Perdue should resign, says lawmaker (Tulsa World): Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin, who accuses meatpackers of excessive power over cattle prices, said on social media that “it’s time for Sonny Perdue to step down” as agriculture secretary because he’s not doing enough to investigate packers.
Lawsuit over Chesapeake Bay cleanup (Washington Post): Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia say they will sue the EPA for failing to enforce an agreement calling on other states in the Chesapeake Bay basin to reduce water pollution, including agricultural runoff.
Letter on farmworker safety (Merkley): Nine Democratic senators sent a letter to Senate leaders to ask for legislation that will protect farmworkers’ health during the coronavirus pandemic through steps that include hazard pay and implementation of CDC guidelines on workplace safety.
More to ag economy than Covid-19 (Columbia Tribune): “Even if knew how the COVID-19 crisis would play out, there would still be a lot of uncertainty about farm commodity prices, consumer food prices and farm income in the year ahead,” said the head of the FAPRI think tank.
Beef prices set record (Daily Livestock Report): Retail beef prices averaged $6.22 per pound — the highest monthly price on record — during April, when Covid-19 slowed operations at cattle slaughter plants.