Allowing homely fruits and vegetables to compost in the field has some benefits, but many of Connecticut’s 6,000 farms are choosing to process sub-standard produce into wine, jellies and pickeled goods, in addition to donating leftovers to food banks. “We’ll take ugly fruit, there’s nothing wrong with it,” James Arena-DeRosa, president and CEO of Foodshare, told students. Foodshare moves over six million pounds of donated shelf stable and perishable food into Connecticut communities every year, Arena-DeRosa said. [node:read-more:link]

The Canadian government has awarded CA$690,000 (US$523,436) to poultry industry group Éleveurs de volailles du Québec (EVQ) to study the possible reduction of the use of antibioticsfor preventative purposes in the Quebec poultry industry. Under the project, the Poultry Research Chair at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will assess various alternative strategies and their effects on flock performance. [node:read-more:link]

Research has found that pig farm workers likely spread methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to swine in Norway. Scientists observed signs of the human-to-pig infection while working on a campaign to stamp out MRSA in Norway. The researchers asserted that disease-prevention programs like Norway’s could reduce the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially in countries with little or no import of live pigs, since farm workers could introduce the disease to pig herds. [node:read-more:link]

Survey Results at a Glance: For a 12th straight month, the Rural Mainstreet Index fell below growth neutral. Farmland prices remained below growth neutral for the 33rd consecutive month. Bank CEOs expect farmland prices to fall by another 6.9 percent over the next 12 months. Approximately 56.5 percent of bank CEOs expect the Federal Reserve to raise rates before the end of 2016. [node:read-more:link]

Farmers are reconsidering the use of biotech seeds as it becomes harder to justify their high prices amid the measly returns of the current farm economy. “The price we are paying for biotech seed now, we’re not able to capture the returns,” said Ohio farmer Joe Logan. This spring, Mr. Logan loaded up his planter with soybean seeds costing $85 a bag, nearly five times what he paid two decades ago. Next spring, he says, he plans to sow many of his corn and soybean fields with non-biotech seeds to save money. [node:read-more:link]

Joey Chihuahua got a death-row pardon.  A few months ago, he was scooped from the streets of California, taken to a shelter and put up for adoption. But after no one claimed him, he was moved to the kill floor — until a kind-hearted Canadian flew to the rescue.  Judy Carter, who's with Heart Prints Dog Rescue Society in Edmonton, said she heard of Joey's plight and brought him home. She says Chihuahuas are one of the most euthanized breeds in California.  "They're throw-away dogs down there." Carter isn't alone. [node:read-more:link]

Nearly three years after Winter Storm Atlas blanketed western South Dakota and two months after the state Supreme Court ruled that a Quinn couple was entitled to compensation from their insurance company for nearly 100 yearling heifers that died in the blizzard, dozens of ranchers are reportedly revisiting their insurance policies to determine if they, too, are eligible for claims previously denied.The South Dakota Supreme Court overturned an earlier decision by a lower court that ruled against Richard and Larayna Papousek, who run a crop and livestock ranch 61 miles east of Rapid City. [node:read-more:link]

The rationale behind Bayer AG’s $66 billion takeover of Monsanto Co., and other huge deals in the same industry, is that farmers are better served by a company offering optimized packages of seeds, crop chemicals and technology services. But not everyone is convinced. Bayer is one of the largest producers of pesticides and Monsanto is the world’s biggest seed supplier. DuPont Co. and Dow Chemical Co. also plan to merge, in the process carving out a new crop-science unit that follows the same logic. [node:read-more:link]

The United States must embrace on-farm pathogen monitoring by regulators as part of its strategy to prevent foodborne illnesses, Pew Charitable Trusts argues. Scores of sickness-causing microbes - including new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria - could arise undetected unless regulators have greater access to farms and feedlots, enabling scientists to better understand how pathogens evolve, Pew says in its report. [node:read-more:link]

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that up to $5 million in grant funds is available to help schools create or strengthen farm to school programs this school year.  Farm to school programs help form healthy habits and support local economies. [node:read-more:link]