‘Precision nutrition’ to combat diet-related diseases, says Vilsack
The USDA said it would accelerate research into diet-related diseases on Monday as part of President Biden’s “Cancer Moonshot” to reduce the cancer death rate by at least half over the next 25 years. “Precision nutrition,” to fine-tune individual diets for health, will be one of the areas of study, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Prop 12 enforcement will wait in California for Supreme Court ruling
A California judge has extended his ban on enforcement of voter-approved Proposition 12 until July 1, to allow time for the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the animal welfare law. Justices heard arguments on the farm-group challenge of Prop 12 in October and a decision is expected by the end of June.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Flower power: Habitats near farmland with greater floral density provided better pollen and nectar resources for bees to help them resist or fight off infection, a new study suggests. (Ecology)
Russia hijacks Ukraine wheat: Almost 6 million tonnes of wheat worth $1 billion was harvested in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine this year, according to satellite imagery analyzed by NASA; a major Ukrainian grower says occupying forces collected the wheat. (Bloomberg)
Poll backs farmworker bill: Three of every five registered voters in a Morning Consult poll supported legislation to give legal status to undocumented farmworkers and streamline the H-2A guestworker program. (International Dairy Foods Association)
Non-GMO corn is scarce: Mexico could halve its corn imports under a plan to end imports of GMO corn by early 2024, but it would struggle to make up the difference, either by expanding domestic production or finding non-GMO suppliers. (Reuters)
Aid for bovine tuberculosis: The USDA issued a quarantine designation for Maui County, making emergency loans available to Hawaiian livestock producers affected by the worst outbreak of bovine tuberculosis in years. (USDA)
U.S. invites Lula: After discussions in Brasilia on topics that included safeguarding food security, the Biden administration invited president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit Washington. (White House)
