Pruitt on the ropes? (Politico): White House chief of staff John Kelly has reportedly considered firing embattled EPA head Scott Pruitt. Pruitt has gotten negative headlines for his high security and travel costs.
Minnesota ponders water future (Northfield News): The majority of Minnesota residents think the state is making strides toward cleaning up water pollution from factories and sewage treatment plants, but agricultural runoff and mining waste still threaten groundwater.
Isabella’s code of silence (Washington Post): Mike Isabella, a celebrity chef recently accused of sexual harassment, allegedly had employees sign sweeping non-disclosure agreements that prevented them from exposing the culture of harassment at his restaurants.
Proposed chicken plant sparks protest (Cape Gazette): Some residents of Millsboro, Delaware are protesting the announcement of a new Allen Harim chicken deboning plant in the area, fearing pollution from the plant would contaminate groundwater. (We wrote last week about another poultry-related conflict in Millsboro, that one involving a Mountaire poultry processing plant.)
Glyphosate tied to earlier births (Reuters): A small Indiana study found that women with higher concentrations of the weedkiller glyphosate in their urine were more likely to give birth earlier.
Farm bill tied up in election-year politics (DTN/Progressive Farmer): Former agriculture secretary Mike Johanns says mid-term elections and fight over food stamps reduce the chances for passage of a new farm bill this year.
The symbiosis of Iowa and China (The Atlantic): One interpretation of the flow of Iowa corn, soybeans and pork to China: Middle-class Chinese consumers keep Iowa farmers in business.
Farmland prices fall 5 percent in Minnesota (Farm Journal): Sales data analyzed by the University of Minnesota indicate a median value of $4,625 per acre of farmland, a decline of 5.4 percent in 2017 and part of an overall decline in farmland values in the upper Midwest.