GE Crops Dominate US Ag and Fuel Prices Decline

**New data from USDA's Economic Research Service shows Genetically engineered crops dominate the U.S. ag sector.

Genetically engineered seeds were commercially introduced in the U.S. for major field crops in 1996.

The two main GE trait types are herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant.

By 2008, more than 50% of corn, cotton, and soybean acres were planted with at least one GE seed trait.

Today, that’s up to more than 90%.

**Fuel prices began the new year declining after a late-year increase during the holidays.

GasBuddy reports the nation's average gas price fell 1.6 cents from a week ago to $3.06 per gallon.

The national average is down 17.3 cents from a month ago and 12.6 cents lower than a year ago.

The national average diesel price fell 4.5 cents and stands at $3.96 per gallon … 71 cents lower than a year ago.

**Highly pathogenic avian influenza, a disease infecting birds and poultry, struck egg-laying hens throughout 2022.

Recurrent outbreaks left U.S. egg inventories 29% lower in the final week of December 2022 than at the beginning of the year.

More than 43 million egg-laying hens were lost to the disease since the outbreak began in February 2022.

Losses were spread across two waves: from February to June and from September to December.