Deere negotiations resume: Four days after union workers went on strike, negotiators from Deere and Co. and the UAW met to discuss a resolution of the strike and a long-term labor contract. (Quad City Times)
Controlling PFAS contamination: EPA administrator Michael Regan announced a “comprehensive roadmap” to curtail contamination by PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals, that includes drinking water limits and steps to reduce release of the chemicals. (EPA)
Driest in a century: California averaged 11.9 inches of precipitation in the water year that ended Sept. 30, making this the driest water year in a century with half of the usual amount. (Los Angeles Times)
HSUS sues Smithfield: Humane Society of the United States says in a lawsuit that Smithfield Foods, the country’s largest pork producer, misled consumers by failing to eliminate gestation crates at company-owned farms. (Farm Progress)
An almond joy: Years of work by USDA scientists paid off with Yorizane, an almond variety that is self-pollinating, unlike almost all other commercial almond trees. (ARS)