonella.
‘It’s been chaotic’: Trump’s immigration crackdown prompts worries from industry groups
Industry groups ranging from construction to agriculture are raising concerns with the Trump administration over its ongoing immigration crackdown, arguing it is undercutting President Donald Trump’s agenda and weakening the economy, according to multiple groups who spoke with CNN and sources close to the White House.
Tennessee voters oust Trump-backed congressman, set fall matchup for redrawn Memphis-area House seat
Former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher defeated U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles in a Republican primary Thursday for a significantly reshaped congressional district — marking a rare rejection of a candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Tennessee voters oust Trump-backed congressman
Former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher defeated U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles in the Republican primary
Tennessee voters oust Trump-backed congressman
Former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher defeated U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles in the Republican primary
First Business Bank’s A/R Financing Team Funds $500K Factoring Facility for Agriculture Company
First Business Bank’s accounts receivable financing team funded a $500,000 factoring facility for a Texas-based agriculture and horticulture company. The
In Upset, Andy Ogles Loses to a Republican Challenger in Tennessee
Mr. Ogles, a two-term congressman, had held off primary threats before, despite controversy. But on Thursday, Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner, delivered an upset.
Rep. Andy Ogles loses his Republican primary in Tennessee
Ogles lost despite having President Donald Trump’s endorsement, NBC News projects. Former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher will be the GOP nominee.
Chartbook 464 The"China squeeze" - the politics of development counterfactuals.
There are three types of China shock discourse. Each has a distinct temporal register. China shock 1.0 was a phrase coined by US academics in the 2010s to retrospectively summarize the impact on particular US labour markets, which they identified through painstaking empirical investigation. China shock 2.0 on everyone’s lips in Europe in the mid 2020s is an alarm raised by trans-Atlantic policy thinkers warning of a coming disaster which they project onto Europe’s ailing car industry. The third type of China shock discourse - commonly known as the “China squeeze” launched most recently by Indian economists Shoumitro Chatterjee and Arvind Subramanian in the pages of Foreign Affairs - mobilizes a different, more speculative temporal register: the counterfactual realm of alternate history. The China squeeze argument asks not what has happened, or what is going to happen, but what might have been. Specifically, what options for economic development might have been open to Global South economies like India or the economies of sub-Saharan Africa, had it not been for China’s spectacular industrialization since the late 1990s and the persistent competitiveness of China’s manufacture in low-skilled segments. Chatterjee and Subramanian’s argument is that whilst China has built a powerful position in electrical machinery and other high-skill manufacturing, which is now delivering China Shock 2.0, it also continues to run a trade surplus in low-skill, labour-intensive manufacturing. This surplus is large and has remained largely unchanged in fifteen years. Indeed, in the 2010s, in trade with low-income countries, China’s surplus rapidly increased. On their reading, this squeezes low-income producers in low-skill sectors in which they “should” be able to compete. Source: “China’s Mercantilist Squeeze on Developing Countries” Shoumitro Chatterjee and Arvind Subramanian. Peterson Institute for International Economics 26-7 May 2026 Chatterjee and Subramanian’s wording is telling: (emphasis mine) The canonical trajectory of economic development in the post-World War II period is for countries to transition from agriculture to manufacturing, first in low-skilled manufacturing and then later on to high-skill manufacturing (Herrendorf, Rogerson, and Valentinyi 2013). At the global level, this implies that high-income countries (HICs) that once specialized in low-skilled activities cede manufacturing export space to poorer countries that come along to occupy that space. In 1965, advanced economies accounted for about 60 percent of global value-added exports in four key low-skilled manufacturing sectors, i.e., apparel, leather, textiles, and footwear. Over time this share declined and began to be occupied first by the East Asian tigers and, beginning in the late 1990s, by China. Today China accounts for about 50 percent of the global market. The question is whether China, with its rising prosperity, is continuing to behave like its richer counterparts and ceding export space to poorer followers or to behave unlike them and continuing to occupy space. In terms of the conceptual maneuvers it performs, of the three China shock discourses, the “China squeeze” argument is by far the most ambitious. After all, it bases its critique of China on a counterfactual imagining of the world. Like any counterfactual argument, to construct this alternative reality it must rely on a heuristic model. To make their argument Chatterjee and Subramanian mobilize two key claims. The first reference point is the actual history of rich-country industrialization, what they refer to as the “canonical path”. The idea is that countries transition from agriculture to light industry and low-skilled manufacturing and from there up the value chain. To make this useful as a standard of comparison and a means to construct a normative standard, they adjust sectoral export shares for two factors: 1. the underlying level of economic development of the exporting country, as measured by national income and 2. the degree to which the sector in question is internationalized. The idea being that for a high income country to have a high export share in low-skill sectors is anomalous and even more so if that particular product is highly internationalized and thus suitable for being “conceded” to lower-income competitors. Where should this process end? Here Chatterjee and Subramanian introduce their second benchmark. Their normative idea of a global development path is one in which, in due course, low-skill manufacturing exports are distributed in proportion to a country’s share in the global labour force. They imagine, in other words, a world of proportional, polycentric global development without much national specialization in low-skill manufacturing. A useful benchmark is that, in labor-intensive manufacturing sectors, a country’s share of world exports should be broadly commensurate with its share of the world’s low-skilled labor endowment. … In the Heckscher-Ohlin model, this would be true if value added per worker and export propensities, i.e., fraction of output that is exported, are the same across countries. It is this pleasant liberal vista of orderly global development, progressing towards a general distribution of low-skilled manufacturing against which they judge reality and conclude that the low-income countries are suffering a “China squeeze”. China is not exiting low-skill sectors fast enough Allowing for its gdp level and the degree of globalization, China’s share of low-skill manufacturing exports is far higher than it “should” be. Relative to population, its low-skill share of exports is far too high. That in turn yields the conclusion that huge numbers of jobs - the authors suggest tens of millions - are being hoarded by China. For the four sectors captured in figure 4, this excess in value-added exports is $110 billion in 2022. For all low-skilled sectors overall captured in appendix figure D.1, excess value-added exports amount to $365 billion. The crowding out of LMIC exports by China is therefore substantial. Both these claims have in common that they are strong structuralisms. The first is that development paths ought to resemble each other. The second is that broadly speaking as far as low-skilled manufacturing is concerned, all countries are alike. If the world currently diverges from the distribution of trade implied by these assumptions, if China is not following the advanced economy path and has huge exports, this must be the result of “policy”, which the authors then put in question as illegitimate or unfair. Thus the naturalistic construction of a canonical path leading to a “level” distribution of low-skilled manufacturing reveals itself to be a polemical tool. From the point of view of China shock polemics, this discourse is no doubt welcome. But as an account of economic history, it must surely be regarded as nothing short of bamboozling. Development paths do not follow a regular, natural sequence. As David Fishman put it aptly, “development is not a queue”. They are always and everywhere, through and through political. Development is not so much a process, as a project. Each such project is more or less well adjusted to its context. As Gerschenkron taught uneven and combined development implies differentiation rather than simple imitation on a single parth. It may be true that Europe and the US exited relatively early from low-skill work. But clearly technology has changed. As C&S themselves point out, China no longer enjoys a low wage environment. Do they really believe that such huge differences can be accounted for either by industrial policy, which as they admit does not operate powerfully in low-skill sectors, or by exchange rate manipulation? What is overwhelmingly dominant in explaining the persistence of “low-skill” manufacturing in China are surely the network effects of complex supply chains. Indeed the label of “low-skill” may miss the point. The degree of globalization which Chatterjee and Subramanian decide to conjure away in their model of the development path - to allow for the fact that Europe and American textiles exporters did not enjoy just-in-time logistics in the 1950s - obscures the point that the networks through which Chinese factories supply the world are themselves key parts of the low-skill industrialization project. China isn’t knocking out 1970s style “cheap”. It has redefined the entire product cycle. C&S’s casual reference to “T-shirts” is telling. In today’s “fast fashion”, there is weight on both terms. Fashion and fast. China’s success in delivering on both at unprecedentedly high speed and at unprecedentedly low cost, isn’t a low-skill operation at all. If we see development trajectories not as the serial repetition of the same, but as distinctive, crafted projects that cumulate in complex agglomerations of skill, technology and labor, then this explains why the assumption that low-skilled manufacturing should follow the distribution of population flies in the face of all experience. As countless cases attest, low-wage, low-income developed economies are not by themselves the makings of a competitive production base. As Leon Liao puts it quite fairly: “International trade has never been allocated according to population. A country’s population gives it no natural claim to an equivalent share of global exports." And the remarkable fact is that Subramanian alone and with co-authors has long been making this point, not to pillory China, as is the case of the tendentious _Foreign Affair_s and Peterson pieces, but to highlight the great counterpart to China’s industrial success, namely India’s relative failure. The much-quoted Foreign Affairs piece showed low-skill export shares only for China, not for India. If you put both countries in the picture as Chaterjee and Subramanian have done on other occasions, the picture looks like this. China is far above the line, but India, almost as large in terms of population, is no less anomalous, just in the opposite direction. As far as global populations are concerned, and the imagining of tens of millions of “squeezed” jobs, it is this Sino-Indian pair that account for a huge share of the action. What this graph reveals is not China’s cheating, but India’s “greatest development failure”, at least this is the argument made Arvind Subramanian, this time in co-authorship with Devesh Kapur, in their major book, A Sixth of Humanity. Independent India’s Development Odyssey which appeared with Oxford University Press earlier this year. In this highly critical work on India’s development, China is repeatedly evoked, not to criticize but as a benchmark against which to illuminate what India’s political economy has not delivered i.e. large-scale formal employment for hundreds of millions of citizens. Kapur and Subramanian leave no doubt, if you want to understand why China, not India was the main driver of manufacturing globalization from the 1980s, don’t look to slots opening up in the division of labour thanks to the liberal mindedness of advanced economies, look to the contrasting political economy of the Maoist PRC and India’s post-independence political economy. As Kapur and Subramian note: The great divergence between China and India did not begin in 1978 with the Deng reforms—it was well underway by then. In one of the great ironies of modern history, the conditions created by Maoism turned out to be a great launching pad for industrial globalization. As the comparison of India and China in 1980 makes clear, to imagine manufacturing would be equally distributed when populations are so differently endowed in terms of educational and nutritional is fanciful. Here is the data from Kapur and Subramanian, data which I explored back at the very beginning of Chartbook. As Kapur and Subramanian insist, the striking fact is that even as India’s growth accelerated from the 1980s, structural change has not. Formal employment in India lags woefully behind. Why? As Kapur and Subramanian note, the path-dependent impact of India’s poor early start was devastating. The list of factors they mention is long and weighty: We argue for a new five-fold explanation applicable at different stages of Indian history: in the initial stages, the legacy of two key pre-1980s policies, the neglect of agriculture and the strangling of the domestic private sector, were critical. The failure of broad-based agricultural growth militated against rural industrialization, which would have been devoted to satisfying local needs that would have necessarily been labour intensive. Then, when the boom came after 1980, the thicket of regulation and broader labour protections that were legislated prematurely in a nascent democracy, underpinned by a deep ideological aversion to private capital in general and big capital specifically, became a barrier to attaining the size that would be necessary to compete globally. Similarly, the reforms after 1991, while wide-ranging, did not quite encompass non-tradeable inputs critical to manufacturing, namely, land, logistics infrastructure and power. A combination of low investment (logistics infrastructure), regulation (land) and the continued monopoly supply by state governments (power), combined with residual socialism, kept costs at 75–100 per cent above efficient supply. These factors were compounded on the supply side by the government, which dominated the formal labour market and established exorbitantly high wages at the lower end of the skill spectrum. This made their employment in the labour-intensive sector by the private sector less attractive. Finally, when the services sector and its exports boomed, wages soared even further via a Dutch Disease effect: one successful tradeable sector killed and cannibalized another less-skilled tradable sector, namely, manufacturing. Thus, scarcity-inducing policies of the planning era, precocious democracy and a Gandhian aversion to size; inefficient, monopolistic supply of critical non-tradable inputs; the behemoth of government; and super-successful skill-intensive services successively undermined India’s unskilled labour employment opportunities. The employment failure seems to have been over-determined. … Less quantifiable but no less important are some of the sociological factors that have undermined manufacturing and factory jobs. Take the impact of the success of the IT sector—located in urban areas with better working conditions, such as air-conditioned offices, good schools for children and attractive entertainment options. It became a more attractive place for engineering and management graduates to flock to. … Consider manufacturing and female employment. Indian society makes it difficult for women to work, reflected in India’s unusually low female labour force participation (elaborated in Chapter XIII). Indian society, in particular the routine harassment of women in public spaces, makes it even more difficult for them to travel long distances to take up work.37 Combined with onerous regulations on creating hostels and dormitories for women—which, in turn, prevents multiple shifts of operation—factories need to be located in areas with a large female labour pool. While firms can take apparel plants to female labour or bring them to the plants by building large-scale dormitories, this raises costs. If there was a case for subsidies to encourage labour-intensive manufacturing, housing subsidies to build dormitories for women workers would be a good place to start. All of this meant, that when opportunities did open up, in part thanks to adjustments in China, India was in no position to take advantage. Here is the account of the 2020s from Kapur and Subramanian. It stands in dizzying contrast to the one-sided, “China squeeze” argument delivered in the Peterson and Foreign Affairs pieces: In 2022, for example, India’s share of global exports in clothing (the canonical labour-intensive sector) was 3.1 per cent compared to 32 per cent for China. This is extremely disappointing because China started vacating export space in this sector after the Global Financial Crisis as its wages started rising; it then vacated further space in the aftermath of geopolitical developments that led investors to seek alternative investment locations. Between its peak and today, China lost about 7.5 percentage points of global export share (worth about $43 billion in 2022); over this period, India’s export share remained stagnant at 3 per cent, while that of Vietnam and Bangladesh rose by 3.5 to 4 percentage points. China’s loss did not translate into any gain for India in terms of low-skill exports and employment. Put differently, when the conditions for dynamism and prosperity were established after 1991, and even more tantalizingly when the global export opportunities opened up, it was as if India was a high-wage economy and only skilled labour could benefit from the dynamism. It had converted its physically abundant unskilled workforce into an economically expensive resource, penalizing its use. It is not my mission here to argue for or against Kapur and Subramanian’s interpretation of India’s development trajectory. The point in this context is simply that the “China squeeze” such as it is can only be understood, in relation to the heavy burden of domestic constraints that Kapur and Subramanian so unsparingly enumerate. I am concentrating here on India because it is the great counterpart to China and the unspoken reference point of the “China squeeze” discourse. But the point is more general. Can anyone with a straight face suggest that the main problems afflicting the development of South Africa or Nigeria, the great centers of mass underemployment in sub-saharan Africa, are cheap competition from China driven by Beijing’s industrial policy and an undervalued RMB? Likewise, is the main problem of the American working-class the threat of Chinese competition or the manifest crisis of social reproduction in the United States itself? The point here, as in the discourse around China shock 2.0 in Europe, is to insist that we should not normalize the world and pathologize China, without actually investigating what is going on in America’s industrial wastelands, the German car industry, or India’s lopsided labour market. One-sided pathologization should be understood for what it is, a polemical gesture. Concepts like China shock and China squeeze are, what Reinhart Koselleck, following Carl Schmitt, would have described as “asymmetrische Kampfbegriffe”, or “asymmetrical counter-concepts” or “asymmetrical combat concepts”. If the function of arguments like the “China squeeze” is to alert elites in the rest of the world of the need to rejuvenate and energize their development projects, so be it. But let us see the resulting discourses as the mobilizing interventions that they are. Interestingly, a significant slice of China’s public sphere - the so-called industrial party - have been obsessed for the last twenty years with precisely these questions of counterfactual economic history. Since the mid 2000s, a massive online discourse developed around an alternative history in which Chinese techno-patriots were asked to imagine how they would proceed if they had the possibility of traveling back in time to transport modern technology into the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) thus averting the “great divergence” of the 18th and 19th centuries. It is a fantasy of course, but also a goad. The point was not directed at Westerners. The alternate history is dramatically nationalist, but few n the West had even heard of it until recently. The adherents of the industrial party are not liberal moralists. They don’t project natural ladders of international development and ask why others don’t cede space. They take the Realpolitik of global economic development for granted. Their pointe was directed against fellow Chinese. The rallying cry of the alternative narrative was this: Now that we are beginning to gain steam and push forward on our national development path, now that we are breaking out of the inferior position assigned to us even in the early years following WTO accession, do not lose yourself in humanistic imaginings about better futures. In the spirit of Deng, they called on China to embrace the hard truth of development. Perhaps one might of the Industrial Party as a cultural trend born out of desire for symbolic revenge against those who had inflicted the century of humiliation. In terms of the various temporalities of the “China shock” - retrospective, prospective and counterfactual - one might think of the Industrial Policy discourse as truly speculative, conjuring up the China shock that never was. Or perhaps one might better think of it as imagining a world in which a powerful China was no shock at all, but simply a defining fact of modern history. I love putting out Chartbook. I am particularly pleased that it goes out for free to thousands of subscribers around the world. But, writing this newsletter takes a lot of work. If you are enjoying it and would like to support the project, sign up for one of the subscription options here. It is the equivalent of a fancy cup of coffee per month! Subscribe
Bug Fest to bring hands-on science activities to East Campus
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources will host Bug Fest from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 8 as part of East Campus Discovery Days. The event will offer families a chance to explore the world of insects through hands-on activities, educational displays and interactive exhibits.
Debt Digest | Federal Debt is a Health Care Problem
Welcome David Ditch to the Debt Dispatch! We are pleased to announce a new regular contributor: David Ditch will be joining the Cato Institute as a Policy Analyst for Budget and Entitlement Policy later this week. David has more than a decade of experience in fiscal policy issues, with a particular focus on federal spending. He previously worked at the Senate Budget Committee, the Heritage Foundation, and the Economic Policy Innovation Center. David’s areas of expertise include appropriations, transportation, agriculture, federalism, grantmaking, and policy options for deficit reduction. Originally from the Rochester, N.Y. area, David has a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Rochester and a MA in Political Management from George Washington University. David currently lives in Arlington, VA. You may have enjoyed his earlier guest posts: CBO: New Highway Bill Has More Spending, Taxes, and Deficits Trump Administration’s Proposed Changes to Federal Grants Highlight Problems of Big Government Here are this week’s reading links and fiscal facts: The federal debt is largely a health care problem. In a new report, the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation find that “In 2026, federal subsidies for health insurance, net of related payments to the government, are projected to equal $2.4 trillion, or 7.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). In CBO and JCT’s projections, those subsidies grow by 65 percent, reaching $3.9 trillion, or 8.4 percent of GDP, in 2036. Subsidies for Medicare contribute most to that overall growth, increasing by $900 billion. Over the entire 2026–2036 period, federal subsidies for health insurance total $33.6 trillion.” Cato’s Michael Cannon emphasizes, “The long-term federal debt problem is a health care problem. […] Only two categories of federal outlays will grow faster than gross domestic product (GDP): health care subsidies and interest payments on the debt. The former is, therefore, the primary driver of the latter.” The bond market fears deficits, not the loss of tariff revenue. Responding to a New York Times essay claiming tariff revenue has grown too important for a future administration to unwind, Cato’s Kyle Handley argues: “Bond investors are not attached to customs duties as a line item revenue source. They care about the government’s overall fiscal position.” He continues, “tariff revenue is a side hustle. And the Trump administration has already promised to dole out the funds through schemes like tariff dividend rebates, farm subsidies, and pay-fors on tax cuts or other spending.” Furthermore, “tariff revenue is simply not large enough to transform the government’s fiscal trajectory.” Take net interest for example: it “reached $970 billion in fiscal year 2025, absorbing 18.5 percent of federal receipts. Customs duties accounted for only 3.7 percent of receipts—and that was before refunds (see Figure 2).” Handley concludes, “The real bond-market concern is a large and growing interest bill, persistent budget deficits, and a political system unwilling to bring spending and revenue into alignment.” Medicare’s spending growth is driven by more volume and utilization. A Congressional Research Service report finds that Medicare spending “grew at an average annual rate of 7.3%” from 1985 through 2025, and the trustees project health care expenditures will keep rising “faster than gross domestic product (GDP) in most future years.” Citing CBO, the report attributes Medicare’s projected 2026–2036 spending growth to “23% from higher enrollment, 31% from inflation, and 47% from the growth of inflation-adjusted spending per beneficiary. In other words**, the largest single driver of Medicare spending growth during the next decade is expected to be higher volume and intensity of health care services.”** Boccia and Thakur explain: “as the economy grows, Medicare spending tends to grow at least as fast—and often faster—because the program automatically pays the bill for more and more healthcare consumption by seniors, even as prices rise.” The Fed has little control over market interest rates. Cato’s Jai Kedia documents that the Fed has held its rate target steady since December, yet “nearly every rate Americans actually borrow at has climbed over the same stretch.” Kedia continues, “The Fed did nothing, and the cost of credit went up anyway. […] Markets spent these months repricing macroeconomic events such as sticky core inflation, a volatile energy market driven by the conflict in the Middle East, and global trade disrupted by tariffs, among others. None of that required a policy change to show up in borrowing costs because markets, not the FOMC, set prices.” He concludes, “Accurately priced borrowing rates will come from credible disinflation and disciplined budgets and from a Fed content to follow the economy rather than pretend it leads it.” Nearly half of US farm income comes from taxpayers. Former Reagan OMB director David Stockman notes that “in the most recently completed full year (FY 2025) farmer incomes in the US totaled $97.8 billion, but fully 42.7% or $41.8 billion of that amount came from taxpayers, not the marketplace. Nor is this some kind of one-year aberration. If we look at the most recent decade as a whole, total farm income posted at nearly $708 billion, but, as indicated, fully $322 billion or 45% of this came compliments of US taxpayers.” Cato’s Chris Edwards explains why so little of that income is market-earned: “Farmers are businesspeople, but the government shields them from just about every type of weather and market risk. Furthermore, just about every part of the agricultural industry is subsidized, including insurance, loans, marketing, research, export sales, and land improvements.” The Debt Dispatch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
WYOMING COUNTY/Celebrate Summer at the 2026 Wyoming County Fair-eight days of agriculture, entertainment, family, fun & americana return to Pike, August 15-22
Press release/provided photos PIKE, NY — Summer traditions shine bright as the Wyoming County Fair returns to Pike, New York, from August 15-22, 2026, inviting visitors from across Western New York…
Staying aware on the business of agriculture
Local partnership tours area businesses to learn more
Natural Grocers® Named 2026 Sustainability Retailer of the Year by Produce Business
Industry recognition highlights the company's longstanding commitment to organic agriculture, regenerative practices and sustainable retail operations LAKEWOOD, Colo., July 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/...
Scientists advance space agriculture for future moon and Mars missions
Space isn't known for rich soil or ideal agricultural conditions anywhere in the solar system. Yet amid extreme temperatures and vast distances, multidisciplinary teams at USF's Aerospace: Science, Technology, ...
Get to Know Your Foe: Utah State
Welcome to week two of Get to Know Your Foe. After examining the Fresno State Bulldogs last week, we travel to Logan, Utah, to check out the Utah State Aggies. Another fellow land-grant university, Utah State University, was founded in 1888 with a focus on agriculture, military science, and training for all branches of the […]
McCurdy Named Head of Ag. Science
Jay McCurdy has become the new head of Mississippi State’s Department of Agricultural Science and Plant Protection. The multidisciplinary academic unit in MSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers an undergraduate degree in agricultural science, and master’s and doctoral degrees in entomology, plant pathology and weed science. “Dr. McCurdy’s enthusiasm, productivity and leadership make […]
Turning AI Plant Science Into a Commercial Tool: Heritable Agriculture’s Next Chapter
Heritable says its platform can match plant genetics to geography with 10-meter field-level accuracy, helping users predict how varieties of nearly any crop could perform in specific locations around the world.
Weiser’s leadership crucial for rural win-win
Attorney General Phil Weiser is going to win the gubernatorial election. That said, Colorado agriculture and rural communities have a 30-year track record of finding the win-win be it for species or industries or habitat. Former Governor Roy Romer possessed what Gov. Jared Polis has demonstrated repeatedly he doesn’t have: the willingness to find compromise […]
The Latest Policy Issue: Sports Prediction Markets
House Agriculture Committee examines regulatory gaps in sports prediction markets. Learn how federal oversight is evolving for this booming industry.
Rural Health Disadvantages in the United States
Over the last 20 years, rural Americans have been dying at a higher rate than urban residents – and the gap is growing. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture…
USDA NIFA NEXTGEN Animal Science Discovery Program Expands National Reach in Third Summer
New Sustainable Urban Agriculture track, expanded student cohort and growing institutional partnerships highlight the USDA-funded initiative preparing the next generation of agriculture professionals. The USDA NIFA NEXTGEN Animal Science Discovery Program (ANSCId) concluded its third summer on July 10 with a closing ceremony at the Douglass Student Center, Trayes Hall, on the Rutgers–New Brunswick campus. […]
Summer Ag Fairs Draw New Audiences With Entertainment
Fairs use entertainment to get people interested and in turn to introduce them to agriculture where they are, even if that means concerts on the bed of a pickup truck.
Researcher receives NSF CAREER Award to advance insect biology and strengthen South Texas agriculture
The UT San Antonio research project will also support the training of undergraduate students and expand K-12 science education.
Wisconsin Farm Tech Days highlights grain bin safety, farm history, health screenings, and volunteers
Wisconsin Farm Technology Days is wrapping up its three-day event in Stratford, showcasing the latest technology in the agriculture industry. The event was held at Redetzke’s No Joke Dairy.
Department of Animal Science Earns National honors at RMC
Faculty and students from the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science earned national recognition at the 79th Reciprocal Meat Conference, RMC.
ACC’s Span Elite Acquires Arctic Harvest Deliveries
The founder of Alaska Harvest Deliveries got a new job helping entrepreneurs, so she sold the business to Alaska Commercial Company.
Wisconsin DATCP issues public health alert due undeclared allergens in sausage
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is issuing a public health alert due to undeclared allergens in a bratwurst product.
Ag Progress Days showcases college research, AI tool and animal health updates
Visitors to the College of Agricultural Sciences Exhibits Building during Penn State’s 2026 Ag Progress Days, Aug. 11-13, will have the chance to learn more about the college’s cutting-edge research driving innovation in modern agriculture.
USDA lowers beef export sales by 90% amid growing doubts over data
The U.S. Department of Agriculture dramatically lowered its reported beef export sales for late June on Thursday, sparking fresh concerns about the quality of the agency's data after staffing losses as part of the Trump administration's reshaping of the federal government.
Fort Bend County Fair Announces 2026 Entertainment Lineup Featuring Sawyer Brown, Pat Green
ROSENBERG, Texas (Covering Katy News) — The Fort Bend County Fair has announced its entertainment lineup for its 90th annual celebration, featuring a mix of Texas country stars, Tejano favorites and nationally recognized performers during Championship BBQ Weekend and the fair's 10-day run. The 2026 Fort Bend County Fair begins with Championship BBQ Weekend on Sept. 18-19, followed by the fair Sept. 25 through Oct. 4. The entertainment schedule opens Friday, Sept. 18, with Tejano group Los Morales, followed by Texas country artist Cole Phillips on Saturday, Sept. 19. Phillips has gained attention for his traditional country sound influenced by classic honky-tonk music. The fair officially opens Friday, Sept. 25, with Tyce Delk, a New Mexico native whose touring schedule has expanded across the country. Country music veterans Sawyer Brown will headline Saturday, Sept. 26. The band, whose career spans more than four decades, remains known for hits including "Some Girls Do," "The Race Is On" and "Thank God for You." Go Tejano Day on Sunday, Sept. 27, will feature Prófugos de Nuevo León, along with performances by Los Rinches and Grupo Zenio. The second week of the fair begins Wednesday, Sept. 30, with Bellville singer-songwriter David Lewis, a recent Texas Country Music Association Male Artist of the Year nominee. Oklahoma Red Dirt artist Josh Meloy will perform Thursday, Oct. 1. Texas country star Pat Green returns to the Fort Bend County Fair stage Friday, Oct. 2. Green, whose career includes three Grammy Award nominations, has sold more than 2 million albums and amassed more than 200 million career streams. He is best known for songs including "Wave on Wave" and "Carry On." Country newcomer Vincent Mason will perform Saturday, Oct. 3. Mason has accumulated more than 500 million career streams and was recently nominated for Academy of Country Music New Male Artist of the Year. The fair concludes Sunday, Oct. 4, with Texas music legend Gary P. Nunn, whose "London Homesick Blues" remains one of the state's most recognizable songs. Weekend visitors also can enjoy performances on Music Row by J Paul Jr. & the Zydeco Nubreeds, Southern County Line, Los Rangerz and Horizon. The Fort Bend County Fair Association, a nonprofit organization, supports youth, agriculture and education. According to the association, it has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships during the past decade and generated $1.4 million through its 2025 youth auctions. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, July 10. Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance and select the specific day they plan to attend, as tickets are valid only for the date purchased. Admission includes entry to the fairgrounds, access to the carnival, shopping, exhibits, food vendors and, when scheduled, admission to the rodeo and that day's concert. Season passes and single-day tickets will be available. For tickets and additional information, visit fortbendcountyfair.com or call the Fair Office at 281-342-6171. The address of the Fairgrounds is 4310 Texas 36 S in Rosenberg. 2026 Fort Bend County Fair Entertainment Schedule Championship BBQ Weekend Friday, Sept. 18: Los Morales Saturday, Sept. 19: Cole Phillips Fair Entertainment Friday, Sept. 25: Tyce Delk Saturday, Sept. 26: Sawyer Brown Sunday, Sept. 27 (Go Tejano Day): Prófugos de Nuevo León, Los Rinches and Grupo Zenio Wednesday, Sept. 30: David Lewis Thursday, Oct. 1: Josh Meloy Friday, Oct. 2: Pat Green Saturday, Oct. 3: Vincent Mason Sunday, Oct. 4: Gary P. Nunn × Expand FBCF Fort Bend County Fair 2026 Artist Lineup
The tiny cell that broke a big rule of biology
It took two scientists decades to find a new nitrogen-fixing organelle. It could change the future of sustainable agriculture.
Small Business Administration to help USDA sort 'lawfare' reports
John Rich says he’ll publicize cases of farmers being ‘shoved around’ The Small Business Administration agreed to help the USDA investigate complaints from farmers and ranchers who allege being victimized […]
Fort Bend County Fair to Reveal 2026 Entertainment Lineup at Free Sugar Land Event
SUGAR LAND, Texas (Covering Katy News) — The Fort Bend County Fair and Rodeo will reveal its 2026 entertainment lineup during a free public event Wednesday as the organization prepares to celebrate its 90th anniversary. Fort Bend County Fair 2026 Lineup Reveal Set for July 8 in Sugar Land The “Who’s Playing at the Fair?” gathering is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. at Talyard Brewing Company, 1033 Imperial Blvd. Attendees will be the first to learn which artists are set to perform, with giveaways, special guests and family-friendly activities planned. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.2026 Fort Bend County Fair Dates and Schedule The fair’s Championship BBQ Cook-Off is set for Sept. 18-19, with the main fair and rodeo running Sept. 25 through Oct. 4. The events will feature nightly concerts, livestock shows, youth competitions, rodeo performances and carnival attractions. What to Expect at the Fort Bend County Fair 90th Anniversary Celebration "We’re excited to kick off our 90th year by answering the question everyone is asking — who’s playing at the fair?” Fair President Brian Graeber said. “This event is a chance for residents to come together, become part of our fair family, and get an early look at what’s in store for our milestone celebration.” Fort Bend County Fair Scholarship and Youth Impact For 90 years, the Fort Bend County Fair and Rodeo has focused on benefiting youth, promoting agriculture and supporting education. This year, the organization awarded $250,000 in scholarships and generated more than $1.4 million through its junior livestock and other auctions. The lineup reveal is free and open to the public. For more information, visit fortbendcountyfair.com or follow the fair on social media. The fairgrounds are located at 4310 Hwy. 36 South in Rosenberg.
Tribes hope Farm Bill can feed more people, preserve Indigenous culture
HOPKINTON, R.I. — At Ashawaug Farm in southwest Rhode Island, Dawn and Cassius Spears preserve their Indigenous knowledge of agriculture through the cultivation and keeping of three Narragansett heritage crops:
Minnesota tries to put politics aside at Trump’s ‘Great American State Fair’
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture sent three crop art pieces to the state showcase in Washington, D.C.
Business Journal wins two California Journalism Awards
The Business Journal earned two California Journalism Awards for Frank Lopez's reporting on Central Valley agriculture and the wine industry.
SBA, USDA Sign MOU to Combat Lawfare Against Farmers, Ranchers, and Small Businesses
New Partnership Gives Producers a Direct Line to Report Costly Regulations and Advance Lasting ReformWASHINGTON, July 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to combat lawfare targeting farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and small businesses. The agreement gives America’s producers a direct line to report the regulations and rules driving up costs and impacting pro
Court Stops USDA From Enforcing Funding Conditions Tied to DEI, Women’s Sports
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts recently blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) efforts to withhold funding from states and grant recipients that have not confirmed their compliance with Trump administration policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), “gender ideology,” women’s and girls’ sports, and immigration.
Conservation efforts emphasize the lesser prairie chicken
Reid DeWalt, deputy director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, spoke to the Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee about the Lesser Prairie Chicken and moving conservation forward. He said in 2026, CPW staff counted 77 males on 13 leks, a number that has dropped year over year since 2024. There are fewer than 1,000 chickens […]
These tiny soil microbes could rescue crops from salty farmland
Researchers have discovered that beneficial soil bacteria give plants an unexpected survival advantage in salty soils. Instead of helping plants keep salt out, the microbes stimulate the production of lignin, a natural compound that strengthens roots and makes plants more resilient. Greenhouse and field tests showed healthier plants and higher yields in salty conditions. The findings could lead to bio-based treatments that help farmers grow crops on land once considered too salty for agriculture.
Private Selection chicken breast product target of health alert
The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants people who may have purchased a variety of Private Selection raw boneless chicken breasts to check their freezers or refrigerators in case they still have them.
Private Selection chicken breast product target of health alert
The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants people who may have purchased a variety of Private Selection raw boneless chicken breasts to check their freezers or refrigerators in case they still have them.
EAST TEXAS POLITICS: Railroad commissioner, ag commissioner candidate clash on data centers
Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian, a Republican, and Democratic nominee for Texas Agriculture Commissioner Clayton Tucker, who hold opposing views on data centers, talked with Blake Holland for this week’s edition of East Texas Politics on East Texas Now. .
MSU Vet Tech program awarded $150k NIFA-USDA grant
Morehead State University's nationally ranked veterinary technology program was recently awarded significant financial support to help it maintain its place as the #1 program of its kind in Kentucky. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), awarded MSU's vet tech program a $150,000 NIFA-USDA grant for equipment to support small and large veterinary technology education and workforce competency at MSU. Learn more about veterinary technology programs at MSU by emailing Staton at a.staton@moreheadstate.edu or calling 606-783-2328. Find out more about MSU's veterinary technology program by calling 606-783-2662.
Texas Tech's Red Raider Meats Has Steak Down to a Science
The Lubbock university is training the next generation of agriculture scientists using revenue from selling some of the state's best beef
President Trump Signs Executive Order Advancing Regenerative Agriculture as Part of Make America Healthy Again Agenda
President Trump Signs Executive Order Advancing Regenerative Agriculture as Part of Make America Healthy Again Agenda
Kentucky State hosts students for agriculture and health science camp
Students from across the country are at Kentucky State University for a summer program focused on agriculture, health and environmental science.
Roundup: Shift in NIL / BlackBerry transitions / Agriculture aid
More inclusive: A recent NCAA rule change is shifting name, image and likeness opportunities away from only the biggest star athletes to a wider range of student-athletes. The update gives schools more structured involvement in managing and facilitating NIL deals, which reduces some of the previous free-for-all environment. As a result, athletes who are not […]
Regenerative Agriculture and Population Health
Regenerative agriculture can enhance food quality and reduce harmful exposures through improved soil biology, biodiversity, and ecosystem health, yielding downstream benefits for agriculture, food systems, and human health. It may improve profitability through greater land resilience and lower input costs and may deliver benefits to farms, farmers, communities, and the broader environment. More research is warranted to understand the full range of potential health benefits of regenerative agriculture.
Trump will welcome farmers and ranchers to White House dinner to celebrate trade, tax wins
President Trump hosts farmers and ranchers at a Rose Garden dinner to spotlight trade wins, tax cuts and expanded market access for agriculture.
New Science Education Resource Helps Youth Explore Agriculture in Their Local Communities and Globally
The new Agriculture! guide connects youth to agricultural systems in their communities and globally.
Early Hamilton County business focused on agriculture, survival
When the Frigidaire plant closed its operation in Webster City in 2011, it was feared this was the demise of the county seat of Hamilton County. But the early years of prosperity were not built on an operation like Frigidaire. The earliest advertisers in the Daily Freeman Journal in 1857 were land agents, mercantile stores […]
Campbell County health and food inspections (6/12/26–6/18/26)
GILLETTE, Wyo. — The Consumer Health Services Division of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture conducts inspections of retail food establishments throughout Wyoming (where there is not a local health department that does inspections) to help ensure safety of Wyoming residents. Campbell County establishments are inspected at least once a year by the WDA. All of […]
‘If there’s no fertility, there are no farms’: Why big food is exploring regenerative agriculture
Food and drink companies are getting involved in regenerative agriculture, which aims to improve soil and cut carbon emissions. But not all experts are convinced of the benefits
Penn launches $18 million facility to advance RNA technology’s role in health, agriculture
The RNA manufacturing hub opened this spring in University City. The National Science Foundation has invested in five such facilities nationally, each focused on a specific biological material.
Campbell County health and food inspections (6/5/26–6/11/26)
GILLETTE, Wyo. — The Consumer Health Services Division of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture conducts inspections of retail food establishments throughout Wyoming (where there is not a local health department that does inspections) to help ensure safety of Wyoming residents. Campbell County establishments are inspected at least once a year by the WDA. All of […]
EAST TEXAS POLITICS: Texas ag commissioner contacts White House over USDA screwworm handling
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller criticized the USDA’s response to the New World screwworm on this week’s edition of East Texas Politics on East Texas Now with Blake Holland. Smith County Pct. 3 Commissioner J. Scott Herod, a cattle rancher and owner of Cut Beef in Tyler, also appeared on the program. Plus, State Rep. Cody Harris talks data center water usage.
Political blame game follows as screwworm parasite threatens cattle in Texas
Screwworms are on their way to becoming a billion-dollar international problem but can be contained if ranchers are vigilant, watch their herds and other wildlife, and quickly treat any infestations, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said.
Entertainment, new attractions announced ahead of patriotic Mississippi State Fair
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson announced Flo Rida as the headliner of the 2026 Mississippi State Fair, which runs Oct. 8-18, as well as several new and special, patriotic attractions fairgoers can expect as part of this year’s theme, “Let Freedom Ring!” at the State Fair. Gipson was joined by Paige Robertson, executive…
Ferris seniors place second in world in environmental science competition for research on smoke and agriculture
Sitting at the awards ceremony for the largest international high school science fair in the world this May, Ferris High School students Teddy Osborne and Anders Thogerson were a bit disappointed as the judge read off the fourth-place winners for projects in environmental science.
Functional food science lab changing how students learn
LEWISTOWN — A new kind of lab is reshaping how students think about agriculture — and it doesn’t look like a farm. Inside the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology in Lewistown, students are stepping into a growing field where food safety, science, and innovation meet. When Agricultural Sciences instructor Nicolette Cusate arrived at […]
In a visit to farm country, Trump extols ‘beautiful fountains’ back in Washington
As President Donald Trump took his seat Friday for a roundtable conversation on agriculture, speaking beneath a green sign with a giant slogan, “Fighting for American Farmers,” he quickly moved on to other matters on his mind.
First US screwworm case in 60 years: Should America be worried?
The US Department of Agriculture says New World screwworm has been detected in a Texas calf.
'We were being bullied in our own home': How 'authoritarian' HOAs are contributing to the insect apocalypse
In the book "Bitter Honey," writer and researcher Jennie Durant explores how industrial agriculture is destroying bees — and what can be done to stop them.
New York state requests disaster declaration after April frost impacts crops
Gov. Hochul’s office says a survey conducted by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets estimates that growers are facing anywhere from 15% to 100% losses to date.
Corban University Graduates First Four-year Cohort of Agriculture Science Students
Corban University’s agriculture science program celebrates its first four-year graduating cohort, highlighting hands-on learning, internships, faith integration, and strong agricultural community partnerships.
A state grant to boost soil health is in high demand among Minnesota farmers
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture awarded $4.7 million in grants this year. The funds are intended to share the cost of purchasing equipment needed for improved conservation practices.
From smart agriculture to mental health: These are the New U.S.-Israel projects set to receive $7.5 million from the BIRD Foundation
On May 5, 2026, the Board of Governors of the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation approved grants totaling $7.5 million for seven new projects between U.S. and Israeli companies. In addition to BIRD funding, the projects will leverage private-sector investment, resulting in a combined investment of $20 million across all projects.
Semiconductor decoupling. Powell's politics. Industrializing Ogaden. Free trade and the Magna Carta.
Thank you for opening your Chartbook email. Feliks Topolski, 1907-1989 8th Army’s Front, Italy 1944 Semiconductor decoupling Source: FT One thing that Jerome Powell deeply understood is that chairing the Fed under current conditions is a deeply political job. “Powell has successes and mistakes to his name. But he stands out as having thought more carefully about the Fed’s democratic legitimacy than any chair since Paul Volcker,” said Paul Tucker, a former deputy governor at the Bank of England, referring to the Fed chair who successfully fought the great inflation of the 1970s and early 1980s. … While Powell was at the Treasury in the early 1990s, he watched Alan Greenspan build relationships within the government. That convinced Powell he needed to follow the former Fed chair’s lead and spend more time in Congress than his predecessors Yellen and Bernanke. “The accountability for the Fed runs through Congress,” said Claudia Sahm, a former Fed official who is now chief economist at New Century Advisors. “That’s not just about having people on speed dial — it’s answering questions, explaining policy and getting feedback.” Source: FT Ethiopia’s PM Abiy and Nigerian business tycoon, with Chinese engineering, are driving industrialization in Ogaden/Somali region of Ethiopia. - Michael Masri’s reporting for Africa Report if fascinating. Ethiopia has launched a cluster of large industrial schemes in the Somali region, laying foundation stones for a urea plant and an oil refinery in Gode while opening the first two phases of the Ogaden LNG project. Abiy Ahmed framed the push as part of a broader strategy to link energy, agriculture and industry. “These projects embody more than industrial growth,” he said. “They represent our shared responsibility to harness opportunities, strengthen co-operation and promote peace.” The Gode urea plant, backed by Dangote Group and Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), is designed for 3m tonnes a year. Dangote owns 60%, while EIH holds 40%. Officials say Dangote’s equity totals about $2.5bn, while the state provides land and implementation oversight. Gas from the Calub fields will be piped 108km to the site. Construction is slated for 40 months, with operations targeted for 2028. Ethiopia imports most of its fertiliser, spending more than $1.2bn a year for 1.5m–2m tonnes. Usage was roughly 1.7m tonnes in 2023, almost half of it urea, and demand for 2024–25 is put above 2.4m tonnes. If delivered on time, the Gode plant could cover domestic needs and allow exports to neighbours. Brook Taye, chief executive of EIH, called the venture “a significant milestone in the journey toward industrial self-sufficiency”. Dangote told the groundbreaking crowd that the complex would be integrated with gas supply and a polypropylene unit to support local inputs. He pointed to Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), with a capacity of more than 5,000MW, and noted his group’s cement operations and expansion plans. The Gode refinery is being developed by Golden Concord Group of China. It is designed to process 3.5m tonnes a year of crude and condensate from the Hilala field, with associated storage. Backers say it will ease foreign-exchange pressure from fuel imports and anchor further industrial activity, including a proposed steel smelting site in Dire Dawa. GCL’s chair, Zhu Gongshan, cast the project as “a key step in Ethiopia’s path to energy sovereignty”, underscoring the Beijing–Addis ties. Financing details are still being finalised, but the refinery is central to the government’s energy-security narrative. Source: The Africa Report Dangote’s Ethiopian vision: Dangote began with cement. His crown jewel, Dangote Cement, dominates Nigeria’s market and has 10 operations in other nations in Africa. The formula has been consistent: identify sectors with chronic shortages – cement, fertiliser, sugar – commit massive local investments, and scale up to serve regional demand. Ethiopia was a natural extension of that model. In 2015, Dangote launched the Mugher Cement Plant outside Addis Ababa at a cost of $600m, with an annual capacity of 2.5 million tonnes. The investment gave him a firm foothold in one of Africa’s fastest-growing construction markets. But success came with risks. In May 2018, violent unrest led to the killing of Dangote’s country manager and temporary shutdowns at Mugher. While other investors might have retreated, Dangote doubled down. Today, he is preparing to spend $400m to expand Mugher’s capacity to 5 million tonnes, alongside a new grinding unit near Addis Ababa. Cement is just one market Dangote is targeting. Ethiopia’s enormous state-controlled sugar industry, long plagued by inefficiency and debt, has struggled for years to reform. Its Omo Kuraz Sugar Development Project, touted as one of the continent’s largest initiatives, continues to face delays and mismanagement. … The most ambitious venture of all is the planned fertiliser production complex in Gode, Somali region. Publicised on 28 August 2025, the Dangote Group and Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) deal plans one of the world’s largest single-site urea manufacturing plants. The project costs an estimated $2.5bn and has an estimated capacity of 3 million metric tonnes annually, a rate that would not only render Ethiopia independent, but even a net exporter of fertiliser. EIH, the state wealth fund of Ethiopia, will hold 40%, while 60% is held by Dangote Group. … For Dangote, Ethiopia is a trifecta: Cement demand is projected to grow by 10% annually, its sugar consumption is growing with rapid urbanisation, and fertiliser demand is all but insatiable, given that farming supports the livelihood of 70% of Ethiopians. Source: The Africa Report The stakes for Abiy are high: For Addis Ababa, the $4bn fertiliser project in Ethiopia’s Somali region is no longer simply a manufacturing investment. It is increasingly being framed as a strategic state project tied to food sovereignty, import substitution and the government’s broader attempt to build economic resilience under mounting fiscal pressure. “Becoming self-sufficient in food is our main agenda,” Abiy says during the visit. “Land is needed; we have it. Water is needed; we have it. Human resources are needed; we have it.” The scale is enormous even by African industrial standards. Once operational, the plant is expected to produce three million metric tonnes of urea annually, potentially making it one of the continent’s largest fertiliser complexes. Ethiopian officials say the project now includes a 110km gas pipeline, a 120MW power plant, a polypropylene packaging facility and a two-million-tonne NPK blending plant. For a government grappling with chronic foreign exchange shortages, ballooning import bills and pressure on agricultural productivity, the numbers matter politically as much as they do economically. The decision to anchor the project in Gode is deliberate. Long viewed as peripheral to Ethiopia’s industrial economy, the Somali region is now being repositioned by the federal government as a future irrigation and agro-industrial corridor. Officials argue that the area’s vast land reserves and access to water could eventually support large-scale commercial farming capable of reshaping Ethiopia’s food economy. The government is simultaneously building housing infrastructure for about 5,000 residents near the plant, while officials project broader industrial expansion along the corridor. Abiy goes further, comparing the long-term revenue potential of the Gode development zone with Ethiopia’s flagship state enterprise. “The investments we are making in this Gode area, combined, will generate high revenue for Ethiopia, at par with Ethiopian Airlines,” he says. Source: The Africa Report Feliks Topolski 1907-1982 Topolski’s Chronicle, ‘Nazi Revival’, Vol. 8, Is. 1-2, 1960 HEY READERS, THANK YOU for opening the Chartbook email. I hope it brightens your day. I enjoy putting out the newsletter, but tbh, what keeps this flow going is the generosity of those readers who clicked the subscription button. Photo by Jakub Dziubak on Unsplash If you are persuaded to click, please consider the annual subscription of $50. It is both better value for you and a much better deal for me, as it involves only one credit card charge. Why feed the payments companies if we don’t have to. Subscribe Grim vision of drone warfare by Sylvie Kaufmann For contributing subscribers only. Subscribe The state of the art in Colbert-studies. Jean-Baptiste Colbert was Louis XIV chief minister from 1661 to 1683 and traditionally seen as an architect of absolutism and mercantilism. Alexander Hamilton later cited him as an inspiration in 1782. Now his legacy is disputed. Daniel Dessert, the chief critic, sees Colbert as the orchestrator not so much of an absolutist state as of an elite cabal. Would be great to have a good English-language review of this important debate. Source: lhistoire Didn’t know that the Magna Carta included free trade provisions Fighting for the right to the beach in Oregon in 1967: Source: Research Gate RAF Station – British and Polish Flags, c. 1940-45, The Ingram Collection Feliks Topolski, 1907-1989 ink and wash If you’ve scrolled this far, you know you want to click: Subscribe
Garrett County Agriculture Fair announces 2026 entertainment lineup
McHENRY — The Garrett County Agriculture Fair has announced the week of live entertainment for the 2026 Fair, taking place Aug. 1–8 in McHenry. This year’s lineup features nationally recognized
Clemson Livestock Poultry Health Names Catherine Harris Deputy State Veterinarian
Harris said the unit’s unique organizational structure, which includes its adjacency to Cooperative Extension, the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences, and the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine, was a major draw and provides opportunity for collaborations that will benefit the state’s animal agriculture industry.
Common pesticide linked to hidden brain damage, scientists warn
Scientists have uncovered alarming new evidence that a common insecticide may leave lasting marks on the developing brain before a child is even born. Researchers studying New York City children found that prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos — a pesticide once widely used indoors and still used in agriculture — was linked to widespread brain abnormalities and weaker motor skills years later.
Deere Sales Rise as Construction Equipment Business Offsets Agriculture Slump
Deere posted higher fiscal second-quarter sales as growth in the company’s construction equipment business helped to offset weakness in its production agriculture segment.
Scientists bring crop protection research to local science classes
As the world’s population continues to grow, farmers across the globe are working hard to feed more than 8 billion humans. Agriculture at that scale requires interventions, including herbicides and pesticides to keep crops healthy and free from disease and insect infestations. Chemical herbicides and pesticides were, and are, a common solution...
Food Tank’s Weekly News Roundup: Global Politics Reshape Food Security, Fiji Pushes Organic Ag, WFP Scales School Meals
Fiji pushes on organic agriculture, WFP invests in school meals, and shifting global politics are reshaping food prices and food security.
Indiana Farmer Balances High-Profile Ag Politics With Family Farm Values
Indiana farmer Tyler Everett shares his experience welcoming Brooke Rollins into his combine and meeting President Trump. Back on the farm, he focuses on making smart financial choices and protecting family time.
Middle school students in Kaukauna gets hands‑on with food production
Kaukauna teacher brings modern agriculture to middle schoolers with hydroponic growing system.
Community: Assumption High rodeo raises funds for FFA program
Rodeo fans enjoyed a weekend of fun, festivities and western entertainment at the 14th annual Assumption High School FFA Benefit Rodeo at the Assumption Parish Agriculture Complex April 24-25.
Anthropic And Gates Foundation Sign $200 Million Partnership For AI Use In Health, Education, Agriculture
The partnership commits $200 million over four years to develop AI tools for use in vaccine research, farming guidance, education and other areas.
KFF Poll Finds That Most Adults Lack Confidence in Key Health Agencies to Act Independently — The Monitor
KFF’s latest Health Tracking Poll finds that confidence in the independence of key government health agencies overseeing food and drug safety and public health is low among the public and across partisans. Most of the public also share a distrust of agriculture, food, and pharmaceutical companies to act in the public’s best interest, compared with doctors and health care providers who are much more trusted among the public.
Iowa politics: KCCI's full interview with Josh Turek, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate
KCCI sat down with Josh Turek to discuss affordability, health care, immigration, agriculture, party leadership and electability. Turek and Zach Wahls are competing for the Democratic nomination in Iowa’s open U.S. Senate race.
Agriculture in Africa: science and research can’t make an impact without investment and good policies
Science can only change the world when societies decide to give it the means to do so.
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Tourism saw growth in ’25 despite tariff, immigration concerns; farmers fear fertilizer, fuel hikes as growing season kicks off
A fifth consecutive year of growth for area tourism and the impact of the war in Iran on Santa Cruz County agriculture lead off Jessica M. Pasko's weekly survey of local business.