Leading Off: Rizzo catches Pirates’ ire, Stanton returns

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Elias Diaz, right, throws to first after getting the force-out at home plate on Chicago Cubs' Anthony Rizzo on a fielder's choice to shortstop by Cub's Chris Gimenez in the eighth inning of a b... . RETRANSMISSION TO CORRECT NAME TO JASON SEAMAN - In this undated photo, provided by Southern Illinois University, Jason Seaman, a defensive end for the SIU football team, poses for a photo in Carbondale, Ill.

Zika detection breakthrough by University of Queensland

A cheap and effective tool that could save lives by helping health authorities target mosquitos infected with Zika virus has been developed by researchers from the University of Queensland and colleagues in Brazil. Dr Maggy Sikulu-Lord and Dr Jill Fernandes, at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation , found Near Infrared Spectroscopy was 18-times faster and 110-times cheaper than the current detection method.

USDA: 81% Of Corn, 56% Of Soybeans Planted

USDA: 81% OF CORN, 56% OF SOYBEANS PLANTED May 23, 2018 Farm Futures magazine reports: The 2018 planting season started relatively slowly for corn, but the crop has officially caught up to the five-year average, with 81% of the crop in the ground as of May 20. Spring planting progress for soybeans and spring wheat also made big strides this past week. Some states are even further along than the national average - even some major Midwestern states such as Illinois , Indiana and Iowa .

If Californiaa s foie gras ban survives, it could have major…

Foie gras producers and an acclaimed Los Angeles restaurant are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take up their appeal of a Ninth Circuit Court ruling, which upheld California's wrongheaded foie gras ban. Hopefully, the Supreme Court will take the case because it could have lasting implications for the future of animal agriculture in America.

Nbaf Update | Officials planning for possible change in federal ownership

There has been some interest in the proposed changes in federal ownership of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility that were included in the President's FY 2019 budget request. The President's request calls for transitioning ownership and responsibility for operating NBAF from the Department of Homeland Security to the U.S. Department of Agriculture .

USDA Unveils Prototypes For GMO Food Labels, And They’re … Confusing

We recently got the first glimpse of what that label might look like, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its proposed guidelines . This is the product of a decades-long fight between anti-GMO campaigners and Big Agriculture companies, which left neither side completely satisfied, as NPR has reported .

Concordia schools to provide summer free meals for children

Meals will be served at the USD 333 Service Center, the old Middle School from May 30 through August 3 and at the Concordia Junior-Senior High School from May 30 through July 20. At the Service Center, breakfast will be served Monday through Friday from 8:30-9:00 a.m. Lunch will be served Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. until noon. Visitors are asked to use the parking lot entrance on the north side of the building.

Humane Society: Ban retail stores from selling puppies. They’re unfit

Throughout the nation, Americans are taking a stand against cruel puppy mills by supporting efforts to prohibit puppy mill operators from selling dogs in pet stores. Recently, Maryland became the second state in the nation to ban the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet stores when Gov. Larry Hogan signed bipartisan legislation to protect dogs and the state's consumers.

Must-do for Florida’s midterm candidates: A stop in Puerto Rico. Or three.

Holding political office in Florida increasingly requires trekking to Puerto Rico, the former home of a growing number of Florida residents. More than a million Puerto Ricans already lived in the state before the hurricane, and another 56,000 joined them in the first six months after Maria.

Free lunch program could expand to all Jackson Public Schools

A federal program that provides free lunches to students could be expanded to the entire Jackson Public School district next year. All JPS schools except for Jackson High School and JPS Montessori currently offer a free standard lunch to students, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Community Eligibility Provision .

Gillibrand requests $300 million in immediate relief for dairy farmers

U.S. Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand is urging Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to help dairy farmers withstand an ongoing financial crisis by issuing emergency funds as soon as possible. “This is a crisis right in our own backyard and we need to solve it now,” Sen. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said during a conference call Tuesday.