New York Times

Only 7 percent of Americans believe the U.S. immigration system is "generally working," says a survey by the Brookings Institution and the Public Religion Research Institute.

Participation in food stamps, the major U.S. antihunger program, is down for the fitfth month in a row, say USDA data. Some 46.1 million people received food stamps at latest count, down 3 percent since October.

House Speaker Boehner told fellow Republicans there was no "conspiracy" to move an immigration reform bill this summer, says Roll Call.

Three years after winning a pay increase of 1 cent per lb, tomato workers in Florida are in dramatically improved conditions, says the New York Times in a story the describes better accounting of pay and better treatment in the fields.

Dairy farmers, short on labor, are adopting the use of robotic milking stations that allow the cows to decide when it's milking time, instead of the two or three mass sessions that have been common for decades, says the New York Times.

Barclays, one of the five largest banks in comodities, "is reportedly planning to exit large parts of its agricultural trading business," says the Financial Times, with an announcement possible on Tuesday.

Drought in California could idle 78 percent of the state's farm land yet, "A booming population and a sharp increase in lucrative crops like berries and nuts that require more water strain the system" says the New York Times.

Discussion of poverty often focuses "on the 'culture' of poor urban residents," says front page story in New York Times. "Almost forgotten is how many ways poverty plays out in America, and how much long-term poverty is a rural problem."

It's well-known that agricultural practices can affect soil fertility, water quality, wildlife populations and pest numbers for good or bad.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry and fisheries "have nearly doubled over the past 50 years and could increase an additional 30% by 2050," says Feedstuffs.

Three nominees for CFTC commissioner, including Timothy Massad for chairman, were approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday.

The durable Thomas Malthus, who helped economics gain its nickname of the dismal science with his belief population growth would forever strain the food supply, takes a cameo role as the New York Times'...

The New York Times says GOP leaders in the House, including Majority Leader Eric Cantor and six committee chairs, face Tea Party challengers in the primary elections.

RollCall says about two dozen House Republicans are on record in support of the principles for immigration reform unveiled by their leaders a month ago and three dozen are against it.

Researchers say obesity rates for children ages 2-5 dropped to 8 pct from prev 14 pct in a decade's time, a welcome change from what has been called the U.S. obesity epidemic.

When lunchtime at school gets shorter, students eat less of their meals and discard more food, said the New York Times in summarizing a study of 1,000 children at six elementary and middle schools.