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daily ag news stories

5/21/2013

SENATE FARM BILL - The Senate opened the floor for debate on the farm bill Monday, addressing crop insurance right off the bat.  AFBF’s Mary Kay Thatcher predicts crop insurance will receive multiple blows on the Senate floor. “You’re going to have just a whole host of conservation and nutrition type amendments. And if you were a betting person, you’d bet at least 100 amendments will be filed on the bill,” Thatcher said in an Agritalk interview.

FRACKING BILL - A bill to allow, but regulate, horizontal hydraulic fracturing in Illinois sailed through a House committee Tuesday morning in a unanimous vote.

CHINESE PORK - Chinese meat industry officials say increased food-safety awareness after the Shanghai river incident (dead hogs floating in river) drove more consumers to buy from larger suppliers, which they see as more reliable. A crackdown on illegal slaughtering has also accelerated the exit of smaller pork operations.

CHICKEN-FREE CHICKEN - Beyond Meat, the maker of plant-based protein foods, announced a national rollout of Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips in Whole Foods Markets in April. The company is backed by San Francisco-based investment firms.