Along with corn and hay, cattle at Iowa State University's Beef Nutrition Farm are consuming small doses of bacteria as part of their daily rations. It's part of research into alternatives to the antibiotics that are a common tool in livestock health, says Harvest Public Media.

U.S. law enforcement officials are calling on farms growing GMO seed to bolster their security against foreign nationals set on stealing the technology, says Reuters.

Nearly all of the 1,782 animals and plants listed under the Endangered Species Act are at risk from the two most commonly used pesticides, according to a new EPA report.

Seven-term U.S. Rep. Steve King says ethanol is the root cause of the challenge he faces in the Republican primary election to represent northwestern Iowa in the U.S. House. During the "Iowa Press" program on Iowa Public Television, King said it was a "a fair statement" that he attracted opposition because he supported Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the presidential caucuses.

Drought coverage in the United States dropped to a five-and-a-half-year low on March 15, when only 12.4 percent of the contiguous 48 states was affected. The figure climbed to 16.7 percent, an increase of 4.3 points, in the following three weeks, says USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey.

An investigation by the Austin American-Statesman newspaper says that, despite a Texas state law intended to assure migrant farmworkers have clean and safe housing, "many housing facilities elude the reach of the state's limited inspection effort."

Researchers at Clemson University "have begun the process of restoring a nearly extinct variety of wheat that traces its American roots to the 1700s," says Southeast Farm Press.

In the face of a proposal to curtail a program allowing free school meals for all children in high-poverty areas, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told lawmakers, "It would be unwise to roll back standards, saddle parents and school administrators with more paperwork or weaken assistance to our most vulnerable children."

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet's chances for re-election are strengthening while Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley's race merits closer attention, says the political website Sabato's Crystal Ball.

The Republican-controlled House Education Committee would reduce access to a program that allows schools in high-poverty areas to offer free meals to all of their students, says the School Nutrition Association.

The intramural squabble in the sweetener industry died out quietly, with the a trade group for corn syrup producers halting its efforts to curtail subsidies for sugar growers, said Reuters.

“Washington state and federal government spend taxpayer money on programs designed to fix the pollution problem, but recently only two of 17 reporting regions in Puget Sound showed any improvements in water quality,” says the Western Environmental Law Center.

A UN agency says prices for staple food grains, such as wheat or rice, "appear stable for at least another season" as a result of its forecast of large crops, ample stockpiles and relatively sluggish demand in the months ahead.

Known as WaterFix, California’s proposed $15-billion water project to divert the Sacramento River won’t bring much more water to farmers or cities, says the Los Angeles Times.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to reduce property taxes by up to $15,000 for owners who convert vacant lots in unincorporated parts of the county to agricultural use.

In February, the USDA proposed new standards for the number and variety of foods that retailers would have to stock if they want to be part of the food-stamp program. In a notice to be published in the Federal Register today, the USDA says "the average small store would need to add an additional 54 staple food items at a cost of around $140 in order to meet the proposed eligibility criteria."