Washington Post

The Washington Post’s Roberto Ferdman reported Thursday on the launch of a new advertising campaign targeting the fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle. Kicking off with a full-page ad in the New York Post, the campaign, funded by the Center for Consumer Freedom, chastises Chipotle for selling high-calorie fare while marketing itself as a healthy alternative.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating breakfast as a way to avoid weight gain but the science behind it may not be as clear as desired, says the Washington Post.

Along with massive loss of honeybee colonies, the number of professional beekeepers is falling, says the Washington Post, although the number of managed bee colonies is on the rise.

Trade ministers from the 12 nations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership covering 40 percent of the global economy say they will "continue work on resolving a limited number of remaining issues" that prevented a final agreement in Hawaii.

The government proposed that the Nutrition Facts label should say what percentage an item would provide of the recommended daily amount of added sugar to the diet.

NASA research shows 21 of the world's 37 largest aquifers, from Asia and Europe to California's Central Valley, "have passed their sustainability tipping points, meaning more water was removed than replaced during the decade-long study," says the Washington Post.

"For many Californians, the state’s long drought has meant small inconveniences such as shorter showers and restrictions on watering lawns.

Larger U.S. food and ag exports to Cuba are not assured despite President Obama's decision to normalize diplomatic relations and take steps to facilitate the sales, which must be made on the basis of cash in advance, say USDA economists.

The Capital Area Food Bank, based in DC, is using Big Data, "a pioneering technology that could one day revolutionize the war on hunger," says the Washington Post.

Rice, one of the world's staple foods, feeds hundreds of millions of people daily. It's also high in starch, "which turns to sugar, and often thereafter body fat," says the Washington Post.

The Corn Refiners Association, a trade group whose members make sweeteners, ethanol and starch, "just hired 10 outside lobbyists for an aggressive, unorthodox attack on the federal sugar program just a year after a new farm bill was signed into law," says the Washington Post.

Agriculture is far ahead of the rest of the country in development and use of driver-less technology, says the Washington Post.

Lockheed Martin, "the world's largest defense contractor," has launched a series of series of initiatives tied to climate change as a potential threat to national security," reports the Washington Post.

The suicide rates for young people in rural areas "are almost twice as high" as those for city kids, says the Washington Post, summarizing a study by researchers at Ohio State University.

Two potential aspirants for the Republican nomination for president, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz spoke against an ethanol mandate at the Iowa Ag Summit, according to reports in the Washington Post and the New York Times.

The government unveiled a set of rules for non-recreational use of drone aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds, and said it would take public comment on the proposal for 60 days. The proposal advances the possibility of using drones in agriculture.

The panel of experts charge with updating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans "has decided to drop its caution against eating cholesterol-laden food, a move that could undo 40 years of government warnings," says the Washington Post.

"Markedly lower" rainfall is raising concern about the winter wheat and barley crops in North Korea, says the Washington Post. The winter grains supply only 5 percent of North Korea's food but are a vital bridge, the so-called barley hump, during the spring...