UFW sends second appeal to growers (United Farm Workers): After getting no response to an email urging American growers to protect farmworkers, the union sent another urging “real steps to stem the virus.”
A restaurant CSA? (Washington City Paper): Restaurants in Washington, D.C., are selling groceries to customers as a way to boost sales and ease the strain on traditional retailers amid the spread of Covid-19.
World Pork Expo canceled again (NPPC): Last year, the World Pork Expo was canceled out of concern about an epidemic of a hog disease, African swine fever; this year’s expo, scheduled for June 9-11, was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Worried but not sick (Farm Journal): Ninety percent of farmers and ranchers in a Farm Journal survey said they expect the coronavirus to impact their businesses; 30 percent said they were concerned about getting sick but two-thirds said the coronavirus has not affected them directly.
South Dakota legalizes hemp (Hemp Industry Daily): Gov. Kristin Noem signed into law a bill that legalizes cultivation of industrial hemp in South Dakota but farmers will have to wait for USDA approval of the state’s production plan before planting a crop.
Targeting Palmer amaranth seeds (Farm Progress): An Israeli-based startup is trying a new approach for control of the invasive weed Palmer amaranth – using biological controls that produce sterile seeds, to prevent a new generation of weeds from sprouting.