Healthy meals a hard sell, no matter who makes them
Whether they bring food from home or buy food at school, children aren't eating healthy lunches, says a Bloomberg story about two small-scale studies.
Hong Kong bans poultry meat from Oregon county
Food safety officials in Hong Kong banned imports of poultry meat and products from Douglas County, Oregon, where avian influenza was found in a backyard poultry flock, said Xinhua.
Collin Peterson a modest favorite in early 2016 size-up
The ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson, rates as a modest favorite for re-election in 2016, says the political newsletter Sabato's Crystal Ball in an analysis issued 23 months before the election.
Virulent Asian-American strain of PEDv confirmed in Ukraine
The highly virulent Asian-American strain of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus was found on a 5,000-sow hog farm in Ukraine, says ThePigSite. It says some 30,000 piglets died on the farm "in a matter of weeks" and cites concern the virus could spread into Europe.
Corn and soybean harvests enter final stages
Only a fraction of the corn and soybean crops are still in the field, says the weekly Crop Progress report. It says 89 percent of corn and 94 percent of soybeans have been harvested.
On America’s grocery list – more fresh food, less processed
Grocery shoppers are spending less time, and money, in the center aisles of the supermarket, where the processed foods dwell and more time in the dairy case, meat counter and produce bins, says the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
House panel formally sets hearing on GMO labeling
The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday on labeling of GMO foods. The session, "Examining FDA's role in the regulation of genetically modified food ingredients," is expected to provide a...
Auditors find errors in USDA disaster relief payments
Livestock disaster aid cost more than $4 billion this year, more than expected, says Agri-Pulse, "even as auditors were finding that earlier payments under the program were rife with errors."
Oregon GMO referendum appears on track for a recount
The voter initiative in Oregon to require special labels on food made with genetically modified organisms appears to be headed for a recount.
School lunch vs brown bag, and visualizing 2,000 calories
Two studies suggest that school meals are more nutritious than meals packed at home, says the New York Times blog Well. The studies, conducted in urbanized Houston and in rural Virginia found the school food to be lower in fat and sugar than ...
Local meat, seafood, produce top food trends in 2015
A survey of professional chefs says the top food trends in 2015 are locally sourced meats and seafood, and locally grown produce, says the National Restaurant Association.
USDA mulls “reverse auction” to preserve fragile land
USDA proposes use of a reverse auction to maximize the environmental benefits of targeted enrollment of land into the Conservation Reserve, according to a Federal Register notice.
Larger US winter wheat crop expected in 2015
U.S. wheat growers will reap a crop of 1.57 billion bushels, up 14 percent from this year, according to forecaster Lanworth, says Reuters. The increase would be driven by higher yields as the central and southern Plains rebound for devastating drought.
Soybean plantings may climb despite downturn in price
U.S. farmers are likely to plant more land to soybeans in 2015 than they did this year despite lower commodity prices, says economist Dan O'Brien of Kansas State University.
Fall in cotton price discourages planting below the equator
Cotton plantings in the Southern Hemisphere are forecast for 3 million hectares in 2014/15, down 12 percent from last season and the smallest total in five years, due to low market prices, said the International Cotton Advisory Council.
Fifteen longform food stories in one serving
At Eater, features editor Helen Rosner lists "The year's 15 best longform food stories,"for those who want to gorge on a topic. There are two stories from Louisiana, one about gumbo and the other about a New Orleans dive bar.
Lower corn, soy and wheat prices for 2015 crops?
Analysts at the Congressional Budget Office are penciling lower prices for corn, wheat and soybeans into their budget assumptions, according to documents that circulated among commodity traders. The preliminary estimates are prepared for consultations with other agencies and will be refined in coming weeks.
Bird flu found in second state in Pacific Northwest
The highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza virus was confirmed in a backyard poultry flock in Winston, Oregon, said USDA in a "stakeholder announcement."
Toledo mayor asks federal action to prevent algae blooms
The government should give priority to protecting water quality in Lake Erie's watershed including a standard on blooms of toxic algae, said Toledo Mayor Michael Collins, four months after explosive growth of algae shut down his city's water supply. "If we continue to delay, the harm may be irreparable," Collins said during a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on voluntary work by farmers to control soil erosion and protect water purity.
World coffee crop falls for second year in a row
Global coffee production is forecast for 149.8 million bags weighing 60 kg apiece, down for the second year in a row, says USDA in its semi-annual Coffee: World Markets and Trade report.