You've likely noticed that the competing interests of the day are all vying for millennials attention, and the practice of beating up on agriculture (the meat industry in particular) is a very popular ‘larger social issue’ that resonates with millennials.Just a few examples:A Colorado State University student has petitioned through change.org to stop the construction of a very small slaughter facility on campus that facilitates the instruction of meat science and best practices of animal handling.The documentary “What the Health” (aka Cowspiracy 2) is currently showing across the country in [node:read-more:link]

Pallid sturgeon, declared endangered in 1990, can live for decades and reach 5 feet in length. Fewer than 125 are left in the Upper Missouri River Basin; they’re believed to be genetically distinct and key to the species’ survival. Their reproduction is hampered by dams, though, and in 2015, environmental groups sued to demolish one on the Yellowstone River that blocks 165 miles of crucial spawning habitat (“Can pallid sturgeon hang on in the overworked Missouri River?” HCN, 9/17/12). [node:read-more:link]

Researchers at Rutgers University and Tennessee State University who ordered and tested hundreds of meat, poultry, game and seafood items from home delivery systems such as meal kits found disturbing results relative to cold-chain integrity, packaging, labeling and pathogen loads on some of these food items. Of consumers interviewed, 95 percent believed these products to be safe. However, many of these food items arrived as unexpected gifts, increasing the likelihood the products might sit outside for eight hours or more before being opened and refrigerated. [node:read-more:link]

Secretary Sonny Perdue announces the first shipments of fresh US beef in 13 years have arrived in Brazil, creating promising long-term opportunities for American producers in the Brazilian market. “With Brazil’s large market reopened to the United States, US beef exports are poised for new growth. I look forward to Brazilians getting the opportunity to eat delicious American beef, because once they taste it, they’ll want more of it,” Secretary Perdue said in a statement.São Paulo, Brazil-based JBS SA received its first lot containing 12 tons of US beef. [node:read-more:link]

The impact is unclear at this point, but the primary worry is about ag land being taken out of production. [node:read-more:link]

It’s been a tough sales season for the Washington apple industry. Not as tough as 2014, when a record crop tanked prices, but still bad enough that it’s “not sustainable,” a leading marketer says.Red Delicious apples, selling below break-even, are still 29 percent of the 2016 crop and need to be more like 15 to 18 percent, says Tim Evans, general sales manager of Chelan Fresh Marketing.Reds and Gala make up more than 50 percent of the crop. [node:read-more:link]

The USDA’s agreement to kill wolves on behalf of Oregon wildlife regulators isn’t a “major federal action” warranting environmental review, according to a federal judge. Even if USDA’s Wildlife Services was required to study the impact of killing wolves in Oregon, the agency properly concluded it would have no significant environmental impact, U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Issues surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMO) will be examined during a six-week online course through University of Wyoming Extension.The weekly sessions, beginning Monday, May 22, are meant to divide fact from fiction about biotechnology, says Jeremiah Vardiman, UW Extension educator who is leading the course.“This online course focuses on educating professionals in the health and nutrition fields, and any other inquisitive mind on the main topics that are discussed or brought up about GMOs,” he says. [node:read-more:link]

On Thursday, May 11, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a major reorganization of the Department; the first time the Department has undergone a significant reshuffling since 1994. The reorganization has been framed as a move toward more efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. [node:read-more:link]

For the first time in 20 years, salmonella is not the leading cause of foodborne illness. Campylobacter is the new number one germ that gave Americans food poisoning in 2016, according to the CDC. [node:read-more:link]