Avocados on the line (NBC): The United States would run out of avocados in three weeks if President Trump shuts down the Mexican border, as he has threatened.
One Whopper, please, hold the beef (New York Times): Burger King is introducing a version of its signature Whopper burger that features a vegetarian patty from Impossible Foods.
Costco plant update (Brownfield Ag News): Although just 90 of the expected 500 chicken barns needed to supply Costco’s new processing plant in Nebraska are built or under construction, the company managing the plant says it still plans to open its doors in September.
Trump taps Texan to be CFO at USDA (White House): Scott Soles, a Houston CPA with 30 years of experience, is the president’s choice to serve as chief financial officer at the USDA.
China buys more U.S. soy (USDA) China made back-to-back purchases of soybeans totaling 1.644 million tonnes worth $14.7 million over the weekend. High-level trade talks between the nations resume on Thursday in Washington after a round in Beijing.
Housing costs surge in rural areas (Tribune News Service): Nearly a quarter of the most rural counties in the nation — defined as those where the largest town has fewer than 10,000 residents — have experienced a sizable increase this decade in the number of households that spend at least half of their income on housing.
States mull soda taxes (AP): Legislators in at least six states — California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont — have proposed taxes on sugary beverages this year. The last state to enact such a tax was Arkansas, in 1992.