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☆ Bird Flu Is Infecting Cats (and the Occasional Dog). Here’s What to Know.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Emily Anthes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over the past few months, a bird flu outbreak has spread swiftly through dairy cows in the United States, infecting more than 90 herds in 12 states. On some dairy farms, sick or dead cats have provided an early signal that something was amiss. Scientists have long known that cats are vulnerable to being infected by avian influenza, a group of flu viruses typically found in birds. In 2020, a new version of a bird flu virus, known as H5N1, emerged. It has spread rapidly around the world, infecting many wild birds and repeatedly spilling over into mammals, including cats.

Persons: Kammy Johnson Organizations: Agriculture Department Locations: United States

Federal regulators on Tuesday said that samples of pasteurized milk from around the country had tested positive for inactive remnants of the bird flu virus that has been infecting dairy cows. The viral fragments do not pose a threat to consumers, officials said. “To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. Over the last month, a bird flu virus known as H5N1 has been detected in more than 30 dairy herds in eight states. The virus is also known to have infected one farmworker, whose only symptom was pink eye.

Persons: “ Organizations: and Drug Administration, Agriculture Department

☆ Food Aid Program for Mothers and Children Will Provide More Fruits and Vegetables
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Agriculture Department said on Tuesday that low-income women and children eligible for a food aid program would receive more cash for purchases of fruits and vegetables, with less assistance available for milk. The final rule by the department puts the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, a federally funded program known as WIC, more in line with the government’s current dietary guidelines. It is the first update to the program in a decade and will take effect in two years. About 6.6 million mothers and children participated in WIC in the 2023 fiscal year, with an average monthly cost of $56 per person. The Agriculture Department estimates that about half of those eligible make use of the program.

Persons: ” Cindy Long Organizations: Agriculture Department, Women, Agriculture, Food, Nutrition Service

☆ You're probably throwing out perfectly good food because 'sell by' and 'best before' dates mean nothing. Retailers like Amazon are backing a bill that could change that.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Retailers like Amazon support a bill that would require two labels: "best if used by" and "use by." Related storiesClearing up the confusion can avoid food waste, save people money, and help tackle the climate crisis. Reducing food waste is a way for companies to make progress on their sustainability goals, Melgar added. These advocates said the main question from Republican lawmakers is whether the food industry supports the bill. "Voluntary initiatives were a great first start in socializing this idea of consumer confusion over date labels," she said.

Persons: Tori Oto, Oto, Nestlé, Danielle Melgar, Melgar, Kroger Organizations: Service, Harvard Law School Food Law, Policy Clinic, Agriculture Department, Congress, Whole Foods, Kroger, Walmart Locations: Washington

☆ 1,000 dollar stores are closing. These cities have revolted against them for years
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But critics of Family Dollar and other dollar store chains’ business practices like Hall-Harper say the closures highlight the risks of communities relying too heavily on dollar store chains. Hall-Harper has led Tulsa’s effort to restrict the growth of the three major dollar store chains — Family Dollar, Dollar Tree and Dollar General — in the predominately Black area of North Tulsa. Dollar General said it regularly hears from communities and customers asking it to bring a Dollar General store to their hometown. Backlash to dollar storesDollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have spread rapidly since the Great Recession, opening more than 15,000 small stores. US regulators reached a settlement last year with Dollar Tree over hazardous conditions in Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.

Persons: Vanessa Hall, Harper, “ I’ve, —, ”, Dollar, Critics, Blaine Griffin, Meijer, Stacy Mitchell, ” Mitchell Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Dollar, Tulsa, Institute of Local, Chicago City, University of Toronto, UCLA, United States, Local, Research, University of Georgia, Cleveland City, Walmart, Target, Agriculture Department, Institute for Local, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Kroger, Albertsons Locations: New York, Tulsa , Oklahoma, North Tulsa, Tulsa, Tulsa ; Cleveland ; New Orleans, Birmingham , Alabama, Fort Worth , Texas, Akron , Ohio, United, Cleveland, Chicago, Baltimore

☆ Biden to launch joint FTC-DOJ task force to crack down on 'unfair and illegal pricing'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., July 13, 2023. Kevin Wurm | ReutersPresident Joe Biden on Tuesday will launch a new task force to take on "unfair and illegal" corporate pricing, which Biden sees as a major reason why consumers are not yet feeling the impact of cooling inflation rates and a strong economy. The task force will be jointly led by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, two agencies at the forefront of the Biden administration's aggressive regulatory agenda over the past three years. The announcements and the meeting are part of Biden's ongoing crusade against corporate pricing practices that he claims are unfair. Lael Brainard, vice chair of the US Federal Reserve, speaks during an interview in Washington, DC, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022.

Persons: Lina Khan, Kevin Wurm, Joe Biden, Biden, Antitrust Jonathan Kanter, Khan, Kanter, Jonathan Kanter, Kevin Dietsch, Lael Brainard, inhalers, Brainard, Andrew Harrer Organizations: Federal Trade, Federal Trade Commission, Capitol, Washington , D.C, Department of Justice, Biden, Force, Antitrust, Justice Department, White, Competition Council, Economic, Consumer Financial, Agriculture Department, US Federal Reserve, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: Washington ,, Washington , DC, U.S

☆ Co-defendant in Sen. Bob Menendez corruption case pleads guilty
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jose Uribe leaves the Federal Court, after a hearing on bribery charges, in New York City, U.S. September 27, 2023. A co-defendant in the criminal corruption case against Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded guilty in New York federal court on Friday and agreed to cooperate with the prosecution of the New Jersey Democrat. Menendez's co-defendant Joe Uribe pleaded guilty to seven counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services fraud, and obstruction of justice. The other defendants in the case — Menendez, the senator's wife Nadine, and two other New Jersey businessmen — are scheduled to stand trial beginning May 6 in Manhattan federal court. The Clifton, New Jersey, resident and other two businessmen men were accused of having a "corrupt relationship" with Menendez and Nadine Menendez.

Persons: Jose Uribe, Sen, Bob Menendez, Menendez's, Joe Uribe, — Menendez, Nadine, —, Uribe, Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Wael Hana Organizations: New, New Jersey Democrat, Mercedes, Benz, Agriculture Department, Senate Foreign Locations: New York City, U.S, New York, New Jersey, Jersey, Manhattan, Clifton , New Jersey, Egypt

☆ Blocking Kroger’s mega-merger with Albertsons won’t save your local grocery store
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

High grocery prices helped scuttle the dealInflation at the grocery store loomed over the proposed merger. Over the past four years, grocery prices have risen significantly,” the FTC said in its lawsuit. Kroger had committed to invest $500 million in lower prices and $1.3 billion to improve Albertsons’ stores if the merger cleared. Yet consolidation in the grocery sector is growing, and small grocery stores are struggling. Traditional grocery stores have also lost ground to Walmart, Costco, dollar stores and online retailers during that span.

Persons: it’s, Kroger, Ash, “, ” Greg Ferrara, Joe Biden, Lina Khan, Khan, Marc Perrone, ” Sen, Elizabeth Warren, ” Joe Feldman Organizations: New, New York CNN, Kroger, Albertsons ’, Albertsons, Walmart, FTC, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Albertsons Cos, Safeway, Bloomberg, Getty, Agriculture Department, Costco, Independent, National Grocers Association, Meta, Microsoft, Unions, Democrats, Food, Commercial Workers ’, ”, Top Democratic, Twitter, Aldi, Activision, Telsey Advisory Locations: New York, Scottsdale , Arizona

☆ Kellogg’s CEO faces backlash for saying people should eat cereal for dinner to save money
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In an interview with CNBC last week, WK Kellogg CEO Pilnick said the company was advertising cereal for dinner to consumers looking for more affordable options. CNBC host Carl Quintanilla asked Pilnick if encouraging weary customers to eat cereal for dinner could “land the wrong way.”Pilnick thought the opposite. Cereal prices alone increased 28% since January of 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food brands under fireDespite the CEO’s assurances, Kellogg’s advertisement and Pilnick’s comments have led to a backlash on social media. They note that boxes of popular cereals now cost more than $7 and cereal is not an adequate substitution for a full dinner.

Persons: New York CNN —, Gary Pilnick’s, WK Kellogg, Pilnick, Bran, ” Pilnick, hasn’t, Carl Quintanilla, Kellogg, TikTok, CorporateGreed ”, McDonald’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNBC, Wall Street, US Agriculture Department Food, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: New York, Darien , Connecticut

☆ Why California Officials Killed Cedar, a Little Girl's Pet Goat
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Usually, when a child sells an animal at the county fair, some local macher buys it for more than its market value. All they were waiting for, apparently, was approval from the Shasta County district attorney. "More important for livestock producers is how the Shasta County Fair and the Shasta County sheriff — both unencumbered by intelligence — created a bonanza for animal rights zealots." Cedar was livestock, and many people can't even conceive that livestock like Cedar can be something more than food. (The California Department of Food and Agriculture, the Shasta fair, and the county sheriff all declined my requests for comment.)

Persons: might've, let's, wouldn't, E, reenacted, It's, Jessica Long, Bobo, Megan Dahle, Sen, Brian Dahle, Gavin Newsom, Cedar, Dahle, Long, Agriculture —, didn't, wasn't, —, we'll, Leslie Irvine, Irvine, Irving, they've, Ryan Gordon, Colter Ellis, Charlie Thieriot, Jessica Long's, Gordon, they'll, Adam Rogers Organizations: Fair, Animals Cedar, Republican, California ., California Department of Food, Agriculture, Twitter, Hearts, University of California, Animals, Business Locations: Shasta, Northern California, America, California, Napa, Sonoma, Shasta County, Irvine, Seco, Texas, Mississippi

NEW YORK (AP) — Student and legal advocacy groups are petitioning the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lift the interview requirement for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applicants to receive food aid. The groups argue the interview requirement is burdensome and prevents those who qualify for food aid from receiving it. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesEligible households next receive a notice indicating their certification period, or how long they'll receive SNAP benefits. But interviews are not mandated by the federal statute governing the SNAP program, the organizations petitioning the government note. A 2021 review of enrollment data in California found that 31% of SNAP applicants in Los Angeles County were denied SNAP due to missing their interview, compared to just 6% who were denied for failing to meet eligibility requirements.

Persons: Aviana Kimani, Kimani, it’s, ” Kimani, “, you’re, Allan Rodriguez, Ty Jones Cox, ”, Aaron Ament, Charles Schwab Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, Nutrition Assistance, SNAP, Student Legal Defense Network, Center for Law, Social, California, Aid, Department of Agriculture, West Los Angeles College, Agriculture Department, Center for Budget, Student, Associated Press, Charles, Charles Schwab Foundation, Inc, AP Locations: California, Los Angeles County

☆ Large Farmers Received Millions in Insurance Subsidies, Report Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The federal government provided millions of dollars in subsidies to large farmers to pay for much of the cost of their crop insurance policies last year, according to a Government Accountability Office report set to be released on Monday. The federal crop insurance program is intended to encourage farmers to protect their crops against natural disasters, extreme weather and other destructive events by purchasing private insurance that is heavily subsidized with taxpayer dollars. Under the program, farmers can buy insurance policies to help cover financial losses from crop price declines and poor yields resulting from natural disasters. The cost of the federal crop insurance program ballooned last year, reaching $17.3 billion in 2022, according to Agriculture Department data. In 2021, the program cost the federal government roughly $9.4 billion, according to Agriculture Department data.

Organizations: Agriculture Department

☆ The Asian longhorned tick spreading across the US can clone itself thousands of times and even kill cattle
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The ticks turned out to be an invasive species, the Asian longhorned tick, newly established in Ohio. The curious case of the dead cattleAsian longhorned ticks are tiny and can be difficult to distinguish between other species. Risa Pesapane/Ohio State UniversityPesapane and her colleagues suggest the Ohio cattle died from blood loss. Asian longhorned ticks are hard to spot, contain, and killTiny and brown, the ALT is hard to distinguish from other types of ticks, making it difficult to spot. AdvertisementCattle are the preferred meal of Asian longhorned ticks.

Persons: —, Risa Pesapane, Pesapane, It's, Oleksandr Melnyk, Kevin Lahmers, Lahmers, Joellen Lampman, Lampman, Ohio State University Pesapane, it's, There's, Ikeda Organizations: Service, Ohio State, Medical Entomology, Pesapane, US Department of Agriculture, Getty Images, Virginia - Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ohio State University, Plant Health, Yale School of Public Health Locations: Ohio, West Virginia, But Ohio, East Asia, Virginia, United States, New Zealand, North Carolina, Lyme, Rocky

☆ Southeast Asia a high priority market: U.S. agriculture official
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSoutheast Asia is an 'extremely high priority' market for us: U.S. agriculture department officialAlexis Taylor, under secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, says China will continue to be an important market even as the U.S. pursues diversification.

Persons: Alexis Taylor Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture Locations: Asia, U.S, China

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will be in Arizona to talk about power grid and clean energy investment in the rural Southwest. Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough plans to visit Iowa to discuss improving access to medical care for veterans in rural areas. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will be in North Carolina talking about health care access in rural areas. Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su will be in Pennsylvania to discuss boosting employment opportunities in rural areas. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai will head to Indiana to discuss how international trade can benefit rural farmers and producers.

Persons: Joe Biden, Dean Phillips of, Biden, Phillips, Tom Vilsack, White, Vilsack, Deb Haaland, Jennifer Granholm, Denis McDonough, Isabel Guzman, Miguel Cardona, Xavier Becerra, Julie Su, Katherine Tai Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic Rep, Dean Phillips of Minnesota, Administration, White, Smart Commodities, Agriculture Department, Farmers of, Energy, Southwest . Veterans, Small Business Administration, Education, Human Services, Labor, U.S . Trade Locations: Minnesota, America, Indiana, Farmers of America, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Southwest, Iowa, Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, U.S

Cows That Survived Connecticut Truck Crash Are Doing Fine, Get Vet's OK to Head on to OhioConnecticut's Agriculture Department says 30 cows that survived a truck tipover that killed 14 others on a Connecticut highway this week have gotten a veterinary check and are cleared to complete their journey

Organizations: Ohio Connecticut's Agriculture Department Locations: Ohio, Connecticut

☆ Analysis: Bumper US corn harvest sinks prices, pushes global supply to surplus
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Mark Weinraub | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A bumper harvest will strain storage capacity and hold down prices of the world's most traded commodity crop. Already corn prices are trending near three-year lows at a time when some food prices are rising due to tight supplies of other staples like rice, stoking inflation worries. Just 16 months ago corn prices were at their highest in a decade as the war in Ukraine disrupted supplies from the Black Sea breadbasket. USDA forecast that domestic corn supplies would jump 55% to 2.111 billion bushels in the 2023/24 marketing year, helping push the global stockpile to a five-year high by September 2024. Some growers need to take out loans to fund their operations as they wait and hope corn prices will rise.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, Steve Pitstick, Pitstick, Stephen Nicholson, Bill Roenigk, Harold Wolle, Wolle, Tom Polansek, Caroline Stauffer, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Agriculture Department, Brazil, Rabobank, Corn, Maine Foods, U.S, Growers, Thomson Locations: Kelley , Iowa, U.S, PARK , Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, Ukraine, Cal

☆ Craft beer, marriages and air travel: The collateral damage of a government shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Staff, meanwhile, have been forced to put their real jobs on hold to prepare for the looming shutdown. National parksThe National Park Service plans to close its parks and furlough park rangers if the government shuts down on Sunday. During the 2018-2019 shutdown, the parks themselves remained accessible, but without most services. Some presidential libraries would remain open as long as they have sufficient funds, but others would close and research services would be reduced. A shutdown would result in a "data blackout" of critical economic statistics that influence markets and businesses around the globe.

Persons: Donald Trump, that's, Biden, Joshua, Armando L, Sanchez, Pete Buttigieg, they're, White, Treasury Department furloughed, shutdowns Organizations: Yosemite, Fresno Bee, Tribune, Service, Getty, White House Council, Economic Advisers, Management, Staff, National Park Service, Park Service, Department of Interior, NBC, Congressional Research Service, National Zoo, U.S . Holocaust, Museum, National, Science, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, FBI Agents Association, FBI, Air, Transportation Security, LaGuardia, TSA, O'Hare International, State Department, Consular, Education Department, AmeriCorps, Agriculture Department, Assistance, Women, Small Business Administration, Federal Housing Administration, Social, Consumer, Food and Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Labor, —, Social Security, Medicare, Treasury Department, Foreign Assets Control, Russia Locations: El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, Washington, Civil, U.S, Europe, Southeast Asia, New Mexico, shutdowns, New York, Chicago, Russia, Iran, Ukraine

CNN —New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was charged on Friday with corruption-related offenses for the second time in 10 years. Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, are accused of accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes” in exchange for the senator’s influence, according to the newly unsealed federal indictment. This is the second set of corruption charges levied against Menendez by the Justice Department in a decade. Beginning in April, his wife sold gold bars worth as much as $400,000, according to the senator’s most recent financial disclosure form. Sen. Bob Menendez, his wife Nadine and Jose Uribe pictured in the indictment released Friday.

Persons: New Jersey Democratic Sen, Bob Menendez, Menendez, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, Cash, ”, ” Menendez, Nadine, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, Fred Daibes, Hana, Sen, MENENDEZ, Menendez ’, Jose, Uribe, Prosecutors, Salomon Melgen, Melgen, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, New, New Jersey Democratic, Prosecutors, Justice Department, Senate Democratic, Foreign Relations, Court Southern District of, Department of Agriculture, of Agriculture, Agriculture Department, EG, Hyatt, Court Southern District of New, The Justice Department, “ Locations: New Jersey, Court Southern District of New York, Jersey, Egypt, Washington, Paris

☆ If you're an American eating beef this weekend, there's a good chance you're a man or age 50 to 65
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Just 12% of Americans are eating half of all the beef consumed in the US in a day, a study found. There's a good chance beef is on the menu, especially for men or people ages 50 to 65. Beef produces an estimated 8 to 10 times more emissions than chicken, and 50 times more than beans. "Beef is an environmentally extravagant protein," Rose said. There's a way to cut back on beef in all of those dishes if you're concerned about your health or the environment."

Persons: Diego Rose, Rose, Erin McDowell Organizations: Service, Labor, Center for Biological, Tulane University School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine, Agriculture Locations: Argentina

☆ Spreading State Restrictions on China Show Depths of Distrust in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Alan Rappeport | More About Alan Rappeport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

They are likely to pose another challenge for the administration, which has dispatched several top officials to China in recent weeks to try to stabilize economic ties. But while Washington may see a relationship with China as a necessary evil, officials at the state and local levels appear determined to try to sever their economic relationship with America’s third-largest trading partner. “The shift that we have seen to the states is relatively recent, but it’s gaining strength.”One of the biggest targets has been Chinese landownership, despite the fact that China owns less than 400,000 acres in the United States, according to the Agriculture Department. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a powerful interagency group known as CFIUS that can halt international business transactions, reviewed the proposal but ultimately decided that it did not have the jurisdiction to block the plan. However, the Air Force, citing the mill’s proximity to a U.S. military base, said this year that China’s involvement was a national security risk, and local officials scuttled the project.

Persons: ”, Mario Mancuso, Kirkland & Ellis Organizations: Kirkland &, Agriculture Department, Fufeng USA, Foreign Investment, Air Force Locations: China, United States, Washington, American, Grand Forks, N.D, U.S

☆ An Invasive Hornet Species Is Spotted in the U.S. for the First Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Rebecca Carballo | More About Rebecca Carballo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An invasive hornet species was spotted this month in the United States for the first time, and state officials in Georgia, fearing it could harm the agriculture industry, said they were working with federal officials and academic experts to eradicate it. A beekeeper in Savannah, Ga., discovered an unusual insect on his property and reported it to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, which worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the University of Georgia to confirm that it was a yellow-legged hornet. Native to tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia, the yellow-legged hornet could threaten the state’s honey production, native pollinators and agriculture industry, the state’s Agriculture Department said in a statement on Tuesday. The species’ appearance is troubling because the hornet preys on honeybees, said Chuck Bargeron, director of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia.

Persons: Chuck Bargeron Organizations: Georgia Department of Agriculture, U.S . Department of Agriculture’s, Plant Health, Service, University of Georgia, state’s Agriculture Department, Center Locations: United States, Georgia, Savannah , Ga, Southeast Asia

Burps are the top source of methane emissions from cattle. The company this spring began marketing semen with the methane trait in 80 countries. Selecting for the low methane trait could lock in lower and lower emissions for successive generations, she said. Semex is not initially charging extra for the methane trait, said Michael Lohuis, Semex's vice-president of research and innovation. Juha Nousiainen, senior vice-president at Valio, a Finnish dairy, warned that breeding cattle to burp less methane could create digestive problems.

Persons: Nathan Frandino, Loewith's, Loewith, Drew Sloan, Frank Mitloehner, University of California Davis, Mitloehner, Lactanet, Christine Baes, Baes, Michael Lohuis, Burger, Lohuis, Juha Nousiainen, Rod Nickel, Caroline Stauffer, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Johann, REUTERS, University of California, University of Guelph, University of Alberta, biosciences, Canadian, Ottawa, Nestle, Burger King, Restaurant Brands, Thomson Locations: Fresno , California, U.S, WINNIPEG , Manitoba, Lynden , Ontario, Semex, Britain, US, Slovakia, United States, New Zealand, Valio, Winnipeg , Manitoba

☆ These states are restoring free school meals for all kids, regardless of income
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pandemic offered a 'trial run' for free meals"The pandemic was a trial run and it worked," Crystal FitzSimons, FRAC's director of school and out-of-school time programs, said of the universal free school meals. Inflationary pressures have since pushed up prices in many school districts, which have contended with higher costs for food and labor, said Diane Pratt-Heavner, a spokeswoman for the School Nutrition Association. Since local school districts set their own prices, they can "vary widely" across the country, the School Nutrition Association said. Loss of free meals may lead to hardshipIn 2021, the National School Lunch Program provided 2.2 billion meals, about 99% of which were at a free or reduced price, according to USDA data. Kids from "food-insecure and marginally food-secure" households are more likely to eat school meals, according to the USDA.

Persons: Crystal FitzSimons, FitzSimons, Diane Pratt, Saied Toossi Organizations: Agriculture Department, School Nutrition, School Nutrition Association, USDA, Sdi

☆ Divided Over Money and Policy, House G.O.P. Punts on Spending Bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Carl Hulse | More About Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

House Republicans abandoned efforts to pass a spending bill to fund the Agriculture Department and the F.D.A. Caught between hard-right conservatives who wanted tens of billions of dollars cut from the legislation and more mainstream Republicans who oppose abortion-related restrictions that the far right insisted upon adding, G.O.P. The House did manage to approve its first spending bill of the year, to fund veterans programs and military construction projects. Democrats said the bill shortchanged construction by more than $1.5 billion and limited abortion access for women serving in the military. The spending clashes encapsulated the difficulties ahead for Republicans as Speaker Kevin McCarthy tries to mollify conservatives by cutting spending and adding culture-war provisions without losing the support of more mainstream Republicans, particularly those in districts won by President Biden.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Biden Organizations: Republicans, Agriculture Department, Democrats

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