EPA finds no health risk in glyphosate (EPA): The EPA said it “continues to find that there are no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label and that glyphosate is not a carcinogen.” The statement, part of the process of re-registering the chemical, follows two jury verdicts against the maker of the herbicide that found the chemical caused cancer in two individuals.
The backstory to Alaska’s booming ag sector (Politico): The relatively young sector (farming in the state grew out of New Deal policies) benefits from a local-first attitude, “high-latitude” growing conditions, and a drive to be self-sufficient.
Facing labor shortage, California farmers embrace mechanization (CNBC): More than 40 percent of the state’s farmers say they have been unable to get the workers they need over the past five years, according to a California Farm Bureau survey.
Texas bill would ban using SNAP benefits for junk food, energy drinks (KHOU-11): The legislation’s sponsor cites the state’s diabetes problem, noting that some 3 million Texans are treated for the disease each year at a cost of more than $23 billion.