California Ranchers Hope for Rain and Biofuel Groups Call for Expansion
**The next two weeks may be crunch time for California ranchers, who are hoping for rain to get their pastures growing and keep their livestock fed.
With grazing lands browning, many ranchers may need to rely on feed hay, for which prices are surging, along with freight costs.
Without rain, more ranchers may have to consider culling their herds.
The cattle market is better than last year, but prices are lower than during the state’s last drought.
**The top biofuel and farm advocate groups are calling on the President to swiftly expand access to plentiful, lower-cost biofuels as fuel prices near record levels.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is pushing fuel prices higher, and the EPA will soon finalize biofuel blending requirements for 2021 and 22.
In a statement, the group said, “American-made biofuels are the only alternative to oil that can immediately extend the domestic supply of liquid fuels.”
**President Biden and Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA is investing more than $166.5 million in 108 infrastructure projects as part of implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
USDA is working with local communities in 23 states to invest in new dam and flood prevention projects and in repairs on existing watershed infrastructure, which are all part of USDA’s broader national infrastructure investment.