Delivering school food during COVID-19 (SNA): School food directors have suggested steps the USDA could take, including grab-and-go meals or emergency food lines at community sites, to maintain student access to healthy foods if schools are closed due to the coronavirus.
Proposal for year-round guestworker visa (Yoho): Under a bill proposed by Florida Rep. Ted Yoho, the USDA would run a government visa program for agricultural guestworkers that would allow them to work year-round for three years at a time on farms, in logging, and in some processing activities.
Rural America vulnerable to coronavirus (CAP): Rural America has a higher proportion of people at risk of the coronavirus, and rural workers are less likely than urban workers to have paid sick leave, says a think tank.
China grants tariff exemptions for soy (AgriCensus): The Chinese government has given several of the country’s soybean processors one-year exemptions from tariffs so they can import U.S. soybeans through March or April 2021.
Testing for poisonous mushrooms (Food and Wine): USDA scientists have developed a portable test strip that can tell in 10 minutes if a mushroom is poisonous. If licensing issues are resolved, the strips may be available for sale later this year.