‘Radical re-think’ needed to fight obesity (The Lancet): The EAT-Lancet Commission, in a report on the interlocking problems of obesity, hunger and climate change, called for “a radical re-think of business models, food systems, civil society involvement, and national and international governance to achieve better human and planetary health.”
Democrats target three GOPs on House Ag (The Hagstrom Report): The campaign arm of House Democrats named three members of the House Agriculture Committee — Rodney Davis of Illinois, Don Bacon of Nebraska and Jim Hagedorn of Minnesota — in a digital advertising campaign against two dozen Republicans it considers vulnerable for re-election in 2020.
Food stamps safe through April (Politico): Under an “obscure provision” of the spending bill that ended the partial federal shutdown, USDA is empowered to pay SNAP benefits through April even if the three-week extension of funding expires on Feb. 15.
Ethanol and land use: Negligible impact (AAEA): U.S. production of corn ethanol has doubled since 2008 and corn prices spiked from 2008-12 but had a negligible impact on total cropland area despite concerns about harm to grasslands and forests, says a paper in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.
New tactics for “super weeds” (Civil Eats): As weeds develop resistance to herbicides, control will require more management with steps that may include cover crops, crop rotations, burning crop residue, machinery to pulverize weed seeds, and new crop varieties that are more competitive with weeds.