Meals come with a price: Half of families with school-age children said it was somewhat or very difficult to cover their expenses following the expiration of a USDA waiver allowing schools to serve meals for free to all pupils. (USDA)
Ukrainian grain targeted: On a second day of attacks, Russian missiles destroyed 60,000 tonnes of grain stored at the Ukrainian port of Odesa and knocked a “considerable amount” of export infrastructure out of operation. (BBC)
Teen worker dies at chicken plant: A 16-year-old worker at a chicken processing plant in southern Mississippi was fatally injured in an accident while “conducting sanitation operations,” said Mar-Jac Poultry. (CNN)
Bigger world corn crop: Global corn production was forecast to surge nearly 5 percent in 2023/24, more than offsetting a decline in wheat production and keeping total grain output, forecast at 2.292 billion tonnes, close to the record set two years ago. (International Grains Council)
Full-time firefighting: Several counties in Southern California are preparing to start fighting wildfires with night-flying helitankers that will be able to dump fire retardant or water on fires 24 hours a day. (Los Angeles Times)