Today’s quick hits, Oct. 29, 2018

Iran: the new China for U.S. soybeans (Financial Times): Iran is importing more U.S. soybeans than some European countries in the trade war that has shut down sales to China.

California dairy farmers feel trade war’s pinch (Los Angeles Times): Two decades ago, California’s dairy farms sold to a domestic market; now they export a third of their production, so retaliatory tariffs by Mexico and China cut their profits.

Nationwide drive against sugar (Food Dive): An alliance of city health officials, consumer groups and medical professionals asks foodmakers to reduce the amount of sugar in packaged foods and beverages by up to 40 percent by 2025.

Fracking spreads across the West (New York Times): The Interior Department offered oil and gas leases on more than 12.8 million acres of land in the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, triple the average of President Obama’s second term.

Hog farmers worldwide set back by trade war (Reuters): The world’s pork producers and processors, faced with rising feed costs and falling hog prices, “are almost universally shedding profits and jobs” as the trade war compounds overproduction.