Bill would limit line speeds: Democratic Reps. Marcia Fudge, Rosa DeLauro, and Bennie Thompson filed a bill in the U.S. House that would block faster line speeds at meatpacking plants, whether by USDA waiver or through implementation of the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System. Democrat Cory Booker is expected to file a companion bill in the Senate. (Rep. Marcia Fudge)
Up the THC limit in hemp: Congress should raise the THC limit in industrial hemp to 1 percent from the current 0.3 percent, “so no more farmers will lose their crops,” said the advocacy group Vote Hemp in an online petition drive. (Let’s Talk Hemp)
Colony-level genetics for calmer bees: The hybrid African-European honeybees of Puerto Rico are less aggressive than other varieties because of colony-level genetics rather than the DNA of individual bees, say USDA researchers in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Agricultural Research Service)
Population growth stalls in rural America: A slowing birth rate and an aging population, with an attendant rise in death rates, is creating a major demographic challenge for rural America. When migration is included, rural areas show barely any change in population in recent years. (Amber Waves)
Moderate algal boom forecast: NOAA and its research partners forecast an algal bloom this summer in western Lake Erie at a moderate 4.5 on its severity scale, lower than the 7.3 recorded in 2019. The blooms consist of cyanobacteria, which can be harmful to humans and wildlife. (National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science)