Drought hits wildlife hardest: Despite arguments over water reductions in cities vs. farmland, the environment is the first to take a hit during dry years in California “and that can have harsh consequences for wildlife.” (Los Angeles Times)
Low water slows barges: Water levels in the lower Mississippi River are dropping, restricting barge traffic during the busy fall harvest. (Associated Press)
Request land ownership report: Sixty percent of House Republicans signed a letter asking the GAO to verify estimates of foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land and whether the federal ownership-disclosure law needs to be strengthened. (House Agriculture Republicans)
Bigger appetite, fewer pigs: Americans are consuming more pork — an average of 51.3 pounds this year— at the same time that hog farmers are scaling back slightly on production, a combination that should mean higher prices for slaughter hogs. (farmdoc Daily)