U.S. backs South Korean to head WTO: The United States will back Yoo Myung-hee, South Korea’s trade minister, over Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria to become the new director-general of the World Trade Organization. (Office of the U.S. Trade Representative)
Tyson employees to replace inspectors: In a pilot program that may lead to the use of cameras and computer imaging to evaluate beef carcasses, Tyson Food employees will take the place of USDA inspectors at a large slaughterhouse in Kansas. (Reuters)
‘Dead zone’ shrinks in Chesapeake Bay: Maryland officials said the “dead zone” in the state’s part of Chesapeake Bay was the second smallest since 1985, and Virginia researchers said the dead zone in their part of the bay was smaller than 80 percent of the zones reported during the same period. (Chesapeake Bay Foundation)
Trump opens Tongass to logging: In one of the most sweeping environmental rollbacks of the Trump administration, the USDA published a final rule that will allow logging throughout the 16.7 million-acre Tongass National Forest on the Alaskan Panhandle. (Washington Post)
Gearing up to battle the ‘murder hornet’: The Department of Agriculture in Washington State, which just destroyed an Asian giant hornet nest containing at least 98 hornets, will continue to search for one or two suspected additional nests in the state. (CBS News)
Stores prepare for hoarding surge: Nearly 60 percent of shoppers plan to stock up on food as cold weather and possible new coronavirus restrictions approach, says a research company. Grocers, meanwhile, say they have expanded their home delivery services and are striving to keep shelves stocked. (CNN Business)