Activists target McDonald’s (Civil Eats): Several animal-welfare organizations launched a new campaign against McDonald’s, pressuring the chain to require its main chicken suppliers, Tyson Foods and Keystone Foods, to improve their animal-welfare practices.
Senators align on weed (NPR): Sen. Chuck Schumer introduced legislation Friday that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, while Sens. Bernie Sanders and Kirsten Gillibrand co-sponsored Sen. Cory Booker’s bill to legalize pot.
Vines vs. oaks in Napa (San Francisco Chronicle): In 1968, Napa County supervisors declared agriculture to be the “highest and best use” of land in a county famed for wine making. Now, voters are deciding whether preservation of streams, oak trees and natural habitat should out-rank vineyard development.
California wins glyphosate labeling case (San Francisco Chronicle): A state appeals court ruled that California state officials have the authority to list glyphosate, the most widely used weedkiller in the world, as a possible carcinogen. In February, a U.S. district judge blocked the state from requiring Monsanto, which makes the chemical, to put a warning label on glyphosate containers.
‘Shared table’ in West Virginia (Beckley Register-Herald): Gov. Jim Justice’s office said the governor will sign a “shared table” bill authorizing public schools in West Virginia to distribute excess cafeteria food to students.
Bill Gates: Promise of CRISPR (Foreign Affairs): In an essay, philantropist Bill Gates says eradication of poverty and hunger will “require scientific discovery and technological innovations” including “CRISPR and other technologies for targeted gene editing.”
Two weeks for corn planting (farmdoc Daily): Corn Belt farmers need two weeks of suitable weather to plant the bulk of the U.S. corn crop, say two analysts who note the cold and rainy spring has raised doubt about getting the crop in the ground in time to prevent the yield declines.