With a little over 50 days left before the Vermont GMO labeling law takes effect, Congress has little time to put together and pass a fix at the Federal level. Politico says options for what the bill should contain are limited. A recent effort by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts would have given the Grocery Manufacturers Association two years to get widespread adoption of a Smart Labeling Program. That measure failed when Democrats felt it did not provide enough information to consumers. While Congress makes attempts to spur the discussion on a GMO labeling bill, companies like General Mills and Frito-Lay have started labeling in compliance with the Vermont law, which takes effect on July first.

Firefighters in Canada are still struggling to contain a massive wildfire quickly spreading in Alberta. Light rains and cooler temperatures were helping to contain the blaze as of Sunday. Pro Farmer says estimates are that the fire has burned 395,000 acres, including around Fort McMurray at the heart of the Canadian Oil Sands Region. As a result, around half of the production in the sands area has been taken offline. Estimates are that includes up to one million barrels. The decline in production is pushing up crude oil prices, which is supporting other commodities. The wildfires are also expected to accelerate the seasonal drop in US crude prices.

The Hagstrom Report says Cuba has reduced purchases of agriculture products from the United States because Cuba’s economy is struggling and the island nation can get credit in other countries. That speculation comes from Mark Feierstein, the National Security Council Senior Director for Latin America. However, some analysts contend that Cuba has actually increased agriculture purchases at some points and reduced them in others as part of an attempt to get the U.S. to change its policies toward Cuba. Feierstein attributes the decline to the fact that “they were in a better cash position” in the past than they are now. Cuba can now get credit from Brazil. Feierstein says he’s not aware of evidence showing that Cubans are using purchases to change US policies. His statement would attempt to bolster U.S. agriculture groups to convince Congress to reverse a law that prohibits a U.S. entity from granting credit to Cuba for purchasing agricultural goods.

Blends of petroleum based gasoline with 10 percent ethanol account for more than 95 percent of the fuel consumed in US motor vehicles. That analysis from the Energy Information Administration comes as the ethanol industry continues its dispute with the EPA over its decision to lower biofuel blending requirements set when the Renewable Fuels Standard was reauthorized in 2007. The industry said the lower requirements are killing investment and restricting producers’ abilities to generate more ethanol. EPA’s proposal for 2017 and other blending requirements are currently under review by the Office of Management and Budget and may be released for public comment in a few weeks. The total volume of ethanol blended into US motor vehicles has continued to increase since 2010, albeit at a declining rate.

Prestage Farms will pursue another location for their pork plant in Iowa after the City Council in Mason City rejected a plan to build a processing plant in that area of the state. Dr. Ron Prestage told Brownfield that the rejection in Mason City would not deter them from finding another location for the plant in Iowa. Prestage said his company was contacted “by several individuals interested in having us look into their towns.” The group Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement led opponents of the plant in Mason City, Iowa. Prestage said they made outrageous claims to create negative perceptions about the plant in Mason City. In his words, “Iowa is not immune to the fact that you’ve got some kooks out there trying to kill the biggest strength this state has (Agriculture)”. Finding a new location will change the timetable for the project, which they hoped to have up and running in 2018.