U.S. farmers lean into soy but pull back on corn and wheat in 2024
Farmers are expected to plant an estimated 86.5 million acres of soybeans this year, up 3 percent from last year, and dial back their corn acreage by 5 percent and their wheat acreage by 4 percent, according to the USDA’s annual Prospective Plantings report, released Thursday.
Chile’s strict food marketing and labeling laws did not spur lasting drop in childhood obesity
Chile’s groundbreaking nutrition regulations, which prohibit food companies from marketing unhealthy foods to kids and require stop-sign-shaped labels on sugary, salty, and fatty foods, did not reduce obesity rates among elementary and high school students in a lasting way, according to a new study.
Midwest maple syrup producers adapt to uncertainty in face of changing climate
This year’s maple sap season began early for many producers in Upper Midwestern states, who experienced shorter seasons. Some credit those shifts to the year’s record-warm winter. Thanks to the El Niño effect, the season ranked among the top 10 warmest. But Indigenous and non-Native experts say human-caused climate change also is having varied and unpredictable effects on the maple harvest. Farmers and Indigenous communities whose ancestors have tapped trees since time immemorial are altering their practices and planning for an erratic future.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Ag takes the lion’s share of water: More than half of all Colorado River water — 52 percent — goes toward agriculture. And nearly two-thirds of that is used for crops fed to cattle, mostly alfalfa, which accounts for 27 percent of the river’s water. (Maven’s Notebook)
Poland-Ukraine deal?: The two countries are close to an agreement regarding agricultural imports, the Polish prime minister said on Thursday after intergovernmental talks, as Warsaw seeks to defuse farmers’ protests. (Reuters)
Midwest faces a long wildfire season: Despite a deluge of snow and rain this week, dry conditions and an overall lack of snow cover threaten to extend the Midwest’s spring wildfire season deep into the year. (InsideClimate News)
Swiss dairy faces charges: The owner of a dairy company in Switzerland is facing criminal charges, including negligent homicide, over a fatal Listeria outbreak. (Food Safety News)
