Today’s Quick Hits, Sept. 9, 2021

Black farmworkers sue: Six Black farmworkers from Mississippi sued Pitts Farms Partnership — one of the largest farms in the state — for discriminating against them in favor of white foreign workers, costing them thousands of dollars in unpaid wages and lost job opportunities. (Mississippi Center for Justice)

Increased drought assistance: In response to the severe drought conditions in the West and Great Plains, the USDA will help cover the cost of transporting feed for livestock that rely on grazing. (Farm Service Agency)

Biden gets tough with Big Meat: The Biden administration plans to take a tougher stance toward meatpacking companies it says are causing sticker shock at grocery stores. (Reuters)

Frying-fat diesel: Neste Oyj, the world’s biggest maker of renewable diesel, is looking to increase its sources of used cooking oil and discarded animal fats in North America. It currently buys cooking oil from 40,000 U.S. and Canadian restaurants. (Bloomberg)

Wild rice sues to stop pipeline: An Indian tribe granted legal status, or “personhood,” to wild rice, which then sued in a tribal court to block an oil pipeline. (High Country News)

Shape-shifting animals: New research finds that “[w]arm-blooded animals are changing their physiology to adapt to a hotter climate. This includes getting larger beaks, legs, and ears to better regulate their body temperature.” (The Guardian)