Glickman, Veneman and Vilsack: Make nutrition No. 1 (The Hill): In an essay, three former agriculture secretaries — two Democrats and one Republican — say diet quality should be a core SNAP objective in farm bill negotiations, not arguments over “work requirements for a relatively small percentage of SNAP recipients.”
Childcare rare in farm country (The New Food Economy): Farm families face unique challenges in finding childcare, from cultural expectations of self-sufficiency to seasonal shifts in schedules and inconsistent revenue flows. Scarcity of childcare is a problem for female farmers.
The three-finger glove for fried chicken (Timeout Tokyo): From the company that declared its fried chicken is finger-licking good: The three-finger glove for the fastidious diner. KFC Japan offers the glove so customers can eat fried chicken while keeping two fingers free for using their cellphones.
Birds are disappearing in Mojave Desert (Arizona Republic): In retracing the route of survey teams from a century ago, researchers reached a startling discovery: Bird populations in the Mojave Desert have suffered a massive collapse due to climate change.
Ag appropriator is in toss-up race (Sabato’s Crystal Ball): Rep. Kevin Yoder, narrowly elected to a fourth term in 2018, is in a toss-up race against Democratic nominee Sharice Davids in a suburban Kansas City district. The contest previously was rated as “leans Republican.” If elected, Davids would be the first native American woman in Congress.
Invest in local food, says BFI (Berkeley Food Initiative): In a policy brief, BFI says investing in local and regional food systems is a sure way to help rural communities, and makes five recommendations for the 2018 farm bill, including additional funding for farmers markets and the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive grant program to help SNAP recipients buy fresh fruit and vegetables.