Grocers yearn for higher prices (Bloomberg): Traditional grocery retailers are struggling to raise prices, facing both online competition from Amazon and Walmart and brick-and-mortar competition from lower-cost chains like Aldi and Lidl.
China halts soybean imports (Reuters): Amid the ongoing trade battle between the United States and China, soybean buyers from China haven’t signed any new deals for the commodity in the past two weeks.
After wildfires, more morels (New Food Economy): In the wake of western wildfires, foragers are finding an explosion of morel mushrooms. A Washington State company specializing in the sale of wild foods is donating part of its revenue to support injured firefighters.
Soda tax to pay for water stations (East Bay Express): Oakland’s soda tax advisory board has recommended that the city use $371,000 of tax revenues to pay for drinking water stations at 110 public schools and childcare centers.
Cover crop skepticism (Farm Journal): Cover crops are a popular approach for limiting farm runoff, but four farmers in northern Iowa point out their financial and practical limits.
‘Trump tariffs’ and Wisconsin ginseng (Washington Post): The ginseng farmers of north-central Wisconsin, a pillar of the local economy, are worried — as are producers across the country with specialized products such as lobsters or macadamia nuts — that they will suffer from Sino-U.S. trade turmoil.
Slowest planting season in four years (DTN/Progressive Farmer): Corn planting is running at its slowest rate since late April 2014, when only 6 percent of the crop was planted at this point. But forecasts for May should allow growers to catch up.
China’s role in overseas ag is exaggerated (USDA): China has more than $26 billion invested in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries overseas. While that’s a hefty amount, studies show that many Chinese projects turn out to be smaller — and less profitable — than promised.