Vilsack heads to Purdue Pharma (Des Moines Register): Former agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack has accepted a position at Purdue Pharma, where his job will be to make sure the company is not improperly promoting opioids.
Cargill enters faux meat game (Reuters): Cargill will launch its own line of soy- and pea-based meat alternatives in April, as the commodity giant moves to compete with startups like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.
Cover crops for prairie potholes (USDA): Signup begins March 30 for a new Conservation Reserve program that will pay landowners to plant cover crops for three to five years on up to 50,000 acres of less-productive land in the “prairie pothole” region of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Farm Belt Airbnb (NPR): Backed by venture capital, a company called Tillable is trying to establish itself in the business of farmland rental, though critics raise concerns that its business threatens the privacy of farmer data.
Wyoming, Washington hemp plans approved (USDA): The USDA signed off on plans submitted by Washington State and Wyoming for regulating industrial hemp cultivation, bringing to eight the number of states that meet the USDA’s standards for uniform guidelines for the new crop.
Changing face of ‘America’s Dairyland’ (Guardian): The Wisconsin dairy business continues to decline as small farmers face relentless competition from big producers as well as low market prices, fluctuations in exports, shifting consumer habits, and trade disputes.