Farm gets $2 million in Trump payments (New Food Economy): The Trump administration’s trade mitigation payments to farmers are limited to $125,000 per person, but at least one farm received more than $2 million and three others collected more than $1 million.
Soggiest year in more than a century (NASA): The continental United States recorded its wettest 12 months in 124 years of recordkeeping; the average of 36.2 inches of precipitation in the 48 contiguous states was 6.25 inches above the mean.
Soybeans, the big trade war weapon (The Conversation): Soybean growers are among the biggest casualties of the Sino-U.S. trade war because China dominates world trade in the oilseed and because U.S. soybean growers usually export half of their crop.
Consultant poses as reporter at Roundup trial (AFP): An employee of FTI Consulting, whose clients include glyphosate maker Bayer, claimed to be a freelance journalist while taking notes and talking to news reporters during a trial in San Francisco on the health risks posed by Roundup weedkiller.
Smithfield won’t take trade mitigation payments (Reuters): Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods said it will not take part in a USDA program that buys surplus food to offset the impact of the Sino-U.S. trade war on the agriculture sector.
Industry, activists urge FDA to act on CBD (Washington Post): All sides agreed during a public hearing that the FDA needs to quickly decide on rules for the booming market in cannabis extract cannabidiol.