Pence: Farm aid possible if trade war continues (FERN’s Ag Insider): Vice President Mike Pence, while visiting a farm in Minnesota, said, “We have already had preliminary discussions in the White House for additional support for farmers if this impasse with China continues.”
Trump opposes disaster bill (FERN’s Ag Insider): The president said on social media that House Republicans “should not vote for the BAD DEMOCRAT” disaster bill scheduled for a vote on Friday. The $17.2-billion bill includes more than $3 billion in agricultural relief but more money for hurricane recovery in Puerto Rico than Trump wants.
Where have all the cut flowers gone? (National Journal): U.S. flower growers, through their trade group Certified American Grown, have asked the “America First” Trump administration to display U.S.-grown flowers, rather than imports, at the White House.
Faux-burgers shake a U.S. dining icon (Axios): The hamburger may be an American institution, but it is now sharing space at fast-food chains with plant-based burgers. Perhaps, says one observer, millennials, with their love of the story behind food, will rescue it.
Rural obesity outweighs urban rate (Washington Post): The global rise in obesity is driven more by weight gain in rural areas than urban ones, say researchers, who report that 55 percent of the worldwide increase in body mass index in the past three decades came from rural populations.