Crabs in crisis (Baltimore Sun): Maryland’s crab industry is on a precipice after nearly half of the state’s crab houses were not granted visas to bring in seasonal workers. Under Trump, the visas are assigned by lottery, not on the usual first-come, first-served basis.
EU’s new cheese rules (Wall Street Journal): The European Union is expanding its trade requirements for cheese and other regionally protected products, leading to the introduction, for example, of “Sartiago” and “Sarmesan.”
Plants play footsie (Phys.org): A study in PLOS ONE says plants secrete chemicals from their roots that affect the growth of their neighbors, apparently to prevent crowding.
Omnipork, the fake meat of China? (CNN Money): A Hong Kong businessman is seeking Chinese approval to sell “omnipork,” made from soy, pea, mushroom, and rice proteins, in the world’s largest pork-eating nation.
Five tips for 10 years (Harvard): People who practice five healthy habits — regular exercise, healthy diet, healthy body weight, no smoking, and not drinking too much alcohol — “may add more than a decade to life expectancy,” says a study led by the Harvard School of Public Health.
Farm Bureau to sell dairy insurance (AFBF): The largest U.S. farm group and its insurance subsidiary have developed a dairy-farmer version of the revenue insurance policies sold to crop farmers. Sales are expected to begin this summer.
Developer says lab-grown meat is real (Drovers): Memphis Meat says its lab-grown meat should be labeled as meat and that the USDA would err if it restricts the use of “beef” and “meat” to traditional animal products, as proposed by cattle producers.
Favorable outlook for 2018 crops (FAO): Farmers are expected to harvest 2.6 billion tonnes of cereal grains worldwide this year, a favorable outlook and a modest 1.6 percent less than the near-record harvest of 2017.