Emily Bass

Director of Federal Policy for Food & Ag @TheBTI

[Emily Bass @EmilyJane_Bass]

A review by @alexjmssmith of new book, Feed the People, explains why we need to reckon with the efficiencies offered by industrial meat/dairy production, especially as the anti-industrial food movement finds purchase in right-leaning circles that are decisively pro meat.

[Breakthrough @TheBTI]

"If technologically advanced, large-scale, highly capitalized production provide the solutions to the problems caused by agriculture in general, why would they not also provide the solutions to the problems caused by animal agriculture in particular?"

https://t.co/p0ClFMWPur

[Breakthrough @TheBTI]

The House will vote on year-round E15 on Wednesday.

Supporters frame it as "energy independence." But, in reality, it's a policy that puts 1/3 of US corn into fuel tanks, raises food prices, and drives cropland expansion.

https://t.co/meqROl4ryJ

[Emily Bass @EmilyJane_Bass]

A convergence of political and institutional challenges threatens our ability to mitigate the scale, intensity, and economic burden of future wildfires. More on why the Fix Our Forest Act will only go so far to improve forest management:
https://t.co/lZ7ZBjNizd

[Dan Rejto 🇺🇸🌎🍴 @danrejto]

Only 7 kinds of genetically modified produce are available in U.S. grocery stores.

That’s not because the technology or consumer demand isn’t there. USDA’s slow, costly review process has made it especially hard to bring novel fruits and vegetables to market.

[Breakthrough @TheBTI]

Casey Means wants to be America's doctor. But her food agenda reads like the vaccine skeptic's playbook applied to farming: distrust regulators, fear synthetics, champion "natural" alternatives, all without evidence.

Read @EmilyJane_Bass in @AgriPulse: https://t.co/MU8SP31bmU

[Emily Bass @EmilyJane_Bass]

A new Farm Bill is still a long way off, despite the House Agriculture Committee vote last week. Quick @TheBTI summary of where ag innovation priorities stand now as attention turns to the Senate: https://t.co/rm6YQPEzH4

[The Bulwark @BulwarkOnline]

Sen. Kaine: “Do you believe that there’s no evidence that the flu vaccine has efficacy in reducing serious injury and hospitalization?”

Means: *pauses*

Sen. Kaine: “This is an easy one, doctor.”

[Emily Bass @EmilyJane_Bass]

Will Casey Means make headlines during her hearing this Wednesday?? Ag topics we are watching for:
🍎public health messaging on conventional vs organic produce
🧬outlook on technologies deemed safe by USDA/EPA
🌽reactions to White House EO on glyphosate

https://t.co/gwe17BuDQA

[David Wallace-Wells @dwallacewells]

On the amount of land the world today uses to produce biofuels — an inefficient and ineffective source of “green” energy, sufficient to power just 4 percent of global transportation — enough solar power could be installed to generate all (100%) the world’s electricity needs.

[Breakthrough @TheBTI]

"By making agriculture a central pillar of a whole-of-government effort to scale the bioeconomy, Congress can usher in the innovation needed to secure the future of American agriculture over the long term."

Read @EmmaKovak and @EmilyJane_Bass:
https://t.co/dDqCjdl6Qe

[Emily Bass @EmilyJane_Bass]

In my article this morning for @TheBTI I argue the Supreme Court should opt to hear Bayer's appeal of a glyphosate case. The court JUST announced it will do exactly that. Read more for why this is a good thing, regardless of what you think of pesticides: https://t.co/dobLwg9tjo

[Emily Bass @EmilyJane_Bass]

Means’ vision of a dominant organic food system in the US could mean higher prices for consumers, more environmental degradation, all without straightforward health benefits.

More from me on the still pending Casey Means Surgeon Gen nom👇

https://t.co/PjmuGsqIqG

[Adam Jentleson @AJentleson]

From @SearchlightInst fellow @RBMD1982:

[Emily Bass @EmilyJane_Bass]

High beef prices ≠ better climate outcomes.
@Sentient_Media: "Americans are still eating just as much beef—they’re just getting more of it from overseas. And because foreign beef production is less efficient, those high prices aren’t helping the planet."
https://t.co/qYNP6aRjSE

[Breakthrough @TheBTI]

"Congress and the Administration are working together to steer American agriculture deeper into biofuels. If China’s retreat from U.S. soy and corn continues, the political pressure to continue to do so will only intensify."

Read @danrejto:
https://t.co/gKkLNPu92w

[Breakthrough @TheBTI]

"As national debates over the role of government in our food system continue, bipartisan support for sustained, robust research funding remains critical."

Read @EmilyJane_Bass on dodging the MAHA bullet: https://t.co/JzXTgBEhNH

[Dr. Emma Kovak @EmmaKovak]

What do the American Chestnut tree, the black rat, and the northern white rhinoceros have in common? They're prime targets for conservation through biotech. The upcoming USDA and IUCN decisions are important determinants of biotech’s role in conservation.

https://t.co/hRKQptjBz8

[Emily Bass @EmilyJane_Bass]

Worth reading past the headline!
"There’s overwhelming evidence that GMOs are safe, and glyphosate happens to be one of the most benign forms of weed control...Ultimately, the best path would be to develop effective substitutes with even less impact"
https://t.co/vQchITVC6Z

[Emily Bass @EmilyJane_Bass]

@DealyMcbob @atrembath @TheBTI @scientistsorg More here on why funding more research on efficiency and productivity would be a win-win-win, benefiting farmers, consumers, and the environment: https://t.co/iDBnu0NqEC

[Emily Bass @EmilyJane_Bass]

Amid a fast news cycle covering the rollback of enviro laws, broader agency reorgs and fed staff layoffs, USDA is quietly doing away with NEPA analysis for ag biotech. The change might speed up reviews but invites legal challenge. Time to weigh tradeoffs: https://t.co/RWP8pDjkYT