There’s yet another reason to enjoy eggs. Months after a study showed eggs reduce strokes, cardiologists in the British Journal of Sports Medicine discovered eggs, butter and other sources of saturated fat do not clog arteries. The new culprit is inflammation, more specifically, sugar which leads to inflammation. For people who have a sweet tooth, this is not good because sugar is not easy to recognize in some foods. Foods high in carbohydrates, such as white bread, may actually be full of sugar as the stomach turns certain types of carbohydrates into sugar. [node:read-more:link]

Massachusetts woman not intimidated by animal rights activists, persists on her quest to keep food affordable to all. By now, we have probably all seen those Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) ads that show a sad little puppy or kitten, asking people to be a hero. Hero is a word that is overused. Yes, if a person donates to their local animal shelter or goes to the local animal shelter to adopt an animal, he or she could be a hero in that pet’s eyes. But that doesn’t appear to be HSUS’ intent with these ads. [node:read-more:link]

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a national nonprofit foundation established through bipartisan congressional support in the 2014 Farm Bill, and the Open Philanthropy Project, which identifies high-impact giving opportunities and makes grants, launched a partnership today to improve the welfare and productivity of egg-laying hens and commercially raised pigs. [node:read-more:link]

States need to have a larger role in implementing the Endangered Species Act, three heads of state wildlife agencies told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee at a hearing.“State fish and wildlife directors generally believe the ESA is not performing as it should and is not sufficiently leveraging state agency expertise and cooperation,” Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, told the EPW committee. [node:read-more:link]

Lawmakers from Pennsylvania are introducing bills at the state and federal level to ban the practice known as “lunch shaming” — taking away school meals or using other means to single out children with unpaid lunch bills. Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, proposed legislation to end the practice, and a similar measure has since been put forth by state Reps. Dan Miller, D-Mt. Lebanon, and Donna Bullock, D-Philadelphia. Mr. [node:read-more:link]

Last fall was the 107th sugar beet harvest for the Schlagel family, a legacy that spans five Front Range generations. It may also have been one of their last. Within five years, no genetically engineered crops will be allowed on county open space — and currently, GE is the only sugar beet seed available. It was late December, and Schlagel, Lisco, and Scott Miller (who raises cattle, grains and pumpkins alongside his father, Dick) sat with me by a perfect Christmas tree. Large windows gave a long view of the fields outside. [node:read-more:link]

Population growth isn’t the apocalyptic problem Malthusian greens once spent so much time making it out to be, but even though growth rates are slowing down, feeding our planet’s billions remains one of the biggest challenges for humanity. That task becomes even harder when you consider that our warming planet and its changing climate are going to create new challenges for farmers. Threats to food security are proliferating even as the demands placed on our agricultural system grow along with the global population. [node:read-more:link]

Monsanto Co. is opening its next chapter in genetic technology -- and may face tougher competition.The St. Louis company is investing in gene editing in an effort to keep an edge over rival suppliers of high-tech crop seeds. Monsanto has signed a string of licensing deals to add new gene-editing capabilities to its established methods of genetically modifying seeds, or creating GMOs. But startups and established competitors like DuPont Co. and Dow Chemical Co. [node:read-more:link]

Vermont’s Legislature has become the first in the nation to approve a recreational marijuana legalization bill. Vermont's bill, which would legalize small amounts of marijuana possession in 2018 and anticipate the possibility of a taxed and regulated legal marijuana market, was approved by the Vermont House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon by a vote of 79-66. The bill has already been passed by the Senate and will go directly to Gov. [node:read-more:link]