JBS cleans beef plant (Farm Journal): Meatpacker JBS USA said its cattle slaughter plant in Greeley, Colorado, will be closed through Tuesday for cleaning and sanitization after two workers died and three dozen employees tested positive for the coronavirus; a labor union says 50 people are infected with the virus and more time is needed to clean the plant.
China buys U.S. wheat (USDA): Exporters reported the sale of 165,000 tonnes of U.S. hard red winter wheat, worth $30 million, to China, a week after Chinese buyers scooped up 567,000 tonnes of U.S. corn.
Dairy group wants 364-day H-2A visas (NMPF): To ease a labor crunch, a group representing dairy farmers asked the government to allow H-2A guestworker visas that last 364 days, similar to visas granted for goat and sheep herders.
Cows, not condos (Washington Post): There’s a stampede in parts of the West to so-called conservation easements, which give landowners tax breaks in exchange for preserving rangeland, which may shelter endangered species, protect fragile ecosystems and lock up water rights.
Dumped milk counts as marketed milk (USDA): The Risk Management Agency, which oversees crop insurance, said milk that is dumped due to coronavirus disruptions will be counted as marketed milk under two insurance policies — Dairy Revenue Production and Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy.
Big vertical farm in UAE (AeroFarms): Indoor grower AeroFarms plans to build a 90,000-square-foot indoor vertical farm in Abu Dhabi that will the largest of its type.
The local butcher is a drive-through (The Counter): Pennsylvania butcher Tod Auman hasn’t seen a customer set foot in his shop since March; it’s all grab-and-go as customers order in advance and want “things that could be put in a freezer.”