The United Arab Emirates, after successful field trials in 2014, is working with its farmers to establish quinoa as a commercial crop on the Arabian peninsula, says Food Navigator.

Americans buy more food, in terms of calories, after the year-end holidays than during the holiday season, often maligned as a period of over-indulgence, says a study in PLOS ONE, according to Feedstuffs.

Two new laws take effect in California on Jan 1 - a requirement for egg farmers to give laying hens more room to move around and a ban on import of eggs from outside California if the hens are not given similar freedom of movement.

Farmers planted an eye-popping 30 percent of the corn crop, or more than 43,000 square miles of land, in the week ending on Sunday, according to USDA's Crop Progress report. After lagging for weeks due to rain, planting surged to reach the average pace of nearly 60 percent for this time of year. It is a remarkable leap but not uncommon.

The provincial government of Ontario proposed a three-point initiative to reduce use of corn and soybean seed treated with neonicotinoid pesticides by 80 percent by 2017, to reduce over-wintering deaths of honeybees by 15 percent by 2020 and to develop a comprehensive plan for pollinator health, says the CBC.

After several years of constrained supplies, pork production will climb by 5 percent this year, says economist Chris Hurt of Purdue. "Pork producers are gearing up to provide their customers with what they want and that is 'More Pork' and 'More Bacon,'"...

"A pungent, turnip-like vegetable called maca, heralded as a cancer-fighting superfood and sold on the shelves of supermarkets like Whole Foods," is grown in the Andes in Peru and is the new global rock star of the food world, says the New York Times.

Roughly 1 million people - 2 percent of current enrollment - will be cut off of food stamps during 2016 as states re-impose the three-month limit on benefits to unemployed adults from ages 18-50 who are not disabled or raising children...

Livestock producers can anticipate strong returns in coming years in a "mini-boom" that could last for several years, says Purdue economist Chris Hurt in a university news release.

The world's largest rice grower and consumer, China, renewed the biosafety certificates for five additional years for two varieties of genetically engineered rice developed within the country, says Reuters.

County clerks have recounted half of the ballots, and the Oregon initiative for labeling GMO food has lost ground slightly. Measure 92 lost by 812 votes in the election-night tally. The "no" side has netted a gain of two votes with 22 of 36 counties reporting the results of their recounts, according to data posted by the Secretary of State's office. The recount should be complete by mid-week.

Forget about super-sizing. Portion size at three major fast-food chains changed little from 1996-2013, say researchers at Tufts. In a pair of reports, they say sodium, fat and calorie totals "stayed relatively constant albeit at high levels," according to a Tufts release.

New Jersey Gov Chris Christie vetoed a bill to ban sow crates, "a move that will win favor with Iowa farmers and spark more speculation about Christie's presidential aspirations but cause outrage among animal rights activists who pushed for the ban," says CNN.

An updated risk assessment for chlorpyrifos, a pesticide, shows "additional restrictions may be necessary to ensure that workers who use or work around areas treated with chlorpyrifos are protected and that drinking water sources are protected," says an EPA release.

Two researchers collected new tree-ring samples from blue oak trees in central and southern California to see how the state's three-year drought compares to weather in the past.

Ireland is the first European country to regain access to U.S. sales following removal of trade restrictions put in place against mad cow disease 15 years ago, says Irish Times.

The shipping season is ending early on the upper reaches of the Mississippi River because ice is making navigation difficult. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the towboat Mary K Cavarra passed through Lock and Dam 2 near Hastings, Minn, on Thursday.

There are a lot of small farms in the United States and 200,000-300,000 large-scale operations that dominate production of the major row crops.

During negotiations over a long-term spending bill, "(c)hild nutrition standards backed by First Lady Michelle Obama were in play," says Politico.

The world's largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods Inc, says more than 70 percent of its pregnant sows are in group housing, part of a shift from so-called sow crates that limit their movement, says Associated Press.