Today’s quick hits, March 26, 2024

EU shelves climate program: A major European Union plan to fight climate change and better protect nature was indefinitely postponed Monday, underscoring how farmers’ protests sweeping the continent influence politics ahead of the June EU parliamentary elections. (Associated Press)

Prop 12 effect: A USDA analysis attributes the rise of pork prices in California — 20 percent on average since July 1, 2023 — to the onset of the state’s new animal welfare law, which was fully implemented in January of this year. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)

Farmers get AI office help: A Romanian state agency for rural investments is using artificial intelligence to help farmers apply for European Union funds, it said on Monday, a first in one of the EU’s least developed digital economies. (Reuters)

The state of municipal composting: If composting is a big win for cities—taking waste out of landfills, producing fertilizer, and engaging citizens in the recycling process—why doesn’t everyone do it? (Modern Farmer)