DICAMBA DRAMA CONTINUES WITH BAYER SETTLEMENT: Bayer's $400 million dicamba settlement announced last week could extend a lifeline to row crop farmers in the Midwest facing several years of losses allegedly due to dicamba drift, our Liz Crampton writes this a.m. The multimillion-dollar agreement was part of a larger deal involving Bayer's popular Roundup weedkiller, which got far more attention. But for some farms, the dicamba compensation could be the difference between staying in business or going bankrupt — and it's one more twist in another frantic growing season for row crop farmers who rely on the herbicide. Claims from the 2015 to 2020 growing seasons will be covered by the settlement, and farmers not involved in the litigation are still able to submit claims if they provide proof of damage to crop yields and evidence that it was due to dicamba, according to a Bayer spokesperson. Just some of the legal drama: The Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ordered that the product be pulled from the market, saying that the EPA didn't fully consider the risks posed by the chemical. The agency later clarified that producers can spray dicamba purchased before the court's ruling through July 31. Despite the one-two punch of the 9th Circuit ruling and the settlement, Bayer isn't backing off from its lucrative dicamba product portfolio. The company has "several dicamba formulations in our pipeline," some of which have been submitted to the EPA and others that remain in development, according to the spokesperson. FARMERS FEAR CASH CRUNCH FOR AG INSPECTORS: As Congress prepares to start working on fiscal 2021 spending bills in the coming weeks, farm industry groups are asking appropriators to include a funding patch for ag inspection efforts that are facing a potential $630 million shortfall because of the pandemic. "It is inconceivable that Congress would risk widespread damage to U.S. agriculture and the overall economy by not funding these inspections," wrote the National Pork Producers Council and more than 150 other ag groups in a letter to lawmakers. How it works: The Agricultural Quarantine Inspection program, carried out by Customs and Border Patrol, is meant to prevent animal and plant diseases from entering the country and potentially wreaking havoc on crops and livestock. The program is funded by fees collected by the Agriculture Department — but the revenue has dried up because of the steep drop in travel and trade. Even a reserve fund for the effort is expected to run dry before the end of the current fiscal year on Sept. 30, the groups warned. For your calendar: House appropriators are planning to mark up the new Agriculture-FDA spending bill in subcommittee on July 6 and full committee on July 9. But first, the legislative text is expected to be released on Sunday, per our Pro Budget friends. HOUSE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL DRAWS AG CRITICS: A coalition of farm and fuel groups on Monday took issue with provisions in the sweeping legislation that would boost tax incentives for electric vehicle owners, whom they called a "small and affluent segment of the driving public." The House is expected to start debating the measure today. In a letter to top lawmakers, industry groups including the American Farm Bureau Federation, Agricultural Retailers Association and American Petroleum Institute took issue with provisions to increase limits on the electric vehicle credits and expand infrastructure like charging stations, among others. They argued that Congress should "maximize investment dollars in infrastructure that benefit all Americans, not a small subset of the automobile fleet." Where the White House stands: President Donald Trump's advisors recommended that he veto the infrastructure package if it lands on his desk, according to a statement of administration policy released on Monday. It's not popular with Republicans on the Hill, either. Among their complaints: The package is "heavily biased against rural America," the White House said, although the legislation includes language requiring a portion of the funds to go to communities with fewer than 10,000 people. Pro Transportation's Tanya Snyder has the story. | 
