Pelosi: Farm bill ‘looks good’ (C-SPAN): House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said that she got an encouraging assessment from farm bill negotiators and that “we’re hoping it can be passed maybe next week.”
Drug tests for SNAP recipients (The Intercept): State lawmakers in Wisconsin approved legislation making it the only state that requires drug testing for non-felon food stamp applicants.
Meat eaters dominate U.S. diet (Gallup): Fewer than 1 in 10 Americans follow a plant-based diet; the portion of vegetarians, at 5 percent, and vegans, at 2 percent, has changed little over recent years.
Freshman farm caucus for Democrats (National Journal): Although Democrats took control of the House largely by winning urban and suburban districts, at least a dozen of the incoming representatives have a food, agriculture, or restaurant background, making them possible members of the House Agriculture Committee in 2019.
Rolling back sage grouse protection (New York Times): In a move that would aid the oil and gas industry, the Interior Department announced a proposal to reduce protection of greater sage grouse habitat across the West to 1.8 million acres, down from an Obama administration plan to protect 10.7 million acres.
Honeybee vaccine (Bloomberg): Swedish scientists have developed an edible vaccine that could help honeybees fight microbial infections, potentially protecting the valuable pollinators. Regulatory approval, however, could take years.
Wine country wildfires burn out the poor (Los Angeles Times): Sections of California’s wine country that were hit by wildfires now have some of the lowest poverty rates in the United States, and analysts say a likely factor is that low-income residents have been forced to relocate after losing homes in the fires.