Hog lawsuits called economic threat in North Carolina (Fayetteville Observer): North Carolina state agriculture commissioner Steve Troxler says nuisance lawsuits could set a precedent that threatens the economic stability of the state.
Farmers quiz Pruitt about ethanol (AP): EPA administrator Scott Pruitt was peppered by questions during a Midwestern tour about ethanol. He said year-round sales of E15 might not happen this year.
Goodbye, straws (Guardian): After a customer campaign, McDonald’s locations in the UK will switch from plastic to paper straws. The company uses about 1.8 million straws each day in the UK.
Sickening cereal (USA Today): A salmonella outbreak caused by contaminated Honey Smacks cereal has reached 31 states, causing Kellogg Co. to issue a mass recall.
Tips v. wages (Washington Post): A DC ballot measure to raise restaurant workers’ pay encounters opposition from workers who want to keep the current system – and their tips.
Avocados won’t pick themselves (KTLA-TV): Fifth-generation California farmer Rick Shade, who has grown citrus and avocados his entire life, says it’s harder and harder to find harvest workers, a problem that is driving up wages and mechanizing fruit and vegetable production.