Hemp checkoff in Montana (Hemp Industry Daily): Montana, one of the top states for hemp production, has launched a first-in-the-nation voluntary hemp checkoff program, set at 1 percent of a grower’s profit.
Mexican candidate for WTO chief (MercoPress): Senior trade officials Jesus Seade, Mexico’s lead negotiator in drafting the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, is his country’s nominee for WTO director general.
Greenfield and Ernst neck-and-neck (Bleeding Heartland): Two polls show Democratic nominee Theresa Greenfield slightly ahead, but within the margin of error, of Sen. Joni Ernst, a Senate Agriculture Committee member, as Ernst runs for re-election in Iowa.
More EU action needed on insects (Associated Press): Environmental groups say the EU has to do more than its goals of halving the use of chemical pesticides and tripling the amount of land in organic farming if it wants to protect insect species from decline.
Lawsuit against beef processors (Meat and Poultry): The trustee for a bankrupt grocery co-op filed a lawsuit in federal court in Minneapolis alleging four major meat packers conspired to restrict beef supplies and drive up the price paid by wholesale customers.