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Potential picks to head EPA and USDA, African swine fever update and harvest update.

Janet Kubat Willette, E-Content Editor

November 20, 2020

2 Min Read
NolanBerg11/flySnow/SteveOehlenschlager/ThinkstockPhotos

Missed some ag news this week? Here are seven stories to catch you up.

1. Corn harvest reached 95% complete as of Sunday, up from 91% a week ago. North Carolina growers have notched 100% harvest completion and Ohio is at the other end of the scale, with 79% of the harvest complete. Soybean harvest is 96% complete, with North Carolina growers still needing to bring in 47% of their crop. – Farm Futures

2. Additional oversight is needed to determine if farm program payment recipients are complying with requirements for being actively engaged in farming, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. – Farm Futures

3. Politico and other media sources are naming names when it comes to potential leaders in a Biden-Harris administration. Here's who's reportedly in the running to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. – Farm Futures

4. Who's in line to be secretary of agriculture in Biden-Harris administration? Jacqui Fatka says former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio and Russell Redding, Pennsylvania ag commissioner, are three possible choices. – Farm Futures

5. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson lost his bid for re-election, leaving the top spot open. Two Democrats are vying for the post, one from Georgia and the other from California. Georgia Rep. David Scott would be the first African American to lead the committee. California Rep. Jim Costa would become the first chairman from his state since Republican John Bidwell served from 1865 to 1867. – Roll Call

6. Katherine Tai, the chief trade lawyer for the House Ways and Means Committee, is gaining support from a bipartisan group of lawmakers to be the next U.S. trade representative. – Politico

7. From October 30 through Nov. 12, there were 24 countries or territories with new or ongoing African swine fever outbreaks, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. There are outbreaks in nine European countries, including Germany, Poland and Hungary; 12 outbreaks in Asia, including China and Loas; and four in Africa, including South Africa and Nambia. – World Organization for Animal Health

And your bonus.

Farm Bureau's 35th annual survey indicates the cost of this year's Thanksgiving feast for 10 is $46.90 or less than $5 per person. This is a decrease of $2.01 from last year. – Farm Bureau

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