Heading into the final weeks of the growing season, U.S. corn and soybeans were in extraordinary condition, said USDA. Its weekly Crop Progress report said 74 percent of corn was in good or excellent condition, up 1 point from the previous week, and 72 percent of soybeans were good or excellent, up 2 points. Eight percent of corn was mature, half the usual figure for the final days of August. U.S. corn and soybean harvests are forecast to set records this fall.

Americans score poorly when assessed for a healthy diet, says a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers say the U.S. average improved to 46.8 in 2010 from the initial 39.9 in 1999 on a scale of 110. More than half of the improvement came from lower consumption of trans fats. The 29,124 adults in the study also ate more whole fruit, whole grains, and legumes and nuts while cutting back on sugary beverages.

fter years of culling herds in the face of high grain prices, U.S. livestock producers "finally have a positive multiple-year outlook," writes economist Chris Hurt of Purdue U, boosted by more affordable commodity prices, waning of drought in the southern Plains and higher household income. "Animal industries are expected to be in a mini-boom phase in coming years led by rising per capita consumption, continued small growth in U.S. population, and growing export demand," Hurt says at farmdoc daily. Some cropland will return to pasture.

It's sorghum, one of the major grain crops of the world yet eclipsed in the United States by the expanding range of corn and soybeans. In Africa and parts of Asia, sorghum is a food crop but in the U.S. market, it is primarily used in livestock rations and as an ethanol feedstock, says the Whole Grains Council. It's gaining some recognition as a gluten-free grain that can substitute for wheat flour in many recipes - muffins, pizza, cakes and casseroles are examples.

A series of 11 nutritional studies published in the journal Pediatrics indicate that dietary preferences are determined during infancy, says the New York Times. It says researchers compared the diets of 1,500 six-year-olds to their food patterns during their first year. Says the Times story: "(W)hen infants had infrequent consumption of fruits and vegetables, they also had infrequent consumption at 6,” said Kelley Scanlon, an epidemiologist at the C.D.C. and the senior author of a few of the new studies.

State Sen Chris McDaniel was expected to hold a news conference today to say if he will appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court or accept defeat in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, says the Jackson (Miss) Clarion-Ledger. Judge Hollis McGehee dismissed on Friday a lawsuit by McDaniel contesting the victory of six-term Sen Thad Cochran in the June 24 run-off. The judge agreed with Cochran's argument that there was a 20-day deadline to file challenges and that McDaniel filed too late.

Farmers around the world are boosting corn production by 12 percent, or 112 million tonnes, since drought-hit 2012, says the International Grains Council. Larger corn crops are the major reason for the surge in global grain production notwithstanding a record-large wheat crop this season, forecast for 713 million tonnes. IGC, based in London, estimated the global corn crop at 973 million tonnes this year, led by 355 million tonnes in the United States, more than a third of the world total. China is the second-largest grower, with 22 percent of the world crop.

"California could soon become the last state in the West to regulate water pulled from beneath the earth," says the Sacramento Bee. The Legislature passed a three-bill package on Friday that Gov Jerry Brown is expected to sign. It would require local water managers in certain parts of the state to draft plans within a few years to prevent extraction of too much water from the ground. The state could step in if the local plans are insufficient or not enforced.

For the last two summers, the sailboat Ceres has traveled the Hudson River, "carrying all manner of small-scale, artisanal farm products to eager consumers in New York City and at river towns along the way," writes Antonio Roman-Alcala at Civil Eats.

Grocery shoppers will pay record-level prices for beef and pork through 2015, says a University of Missouri think tank.

The Agriculture Department put on the Internet a "tool" to help growers assess how the Supplemental Coverage Option would apply to their crops and the approximate cost of the coverage.

The government announced a new approach to supporting dairy farmers, with enrollment to begin on Tuesday and conclude on Nov 28.

The chances of the U.S. Southwest suffering a decade-long drought are at least 50 percent, thanks to climate change, says a team of researchers.

In a 149-page environmental assessment, the Agriculture Department says untoward impacts "are unlikely" from a field test of genetically engineered diamondback moths.

U.S. farm exports are headed for a record $152.5 billion in the fiscal year ending on Sept 30, says the Agriculture Department.

Sam Kass holds a variety of titles - White House chef, food policy advisor, executive director of the "Let's Move" initiative, says the New York Times in a profile story ahead of Kass' wedding this weekend.

Corn, soybean and wheat prices fell during August amid forecasts of a record fall harvest, said the monthly Agricultural Prices report.

Crop tours generate a lot of attention with their estimates of crop yields or output but the organizers often say little about the level of accuracy they represent.

The Agriculture Department set a 30-day comment period on its environmental assessment of a proposed release of genetically engineered diamondback moths in upstate New York.