Rural America Needs High-Speed Internet – February 5, 2020

Trump backs high-speed internet access, ‘especially’ in rural America

With rural Americans continuing to suffer a digital divide, President Trump said on Tuesday that he was committed to ensuring “every citizen can have access to high-speed internet, including — and especially in — rural America.”

Farmer sentiment rose with China trade deal

Farmer sentiment jumped to the highest level of the Trump presidency following the “phase one” trade deal with China, according to the Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer released Tuesday.

Sarasota officials oppose EPA aquaculture pilot project

The city commissioners of Sarasota, Florida, decided Monday to send a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency opposing an aquaculture pilot project that sought to farm fish about 45 miles off the city’s coast.

Coronavirus will delay sales boom to China, says Kudlow

The “phase one” trade agreement that calls for China to triple its purchases of U.S. farm exports “will take longer” because of the Wuhan coronavirus, said White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow on Tuesday.

TODAY’S QUICK HITS

Virus forces China farmers to euthanize poultry (Reuters): New rules designed to contain the disease have curtailed live animal transport, feed supply and slaughterhouses, leaving farmers “no way of getting by.”

In Iowa, Democratic candidates bang on about farm policy (MotherJones): ‘Regenerative ag’ has emerged as a buzz phrase on the campaign circuit.

Climate and the caucus-goer (Washington Post): More than one in five Iowa caucus-goers said climate change mattered the most to them when deciding whom to support.

Wait, don’t eat local? (Bloomberg): A new study by an Oxford University research group says that for most food products, transport accounts for less than 10 percent of a food’s carbon footprint.

Wildfire smoke hits wine industry (Wall Street Journal): Unlike some other fruits, grapes absorb smoke, ruining the wine. With wildfires breaking out in California, Australia and other wine-growing regions, the global industry is on edge.

Bad news gets worse for Trickling Springs (Associated Press): Prosecutors say the owner of the organic dairy, which abruptly closed last fall, defrauded investors to the tune of $60 million.

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