Farm Bureau to meet online: The largest U.S. farm group, the American Farm Bureau Federation, said it will hold its annual convention online because its planned venue, the San Diego Convention Center, is not available due to the pandemic. (AFBF)
House race tightens in reliably red Nebraska: House Ag panelist Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, is in a toss-up race for re-election in a rematch against Democrat Kara Eastman in the Omaha area. Previously the race was rated as “leans Republican.” (Sabato’s Crystal Ball)
‘Tortilla corn’ in jeopardy: Mexican corn millers say domestic production of white corn, used to make tortillas and tamales, is imperiled by cuts in government subsidies and could lead to a reliance on imports of a product at the heart of Mexico’s national identity. (Reuters)
USDA pays Conservation Reserve rent: With the start of the new fiscal year, landowners will receive $1.68 billion in annual payments for idling environmentally fragile land in the Conservation Reserve. Currently, 21.9 million acres are enrolled in the program. (USDA)
More than 65,000 with coronavirus: As of Thursday, according to data compiled by FERN, at least 269 workers at meatpacking plants, food processing facilities, or farms had died of Covid-19 and more than 65,000 had been infected by the virus. (FERN)