First death in E. coli outbreak (CDC): A death was reported in California from an E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce grown near Yuma, Arizona. So far, the outbreak has caused 121 people in 25 states to become ill.
China stops buying U.S. soybeans (Bloomberg): The chief executive of Bunge, the world’s largest oilseed processor, says trade tensions are why China is “very deliberately not buying anything from the United States” while purchasing soybeans from other nations, particularly Brazil.
GAP addresses assault allegations (BuzzFeed): The Global GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certification program will investigate allegations of sexual assault and violence against female farmworkers in Spain.
Enough evidence for Monsanto trial (Courthouse News): U.S. district judge Timothy Kelly, who rejected Monsanto’s motion to dismiss, says plaintiffs “have adequately pleaded” their claim that labels on containers of Roundup herbicide are misleading.
North Carolina’s commitment to justice (ThinkProgress): North Carolina is forming an advisory board to counsel the Department of Environmental Quality on environmental justice issues in the state.
Mayor blames farmers for algal blooms (Toledo Blade): At a conference, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said the Ohio legislature “is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Farm Bureau,” so there is little pressure to reduce nutrient runoff from farms, considered a major factor in algal blooms.
Drought scalds winter wheat (Reuters): Exceptionally dry weather in southwestern Kansas and northwestern Oklahoma will reduce hard winter wheat yields to half of 2017’s levels, say crop scouts halfway through an assessment of the U.S. winter wheat crop.