GRAPHIC: U.S. ag industry has increased its foreign investments in past decade, government data shows
In particular, American companies involved in crop production have increased their foreign holdings.
Pumping Mississippi River water west: solution or pipe dream?
One proposed solution to the Colorado River Basin’s water scarcity crisis has come up again and again: large-scale river diversions, including pumping Mississippi River water to the parched West. Studies and modern engineering have proven that such projects are possible — but multi-state pipelines would require decades of construction and billions of dollars, and face major political obstacles. Yet the idea’s persistence illustrates the growing desperation of Western states to dig themselves out of droughts.
In first test before appeals court, important worker safety law is affirmed, with notable caveat
The case revolved around meatpacking workers who sued OSHA to enforce safety standards at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. An appeals court affirmed one of the “most important tools” available to workers but also limited its application.
GRAPHIC: Iowa leads numbers in ongoing outbreak of bird flu
The Hawkeye State is followed by Nebraska and Colorado.
Record-breaking egg profits prompt accusation of price gouging
In a letter sent to the Federal Trade Commission, the organization Farm Action accused the country’s dominant egg producers of scheming to raise prices.
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En el Medio Oeste, la supervisión estatal ha obligado a algunos empleadores a proporcionar mejores viviendas a los trabajadores agrícolas migrantes. Pero la regulación sigue teniendo lagunas.
Si bien el gobierno federal hace cumplir la supervisión de las viviendas para trabajadores agrícolas H-2A, la vivienda para trabajadores agrícolas migrantes es jurisdicción estatal. Algunos estados del Medio Oeste inspeccionan dos veces, otros no inspeccionan en absoluto.
Record bird flu outbreaks contribute to budget-busting egg prices
Egg prices have surged in recent weeks, resulting in higher grocery bills for households and restaurants across the country. Experts blame the increase on last year’s record-breaking outbreaks of deadly bird flu, which wiped out more than 52 million birds across the country as flocks were culled to keep the virus from spreading.
Farmers endured a rough year, but fertilizer companies cashed in
Even though some farmers could not afford the rising costs of fertilizer, the commodity’s prices have massively boosted company profits this year. One major player saw net earnings over the first nine months of 2022 jump more than 1,000% over the same time period in 2021.
‘Immense sense of pride’: Iowa farm owned by Black family for 158 years
The Western family owns one of only about 1,700 Iowa Heritage Farms, which means a farm in the same family for at least 150 years. Theirs is likely the only such farm owned by a Black family.
Government & Politics
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GRAPHIC: Bird flu main cause of record-breaking egg prices, USDA says
Since February, more than 39 million hens died or were killed as a result of the disease.
Here’s what you need to know about the Farm Bill
The Farm Bill was first passed in 1933. While the bill still serves to support farmers, it has also evolved to fund food assistance programs and conservation efforts. It’s up for negotiation in 2023.
GRAPHIC: Hog welfare laws covered less than 3% of all hogs in U.S. in 2022, USDA says
Laws governing hog welfare are primarily in states that don’t contribute much to the nation’s pork supply, according to the USDA.
New FCC broadband map of the U.S. is ‘a step in the right direction’
The new map improves on its past iterations, experts say, but there are still questions about the accuracy of some of the information included.
3M to end manufacture and use of ‘forever chemicals’ by 2025
3M will also “work to discontinue use of PFAS across our product portfolio” by 2025.
Minnesota tries new technologies to remove ‘forever chemicals’ from water
In efforts to address long-running PFAS contamination in the east metro, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is trying to suck the chemicals out of groundwater.
Opinion
Proposed independent contractor rule could turn the Big Poultry tournament system on its tail feathers
If there’s one thing that U.S. companies and corporations love, it’s little loopholes in the law that increase their bottom…
