Today’s quick hits, August 14, 2018

Glyphosate assailed around the world (Phys.org): Following the California jury verdict against Monsanto, a global survey finds glyphosate is under challenge in Brazil and Argentina, facing a phase-out in France and enjoying a reprieve in Sri Lanka following an import ban in 2015.

‘Big swathes of distress’ in western Canada (Globe and Mail): Drought covers much of Canada’s western provinces, home to 80 percent of the country’s farmable land, forcing livestock producers to cull herds as feed shortages loom and field crops are parched.

Sales of toddler formula soar (HuffPo): Toddler formula, marketed as a supplment for children 9 months and older,  is the fastest-growing sales category for formula makers globally although nutrition experts say young children can get all the nutrients they need from solid foods.

At restaurants, USDA says ‘reasonably’ organic is okay (New York Times): Unlike growers who have to be certified as organic producers, restaurants can call their food organic if they make a “reasonable” effort to use organic ingredients, says a USDA official. There is no precise definition of what a reasonable effort is.

Dollar General, grocer to rural America (Guardian): Opening stores at the rate of three a day, Dollar General “moves into places not even Walmart will go” to sell basic goods at low prices; that can be a welcome change in a food ‘desert’ but some rural communities see the chain as a threat to local grocers and view its arrival as an omen of economic downturn.

Florida orange crop rebounds from Hurricane Irma (Bloomberg): Orange growers are headed for a harvest of 70 million boxes of the citrus fruit this year, according to estimates by industry experts, a huge comeback from the hurricane-shortened crop of 44.95 million boxes last year, the smallest crop since 1945.

A farm endangered by Pepco (Washington Post): In Washington, D.C., a community farm is located on land owned by the District’s electricity utility, Pepco, which is planning to build a substation on the property. Some residents are fighting back.

An alcohol battle in New England (Press Herald): New Hampshire is offering out-of-state shoppers a discount on liquor purchases, a move that neighbor states say is unfairly targeting their customers.

 

 

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