Slowed by a cold and wet spring, farmers have planted 29 pct of corn land in the 18 major states, 13 points behind the five-year average of 42 pct planted by the first week of May, says the weekly Crop Progress report. A week ago, planting, at 19 pct, was 9 points behind average. If corn is planted after May 20, yields are lower.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack and two California agriculture leaders called on the Republican-controlled House to vote soon on immigration reform. Vilsack, who said he was confident a reform bill would pass, said Republican leaders should "do what leaders are supposed to do.

Some 70 pct of U.S. farmers have Internet access, up 14 points in five years, says the new Census of Agriculture, based on a 2012 survey. After trailing for years, the farm access rate is similar to the U.S. avg. The Census Bureau says a 2011 survey found 72 pct of U.S. households used the Internet at home.

Kansas, often the No 1 wheat state in the nation, will reap its smallest harvest since 1996 due to drought and freeze damage, scouts estimated at the end of the annual wheat tour. The crop was pegged at 260.7 mln bu with an avg yield of 33.2 bu/ac, said Bloomberg, compared to 319.2 mln bu last year with a statewide yield of 38.0 bu/ac. "Output...would be the lowest since 255.2 mln (bu) in 1996." Analysts had expected a crop of 299 mln bu.

There is new momentum for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement among a dozen nations, as a result of last week's U.S.-Japan talks, said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. During a Senate Finance hearing, Froman said the talks in Tokyo "identified a path forward on agriculture and autos, two of the most challenging areas."

The government should give farmers a discount on crop insurance premiums if they plant cover crops or use no-till practices, said Claire O'Connor of the Natural Resources Defense Council during a teleconference on climate change. She said it would encourage practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also protect soil and water quality.

Drought intensified in winter wheat states during April, a crucial period for crop development, according to USDA's AginDrought site. Ten pct of winter wheat land is under exceptional drought, the direst rating on a five-point scale of drought conditions, this week, compared to 4 pct at the start of the month.

Federal and private-sector scientists are looking at a variety of steps to help the honeybee population recover from a startling drop off in population. Winter losses average more than 30 pct, double the rate a quarter-century ago. There were 3 mln colonies in 1987 and 2.5 mln colonies now with a shorter avg lifespan.

Many poor neighborhoods are close to a supermarket - 86 pct are within a mile, says Tufts associate professor Parke Wilde in his U.S. Food Policy blog. That's a shorter distance than commonly thought and a shorter trip than faces higher-income people, according to research by Wilde and colleagues.

The annual Kansas wheat tour moved through southwestern and southern Kansas on Wednesday and scouts projected an average yield of 30.8 bu/ac, compared to 37.1 bu/ac last year and the five-year avg of 38.8 bu/ac. The first day of the tour also found drought-reduced yields.

Arlo Crawford writes in The Atlantic about his father's role in getting the kitchen garden going at the White House. Jim Crawford, a truck farmer in Pennsylvania, "was asked to provide seedlings from our greenhouse, help adjust the soil quality, offer some tips about pest control, and generally advise," he writes in a story that describes the turn of seasons and a garden-level view of food politicking.

Americans are consuming 9 pct less red meat and poultry per person than a decade ago, the result of rising prices and lower production. The 2007/08 recession also was a factor. Per capita consumption is estimated for 200.6 lbs this year, compared to 222 lbs in 2004, according to the Agriculture Department.

Americans believe USDA's organic label on food means no antibiotics and no synthetic pesticides were used in producing the food, says Consumer Reports in objecting to exemptions to those general rules.

The big questions for the emerging Big Data era in agriculture will be resolved in the next couple of years, a panel of experts said on Tuesday, although none suggested the likely results.

AgSec Vilsack, saying "there is no question the opportunity for immigration reform is now," urged House Republican leaders to "pass something so you create a vehicle" for a House-Senate compromise.

A study by a University of Guelph researcher, published in Global Change Biology, says wetlands are the likely source of a recent and surprising increase in emissions of methane.

With a wet and cool spring in the Farm Belt, "it would not be surprising for (corn) acreage to fall short of intentions, particularly in northern growing areas," says economist Darrel Good of U-Illinois at farmdocdaily, unless corn prices improve.

House Speaker Boehner told fellow Republicans there was no "conspiracy" to move an immigration reform bill this summer, says Roll Call.

A panel of scientists reviewed the arguments over labeling genetically engineered foods and concluded, "There is no science-based reason to single out GE foods and feeds for mandatory process-based labeling...

In a monthly update, the Agriculture Department stuck to its forecast of a 3 pct annual increase in food prices this year.