Will a state-level push for free school meals spur federal action?
When the government made school meals temporarily free to virtually all public school students in 2020, the intent was to buffer children and families from the spike in hunger and economic hardship caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It also inadvertently turned out to be a pilot project for something anti-hunger groups had been pushing for years: making school food free, permanently, for all public school students, regardless of income.
Kansas pilots an unusual technique to save its reservoirs from soil erosion
Kansas officials are in talks with the U.S Army Corps of Engineers about piloting a technique known as “water injection dredging” to keep one of the state’s drinking water reservoirs from filling up with sediment — which is partly the result of soil erosion from farm fields along stream banks.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Union yes: Seventy-one percent of Americans now approve of labor unions, the highest Gallup has recorded on this measure since 1965. (Gallup)
Saudi’s shady water deal: A candidate for Arizona state attorney general is calling for a probe to investigate and potentially cancel the leases a state agency signed with a Saudi Arabian company that is pumping Phoenix’s backup water supply to grow alfalfa for export. (Arizona Republic)
Modified American chestnut: Researchers are growing American chestnut trees that can withstand infection by the fungus that left the species “functionally extinct.” Not everyone is happy about it. (Washington Post)
Who likes climate policies?: Surveys show that Americans believe about 40 percent of people support clean-energy policies. The actual figure is “a supermajority” of 66-80 percent, according to a new study. (Bloomberg Green)
Mental health hotline: The AgriStress Helpline for Farmers and Ranchers is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by professionals trained to work with members of agricultural communities. (High Country News)
Swapping steak for rabbit?: Rodents and other small mammals may serve as more sustainable alternatives to industrially produced meat. (Food Tank)
