Man gets pig heart: Surgeons have transplanted the heart of a genetically modified pig into a 57-year-old Maryland man, the first such operation to succeed and opening the possibility of animal organs as a backup when human organs are unavailable for transplant recipients. (New York Times)
Credit for regenerative ag: Farmers Business Network and the Environmental Defense Fund announced a Regenerative Agriculture Finance Fund that provides a one-year line of credit with a reduced interest rate for operators who meet soil health and nitrogen efficiency standards. (EDF)
Higher commodity supports, please: With Congress due to write a new farm bill in 2023, delegates at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting approved policy language that calls for higher federal commodity supports and for adjusting payment limits, now $125,000 per farmer per year, for inflation. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
Looking for nutrition nominee: The Biden administration is looking for a new nominee to run USDA’s nutrition programs, including SNAP and school lunch, following the withdrawal of its original choice to become undersecretary for nutrition, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. (The Hagstrom Report)
‘Gruyere’ doesn’t merit trademark: Consumers recognize “gruyere” as a common name for a mild, smooth-melting cheese often used in fondues, so it cannot be given a trademark that would limit the name to cheese made near Gruyeres, Switzerland, notwithstanding EU claims to geographical indications, ruled a U.S. district judge. (Associated Press)