Organic Impact on Conventional Pesticides and Injunction Over Disaster Relief
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.
**California researchers found organic agriculture can increase pesticide use on nearby conventionally farmed fields.
The Kern County data suggests organic farms can further reduce their pesticide use when organic fields are clustered.
But when organic acreage is interspersed among conventional fields, overall pesticide use can increase in some scenarios.
The new research could have impacts for farmers and policymakers worldwide as governments set targets for converting more farmland to organic agriculture.
**The USDA’s Forest Service is issuing more than $232 million to support public schools, roads, and municipal services through the agency’s Secure Rural Schools Program.
As the agency invests in ways for forests to generate economic opportunities, it also aims to support the quality of life in rural communities.
Forest Service Chief Randy Moore says the funding helps schools and roads, creating community wildfire protection plans and reimburses counties for national forest emergency services.
**Retail food price inflation varied by locality in 2023, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service.
New data shows food-at-home, or grocery prices, rose the fastest last year in Houston, by 7.8%, followed by Boston, at 7%.
In contrast, food-at-home prices declined by 1.3% in Anchorage, Alaska, and rose by the lowest amount, 1.7%, in Honolulu.
Across the country, food-at-home prices increased by 5.0% on average in 2023.
