The dairy crisis, in real time (Journal Sentinel): For Wisconsin’s remaining dairy farmers, voided milk checks, farm auctions, and fear loom as milk prices, for the fourth year in a row, are lower than the cost of production.
USDA sees larger soy plantings than expected (FERN’s Ag Insider): U.S. farmers will plant 85 million acres of soybeans this year, said USDA chief economist Rob Johansson, up from a November projection of 82.5 million acres. If correct, the plantings could lead to the fourth-largest soybean crop ever.
Stop neonicotinoids, save honeybees (Street Roots): For the fourth time, Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer will file a bill that would suspend the use of neonicotinoid insecticides until the EPA can show that the chemicals do not harm pollinators.
Cell-based meat not ready for primetime (Nature): Even as investors shower money on start-ups focusing on cell-based meat, critics say the industry lacks the expertise to produce the lab-grown product at commercial volumes.
Boom in guestworkers (Washington Post): The U.S. government issued a record 242,000 H-2A visas for short-term agricultural workers this year to address a shortage of farm labor.