Today’s quick hits, September 5, 2018

Wheat group closes Moscow office (U.S. Wheat Associates): Export-promoter U.S. Wheat Associates will close its Moscow office on October 1, part of a restructuring that reflects Russia’s new role as a major exporter rather than a market for U.S. grain.

Solar rays keep milk cool (Christian Science Monitor): Only a portion of Kenya’s 1 million dairy farmers are on the electrical grid; construction of solar-powered refrigeration plants means higher income for small-scale producers.

From Europe to China, swine fever is menace (Guardian): China, with the world’s largest hog population, grabbed world attention with discovery of African swine fever in its herds but from Romania to Russia, Europe also is combatting the disease fatal to hogs.

Senator seeks dairy access to Canada (Schenectady Daily Gazette): The new NAFTA “has to protect New York’s dairy farmers” by expanding U.S. access to Canada’s milk market, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a letter to U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer.

Free-meals-for-all likeliest in poor neighborhoods (USDA): Almost half of eligible school districts participated in a USDA program that provides free meal to all students, with rates highest among districts with the highest number of students from low-income families.

Living la vida cinematográfico (Los Angeles Times): Molly and John Chester left Santa Monica in 2011 to start a 130-acre organic farm; their adaptation to country life is the subject of a documentary, “The Biggest Little Farm,” being screened at film festivals.