Researchers map ‘ridiculously complex’ wheat genome (Ars Technica): Known as the staff of life, and the source of one-fifth of calories consumed by humans, wheat is notoriously difficult to understand. After 13 years of work, scientists have mapped the genome of a bread wheat cultivar.
Utility liability in wildfires (Los Angeles Times): California legislators abandoned efforts to craft a new liability standard for electric utilities whose equipment is involved in a wildfire. Led by Pacific Gas and Electric, utilities said it was unfair that they can be held liable for damage even if they follow existing safety rules.
Quinoa prices slump (BBC News): The quinoa boom drove up prices of the “super food” grain native to the Andes and boosted the incomes of farmers in Peru, which grows half the world supply. But prices have fallen 75 percent since 2014 as growers in other countries cash in.
‘Mary had a little lamb’ (Modern Farmer): There really was a Massachusetts farm girl, Mary Sawyer, who had a pet lamb that with some help, followed her to school. And in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, a literary dispute was born.
Farming at Trump International (NBC News): Federal agencies have spent almost $56,000 at Trump International Hotel, blocks from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, including almost $12,000 by USDA. The Defense Department spent the most since Trump took office, more than $29,000.
Iowa: strong but vulnerable (New York Times): The Iowa unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the nation, but the Hawkeye State also is one of the most vulnerable states to a trade war.