Rural population is growing slowly
Rural America, home to one in seven Americans, “is growing again after a decade of overall population loss” and is now home to 46 million people, said the USDA’s “Rural America at a Glance” report on Wednesday. Rural employment has recovered from the job losses of the pandemic, and 1 percent of rural workers hold clean energy jobs, about the same number as are employed in fossil fuels.
Ag committee Republicans vote against funding bill
Eleven of the 29 Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee voted against the government funding bill that includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm law, House records show. The extension would give the Senate and House Agriculture committees more time to write the next farm bill.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Baristas plan walkout: Thousands of unionized Starbucks baristas are planning a one-day work stoppage on Thursday in what could be their biggest strike to date. (Bloomberg)
FTC warning: The Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to two trade groups and 12 food influencers for failing to adequately disclose that the online health influencers were paid to promote sugary beverages and the sweetener aspartame. (FTC)
Shifting hardiness zones: The Agriculture Department’s new Plant Hardiness Zone Map reveals that since 2012, about half of the country has shifted to the next-warmest half zone. (USDA)
Water fight targets carrots: Residents of California’s Cuyama Valley are calling for a boycott of two of the world’s largest carrot-growing companies in a fight over access to groundwater. (Los Angeles Times)
Thanksgiving prices drop: Grocery store prices for the ingredients of a traditional Thanksgiving meal are down 4.5 percent from last year, with the cost of the centerpiece turkey down 5.6 percent, according to a spot check of retail prices early this month. (American Farm Bureau Federation)
