Dollars or deforestation: Brazil would be able to reduce deforestation in the Amazon by as much as 40 percent if it received $1 billion in aid from other countries, including the United States, said the nation’s environment minister. (Reuters)
Easements on 5 million acres: Enrollment in USDA conservation easement programs has topped 5 million acres, including 110,000 acres signed up since last October. (USDA)
Drought in California: After two parched winters in a row, growers in California’s Central Valley expect sharply smaller water deliveries from federal irrigation projects. Officials are hoping that a 2014 state law will prevent the free-for-all pumping of groundwater that occurred during the previous drought, from 2012-16. (Los Angeles Times)
Cash for needles: Forest owners in the Southeast are making an estimated $200 million a year for raking and baling so-called pine straw, the needles that fall from pine trees, for use in landscaping. (Washington Post)
Added-sugar awareness: In a survey that examined one change to the “Nutrition Facts” label, more than seven out of 10 consumers said they were interested in knowing the amount of added sugars in food, and that they used the information to buy healthier products. (farmdoc Daily)