A new federal policy will allow federal agents to investigate, and possibly arrest and deport, families who step up to host children found at the border. It’s the latest in a series of enforcement actions by the Trump administration intended to discourage a new surge in unauthorized immigrants. The new policy was welcomed by some who see it as an important check on smugglers posing as helpers, but immigration advocates accuse the administration of using the detained children as “bait” for attracting, investigating and deporting immigrants living in the United States without authorization. [node:read-more:link]

The Environmental Working Group came roaring back this week with a new “study” that – true to form – breaks no new ground and is largely a recycling of old irrelevant data.  EWG essentially re-released their “farm subsidy database,” which is designed to publicly shame farmers for using farm policy to manage the unique risks they face.  And EWG’s big conclusion is that farmers receive aid from the USDA, and some have seen farm policy benefits for 32 years.That’s not news.  It's the law, and it has been the law since the 1860s when USDA came into existence. And as a result, the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Mexico was the pacesetter for pork exports in April, with volume up 34 percent from a year ago to 79,019 metric tons, according to data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation. [node:read-more:link]

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and U.S. Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) on Thursday introduced the Accurate Labels Act, bipartisan legislation to provide consumers with clear nutrition information and prevent the issuance of inaccurate, misleading labels. [node:read-more:link]

the Technology Modernization Fund Board (Board) awarded funding to support the development of USDA’s Farmers.gov customer experience portal, which helps better connect America’s farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and private foresters with vital USDA resources and programs. [node:read-more:link]

A federal judge in Washington state has dismissed a lawsuit to reinstate country-of-origin labeling on beef and pork products from other countries. U.S. District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson of Spokane agreed with ranchers in her Tuesday dismissal that the government’s decision has caused them financial harm. But she ultimately sided with the government, saying the legal clock had run out for the producers to challenge the underlying 1989 federal law, and that Congress had clearly intended to have the labeling end. [node:read-more:link]

Abuse Reporting / Civil Liability:The Illinois state house of representatives passed HB 4191, to amend the Humane Care for Animals Act. The bill would give a person immunity, from civil and criminal liability, when he/she forcibly removes an animal from a locked vehicle. The legislation awaits action by the Illinois state senate. Scope of Practice: Feline onychectomy, or declawing, would have been criminalized in California had SB 1441 not been defeated. [node:read-more:link]

Ohio regulators did not collect and review applications for medical marijuana growers in a controlled environment, limiting the ability to perform a reliable audit. That was the conclusion of accounting firm Ernst & Young, which performed an analysis for the state of the scoring process for applications to grow weed under Ohio's new Medical Marijuana Control Program.  The state's licensing process for growers has been called into question in lawsuits and administrative appeals brought by a number of unsuccessful applicants. [node:read-more:link]

The goal of the pilot made by Wyoming Certified Beef, LLC and Germany-based traceability solution provider TE-FOOD International is to showcase the premium living conditions of the cattle (grass-fed on an open range throughout their entire lives) thereby producing much higher quality cuts of beef to lucrative foreign markets. The verified ranch-to-table traceability of the cattle through RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) ear tags and anchored by blockchain technology has never been done before. [node:read-more:link]

California utilities might have to pay billions of dollars in damage if state investigators find their power lines sparked last year’s devastating wildfires. And they’ll face similar bills in the future, whenever a tree falls across a power line and sparks a fire that reduces homes, hotels and schools to ashes. [node:read-more:link]