Ukraine is ag exporter: Ukraine, the center of Russia-U.S. tensions and “a key player in global agriculture,” is forecast to account for 16 percent of corn and 12 percent of wheat on the international market. (Farm Journal)
Avian flu in Virginia: Five wild birds shot by hunters in central and eastern Virginia in early January were infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza, adding to a list that includes infected wild birds in the Carolinas. (RFD-TV)
Uphold union veto: Members of the Maine House of Representatives upheld Gov. Janet Mills’ veto of a bill that would allow farmworkers to unionize. (Associated Press)
Crop insurance ‘flexibilities’: The USDA extended until June 30 so-called flexibilities that relax paperwork deadlines for the purchase of crop insurance by farmers and ranchers. (Risk Management Agency)
Pork Board vet: Dustin Oedekoven, the South Dakota state veterinarian, will become chief vet for the National Pork Board on Feb. 25 as the producer-funded group focuses on keeping hog diseases, such as African swine fever, out of the United States. (Pork Board)