Slaughter rule has more opponents (National Employment Law Project): 19 groups signed a letter sent yesterday to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking the USDA to withdraw its proposed swine slaughter rule, which would reduce USDA oversight of pork slaughterhouses.
Washington State may end farming of nonnative fish (AP): The legislature sent Gov. Jay Inslee a bill to end state leases and permits for companies that grow nonnative finfish in state waters. Last summer, up to 263,000 Atlantic salmon escaped from floating pens in Puget Sound.
China shedding cotton surplus (Fiber2Fashion): The Chinese stockpile of cotton will decline significantly in 2018/19 thanks to limited imports and high consumption, says a USDA report. Two years ago, China held two-thirds of world stocks.
Cosmic Crisp is a courthouse hit (Capital Press): Washington State University and tree propagator Phytelligence are suing each other over rights to trees bearing Cosmic Crisp apples, a new variety expected to replace strains such as Red Delicious, Gala, and Fuji as consumer favorites.
Mixed scores for mobile apps for farmers (Ensia): Mobile apps are regarded as a way to deliver valuable information to farmers in the developing world; the reputation may be based more on perception than results.
Blue Apron on the grocery shelf (Eater): Meal kit company Blue Apron, in a rethink of its debut as a subscription service, will sell its products in grocery stores.
Roof rats run rampant (University of California): It sounds like an oxymoron, but burrowing roof rats infest California orchards, damaging trees, fruit, and irrigation lines.