State Rep. John Patterson applauded the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 299, the companion bill to Patterson’s House Bill 643, the Ohio Clean lake 2020 Plan. Joint-sponsored with state Rep. Steve Arndt, the bipartisan legislation invests $36 million in efforts to tackle the issue of harmful algal blooms and create innovative programs to clean up Lake Erie. “Our Great Lake remains a vital resource to us here in Northeast Ohio, impacting everything from growing our crops to growing our economy. We must do everything we can to ensure its long-term health,” said Patterson. [node:read-more:link]

The world’s top food companies and farmers of crops such as beet sugar are pitted against each other as they lobby the U.S. government over plans to label genetically engineered ingredients. At the heart of the issue is transparency over ingredients used in food. Packaged foods makers are facing flagging consumer trust and stagnating demand for some core products as consumers opt for foods with simpler ingredient lists. Many food companies want the government to require manufacturers to include on labels all ingredients that have been genetically modified, known as GMO. [node:read-more:link]

“AEM and its 1,000 member companies are extremely disappointed with the Trump administration’s decision to move forward with the majority of the $50 billion in proposed tariffs. These tariffs target the vital parts and components used in equipment manufacturing throughout the U.S. They will also drive up the cost of manufacturing in the U.S. and risk many of the 1.3 million good-paying manufacturing jobs our industry supports. Combining this with China’s promise to retaliate against U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Two years ago it was almond milk. More recently it became oat milk. Who knows what the milk alternative of the future will be? Whatever it is, these various milk alternatives continue to bring in the dollars, so it’s not terribly shocking that the companies behind these products are wooing investors.Today, for example, Califia Farms, which makes a series of plant-based food alternatives–namely nut milks–announced a new round of funding of over $5o million. [node:read-more:link]

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]

Gov. Ralph Northam arrived to announce a new broadband initiative to improve internet services in rural areas. Northam said Virginia used to be ranked No. 1 as the state in which to do business nationwide, but has fallen down the list in recent years. “One reason for that is lack of broadband,” Northam said, particularly in rural areas. [node:read-more:link]

China has ordered state media not to report on comments from President Donald Trump or US officials because of the trade conflict. China told its media to not "attack Trump's vulgarity," and instead said to use state-sanctioned experts and promote "economic brightspots" by using "important page placement." The notice indicates how China is trying to shield its citizens from news of trade escalations with the US. [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]

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that it and partner agencies had made breakthroughs in its investigation of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, linked to romaine lettuce grown in the Yuma-AZ area. The contamination stems from canal water, presumably used by multiple farms, since FDA also announced the tainted romaine was grown in several farms in the region.CDC, FDA, local and state agencies are still investigating how the canals came to be contaminated. [node:read-more:link]