Today’s quick hits, Jan. 14, 2020

Trump heads to Farm Bureau convention (Agri-Pulse): President Trump will keynote the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, his third straight annual appearance before the U.S. farm group.

Tougher food stamp rules did not raise employment (New York Times): West Virginia tightened its food-stamp rules four years ago with the idea it would encourage people to work. But while food pantries and homeless missions faced higher demand, the move did not impact employment.

Rural jobs grow but not as fast as in town (Daily Yonder): Two-thirds of rural counties showed job growth in late 2019, but growth was slower than in urban areas and slowest in counties furthest from metropolitan areas.

‘The biggest fraud of all’ (Kansas City Star): Missouri farmer Randy Constant “was a charmer, not hard to like.” He was also the perpetrator of one of the largest and longest-running frauds in U.S. agriculture by selling conventionally grown grain at a premium price by claiming it was organic.