Today’s quick hits, June 4, 2019

Corteva begins trading (Wall Street Journal): Corteva, the seed and chemical company formed by the 2017 merger between Dow and DuPont, began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

‘Forever chemicals’ in our food (AP): An FDA study into the prevalence of PFAS found substantial levels of the chemical, which is used to make nonstick cookware, in foods including meat and chocolate cake.

Brazil halts beef sales to China (Reuters): The Brazilian Agriculture Ministry said beef shipments to China, the No. 1 customer for exported beef, were halted temporarily due to discovery of an atypical case of mad cow disease in a 17-year-old animal.

Ernst gets another challenger (Quad City Times): Theresa Greenfield, who grew up on a farm in Minnesota and now runs a real estate business in Des Moines, is the third Democrat to announce a run for the Senate against Republican Joni Ernst, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Deadly year for gray whales (USA Today): At least 70 gray whales have stranded themselves on the West Coast this year, prompting NOAA to launch an investigation of an “unusual mortality event” that could become the deadliest year on record for the species.