Agriculture

Buy a pound of cheese or a carton of milk in the U.S., and it most likely hails from Wisconsin, the number-one cheese and number-two milk producer in the country. Often, that Wisconsin dairy product comes from a cow that was milked by an undocumented immigrant. Nationwide, 51% of dairy workers are immigrants. According to workers, farmers, and industry experts, more than three-fourths of these immigrants are undocumented. As a result, farms with immigrant employees produce the vast majority—79%—of the American milk supply. [node:read-more:link]

Congress is preparing to reconcile two versions of the farm bill, a sweeping piece of legislation renewed every five years that governs an array of agricultural and food assistance programs, including SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Once known as food stamps, SNAP helps nearly 44 million Americans – mostly children, working parents, the elderly and people with disabilities – afford a basic diet each month. While the Senate version of the farm bill would mostly leave SNAP intact through 2023, the House version, which was backed by Rep. [node:read-more:link]

A new federal study finds bees are having a much harder time finding food in America's last honeybee refuge. The country's hot spot for commercial beekeeping is the Northern Great Plains of the Dakotas and neighboring areas, where more than 1 million colonies spend their summer feasting on pollen and nectar from wildflowers and other plants. Clint Otto of the U.S. Geological Survey calculates that from 2006 to 2016, more than half the conservation land within a mile of bee colonies was converted into agriculture, usually row crops like soybeans and corn. Those don't feed bees.    
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A new lawsuit has been filed against Mountaire Farms concerning the poultry company’s wastewater and sludge contamination issues around its complex in Millsboro, Delaware, and included in that lawsuit is a wrongful death allegation. [node:read-more:link]

The EPA is expected to ask a federal judge in New York to rule in its favor on a lawsuit challenging the delay of the 2015 waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule, according to a document filed last week announcing plans to file for summary judgement. Attorneys general of 10 states and the District of Columbia sued the EPA in February, alleging the agency's final rule suspending the WOTUS rule is unlawful. A motion for summary judgement asks a court to rule on the merits of the case without a trial taking place. In addition, the states filed a prior similar motion, asking the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

In pigs, endocrine disruptors can alter gene expression in a way that also affects the next generation. The study findings could potentially apply to humans, too. [node:read-more:link]

Canada today announced it would make good on a threat of retaliatory tariffs on more than $12.6 billion worth of U.S. products, effective July 1. Among the casualties of Canada’s response to the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada is about $170 million worth of U.S. beef products. [node:read-more:link]

When a person thinks of animal rights organizations, Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) is typically not the first one that comes to mind.However, the group’s recent antics (let’s just go with that word for now) prove that it could very well be the most dangerous animal rights organization out there. With an above-the-law type of attitude, DxE seems to take pride in the fact that its members have been arrested for doing what it believes are justifiable crimes in order to prevent farm animals from, again for what it believes (is), suffering. [node:read-more:link]

The Country Fresh milk processing plant in Livonia is closing.More than 150 employees are set to be out of a job by the end of August, and many have been working there for years. The workers are members of UAW Local 174 and their president says it's because of Walmart is going into its own milk production.Country Fresh is owned by Dean Foods based in Texas. It is the second largest processor of fluid milk in the U.S. behind Nestle. Dean Foods is closing a total of seven similar plants in seven states including Kentucky, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Minnesota. [node:read-more:link]

Scientists have genetically engineered pigs to be immune to one of the world’s most costly animal diseases, in an advance that could propel gene-editing technology into commercial farms within five years. The trial, led by the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, showed that the pigs were completely immune to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a disease that is endemic across the globe and costs the European pig industry nearly £1.5bn in pig deaths and decreased productivity each year. [node:read-more:link]