Litigating debt relief: Lawsuits in seven U.S. district courts may take years to litigate before there is a decision on a program to provide $4 billion in debt relief to minority farmers, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
High-profile hydroponics: Celebrity investors are bankrolling a wave of indoor farms with the promise of fresh and locally grown food, though there are plenty of critics of the growing practice. (New York Times)
Uprooting almond orchards: When almond growers remove trees because of drought, they might plant younger almond trees, which need less water, or pistachios, which are more drought-tolerant, but either option means years without income. (Atlas Obscura)
Vilsack announcement coming: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will make a “major announcement” in Omaha on Friday, according to the USDA, which said details would be released later. (FERN’s Ag Insider)
No-penalty haying: In a policy shift to encourage the use of cover crops, the USDA’s crop insurance program will issue full prevented-planting payments to farmers and allow them to graze livestock or harvest hay and silage from the fields at any time. Previously, haying and grazing was banned before Nov. 1. (Risk Management Agency)