Pre-harvest water treatment: For the first time, the EPA has approved an antimicrobial treatment for use against pathogens, such as salmonella and E. coli, in agricultural water used to grow produce, an advance in food safety practices, said the FDA. (Food and Drug Administration)
Drought complicates cranberry farming: Farmers in New Jersey, No. 3 in cranberry production, spent money to pump water from wells to flood their cranberry bogs for harvest because drought reduced streamflow in nearby rivers, their usual source of water. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
South Carolina gets D-SNAP: The USDA authorized SNAP disaster benefits for 28 counties and one tribe in South Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene; the agency estimates that more than 357,000 households are eligible under D-SNAP for one month of assistance. (USDA)
Rapid corn, soy harvest: Farmers have harvested 91 percent of the corn crop and 94 percent of the soybean crop, well ahead of the five-year average of 75 percent of corn and 85 percent of soybeans by the first week of November, said the weekly Crop Progress report. (USDA)