Pruitt’s pattern (New York Times): EPA chief Scott Pruitt’s dealings during his time as a politician in Oklahoma seem prophetic of the spending, housing, and political scandals that awaited him in Washington.
New leader at NIFA (Prairie Farmer): Thomas Shanower, a leader in USDA’s Agricultural Research Service since 2007, will become acting director of the research-funding National Institute of Food and Agriculture following the May 5 departure of Sonny Ramaswamy at the end of a six-year term as director, announced USDA.
Cage free? Not me, says Iowa (Stateline): Not only are Iowa politicians fighting rules for cage-free eggs in other states, the state requires WIC grocers to sell conventionally produced eggs alongside cage-free ones.
Limited results from work requirements (Washington Post): Wisconsin cut food stamp spending by 28 percent in four years when it imposed work requirements; 4 percent of 700,000 recipients found jobs, 12 percent lost benefits and did not report getting a job.
Food industry workers on SNAP (New Food Economy): In a decade, little has changed in this situation: “Thousands of people who work in fast-food and retail jobs don’t make enough money to buy groceries.”
A sorghum U-turn at sea (Reuters): At least five of the 20 cargo ships carrying 1.2 million tonnes of U.S. sorghum have changed course since China announced a 179 percent tariff on the feed grain as Sino-U.S. trade tensions mount.