Highest food prices since 2011 may persist for months
After increasing for 12 months in a row during the pandemic, international food prices are the highest they’ve been since September 2011, said the monthly Food Price Index, released on Thursday. The index surged 4.8 percent in May, its largest monthly increase in nearly 11 years.
Methane from livestock may be greatly underestimated, say researchers
Livestock farms and feedlots in North America may be emitting far more methane, a potent greenhouse gas, than currently assumed, according to a review published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
JBS says it’s back in full operation after ransomware attack
Meat processor JBS said all of its plants were fully operational on Thursday, four days after a ransomware attack shut down cattle slaughter plants in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Less than a day’s worth of production was lost during the attack, the company said.
Today’s Quick Hits
Rural vaccinations lag: About 361,000 rural Americans completed their Covid-19 vaccinations last week, according to CDC data, meaning that 31 percent of the rural population is fully vaccinated. That compares with 39 percent of urban residents. (Daily Yonder)
Meat workers mull stoppage: Unionized workers are considering a strike at the Smithfield hog slaughter plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, that was a Covid-19 hot spot in spring 2020. (Associated Press)
Broadband funds for tribes: Vice President Kamala Harris, who said the pandemic had compounded the digital divide between rural and urban America, announced the availability of $1 billion in grants to expand broadband access on tribal land. (Commerce Department)
Drought grows in Illinois, Wisconsin: Severe drought expanded in northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin in the past week, despite rainfall that eased conditions in the eastern part of the Midwest. (Drought Monitor)
Fresh produce at dollar stores: The operators of dollar stores are beginning to sell fresh produce at a small portion of their outlets after years of complaints that the chains, an increasingly common retail food source, fail to offer the healthy foods available at grocery stores. (CNN Business)
