Several New York City officials are launching efforts to eliminate processed meats from the menus at the Big Apple’s public schools, which have an estimated 1.1 million students. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams introduced a resolution asking the New York City Council to ban processed meats like hot dogs, ham, bacon and sausage in an effort to improve student health through diet. Resolution 238 recommends a more plant-based diet in light of studies that suggest processed meat could affect the rates of cancer, respiratory illness and diabetes later in life. [node:read-more:link]

China called on World Trade Organization members to unite to prevent the United States “wrecking” the WTO, and it urged them to oppose U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs targeting China’s alleged theft of intellectual property. [node:read-more:link]

 The Renewable Fuels Association strongly opposes the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed settlement agreement with Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) that would allow the bankrupt refiner to unjustifiably waive the vast majority of its Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs), it said in comments filed today with the U.S. Department of Justice. The proposed PES settlement agreement, which covers the refiner’s RVOs for January 2016-April 2018, should be rejected “because the terms are patently unfair, unreasonable, and inconsistent with the purposes of the RFS program,” RFA wrote. [node:read-more:link]

For Johnson County, Ind. farmer Joe Kelsay, it’s not just another day on the farm. He’s continuing to pump milk while a cloud of uncertainty hangs over his farm. As a fifth-generation dairy farmer, his job just became even more difficult. He was notified in February from Dean Foods that he has 90 days to find a new home for his milk. Kelsay is one of 27 producers in Indiana and more than 80 reported across the country who received the same notice from Dean Foods. [node:read-more:link]

Earth is losing plants, animals and clean water at a dramatic rate, according to four new United Nations scientific reports on biodiversity. Scientists meeting in Colombia issued four regional reports Friday on how well animal and plants are doing in the Americas; Europe and Central Asia; Africa; and the Asia-Pacific area.Their conclusion after three years of study: Nowhere is doing well. The work was about more than just critters, said study team chairman Robert Watson. [node:read-more:link]

When Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act bill back in December, there were provisions giving additional advantages in form of deductions to producers who sold grain to cooperatives that did not exist for farmers selling to independent buyers.  When this was discovered, numerous Congressmen said this was an inadvertent error that would be remedied.  The spending bill corrected this “grain glitch”  in Division T, Section 101, which essentially does away with the deduction advantaged given to coops under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. [node:read-more:link]

The General Assembly has passed — and sent to Gov. Ralph Northam for his signature — a bill by Del. Will Morefield, R-Tazewell (with help from state Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County) that offers a seven-year tax break to companies that locate in certain economically-distressed localities and create a certain number of jobs (the number varies depending on the investment). The list of those eligible includes much of Southwest and Southside Virginia, along with many localities along the Chesapeake Bay. The General Assembly also passed a bill by state Sen. [node:read-more:link]

Prices for farmland declined across Minnesota in 2017, another sign of a weak farm economy that's been plagued by low crop prices and reduced incomes for the past four years.  [node:read-more:link]

Craig Myhre, a farmer in western Wisconsin, is trying to make a living off 600 acres of crops and a small herd of beef cattle. He also hires himself out to harvest other farmers’ fields, earning money to make payments on his combine. It’s still tough to make ends meet, despite putting in 12- to 16-hour days. In 2015, he added yet another job, as a mail carrier. [node:read-more:link]

Activist organizations continue to push for an end to animal agriculture, so awareness of this agenda and knowing how to promote the truthful message about how food is produced is key. Consumers crave information about how the animals they eat are raised and where their food comes from, but unfortunately they frequently turn to Google, getting answers from animal activist organizations rather than directly from the farmers and ranchers who care for these animals and the companies that produce the food. [node:read-more:link]