WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 -- Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: A strange trend is sweeping across China. Outside Chengdu, an urban park next to a golf course and luxury villa now sports a sign "Return to Agricultural Use." In the southeastern province of Fujian, a farmer described having his daffodil fields bulldozed. Reportedly, it's all part of a new directive from the Chinese Communist Party to reclaim arable land, roll back reforestation initiatives, and rapidly increa  more

MORRISVILLE, North Carolina, Aug. 10 (TNSres) -- The National Association of Conservation Districts issued the following news release on Aug. 9, 2023: Today, the Soil Health Institute and National Association of Conservation Districts announced the results of a nationwide study that demonstrates how improving soil health can help farmers build resilience and improve profitability across a diversity of soil types, geographies, and cropping systems. "We know practices like cover crops and no-til  more

MANKATO, Minnesota, Aug. 9 (TNSres) -- The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance issued the following news on Aug. 8, 2023: This monthly feature from SSGA's Agronomy Action Team highlights growing conditions for Identity Preserved crops from different regions around the country. Thanks to the states/regions that contributed this month. If you would like to contribute, please get in touch with David Kee or Shane Frederick. You should also follow David Kee on Twitter for some of the latest, most-int  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following transcript of an interview on Aug. 7, 2023, by Secretary Antony J. Blinken with Mikael Ponge of Radio France Internationale: * * * QUESTION: Hello, Mr. Secretary. SECRETARY BLINKEN: Hello. QUESTION: Thank you for answering RFI's questions. You recently accused Russia of blackmail regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Indeed, Moscow demanded several conditions for their participation in the agreement. Is the United State  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following transcript of an interview on Aug. 7, 2023, by Secretary Antony J. Blinken with Raquel Krahenbuhl of GloboNews: * * * QUESTION: Okay. So I'm going to start by asking you a little bit about the Brazil role in this global crisis of food insecurity because the Brazilian president has a position of neutrality in the war. Lula has already spoken to President Zelenskyy, President Vladimir Putin. And do you believe this puts him in   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following transcript of an interview on Aug. 7, 2023, by Secretary Antony J. Blinken with Rosiland Jordan of Al Jazeera English: * * * QUESTION: Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, thank you so much for talking with us here on Al Jazeera. SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good to be with you. Thank you. QUESTION: My first question is about two key and related priorities for the U.S., improving long-term food security in Sub-Saharan Africa as w  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following transcript of an interview on Aug. 8, 2023, by Secretary Antony J. Blinken with Waihiga Mwaura of BBC Focus on Africa: * * * QUESTION: Well, we're now joined by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the Black Sea Grain Initiative and food security. He's joining us from Washington, D.C. Secretary Blinken, thanks so much for making time for Focus on Africa. And I'll get straight into it. Russia says it will onl  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following news release on Aug. 7, 2023: In 2022, an estimated 258 million people in 58 countries experienced crisis-level acute hunger, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), the global humanitarian organization addressing food security. Russia's recent decision no longer to allow Ukraine to export tons of grain means more people are likely to go hungry. In response to the rising concern, Bishop David J. Malloy of Ro  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following remarks on Aug. 10, 2023, by Administrator Samantha Power at a swearing-in ceremony for Sean Jones as Mission Director for Egypt: * * * ADMINISTRATOR SAMANTHA POWER: Thank you Andy. Thank you again for your leadership of the Bureau. Monde [Muyangwa], it is great to see you, supporting, I guess you're - how do we describe it - recently departed feels like the wrong way to describe somebody who has just wr  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following remarks on Aug. 3, 2023, by Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman and Assistant Administrator Erin Elizabeth McKee at a press briefing: * * * MODERATOR: Good afternoon to everyone from the U.S. Department of State's Africa Regional Media Hub. I would like to welcome our participants from across the continent and thank all of you for taking part in this discussion. Today, we are very pleased to be joined by t  more