‘Lemon’ or not, Trump stuck with Phase 1 China trade deal for now [Reuters]
U.S. President Donald Trump has little choice but to stick with his Phase 1 China trade deal for now despite his anger at Beijing over the coronavirus pandemic, new Hong Kong security rules, and dwindling hopes China can meet U.S. goods purchase targets, people familiar with his administration’s deliberations say. … Talking tough on China and criticizing the Obama administration’s more measured approach is a key part of Trump’s re-election strategy. Sticking with the pact may mean accepting that China is likely to fall short of purchase commitments for U.S. agricultural goods, manufactured products, energy and services – goals that many said were unrealistic.
Napa County says wineries can’t roll in food options to be able to reopen earlier, officials say [North Bay Business Journal]
California’s recent allowance for winery tasting rooms to reopen as long as they serve meals along with the libations doesn’t overturn Napa County policy over the past three decades barring certain new winery food service, officials confirmed. County Public Health Officer Karen Relucio and David Morrison, director of planning, building and environmental services, sent a letter to wine industry and Napa County Farm Bureau leaders on May 26 confirming that certain winery-related retail uses are now allowed. These uses include direct-to-consumer sales of wine and wine-related merchandise, if such activities are in full compliance with county health orders and COVID-19 industry compliance.
Tuolumne has $17 million loan fund to turn wildfire fuel into products and jobs [Modesto Bee]
The federal government has $17 million to lend to Tuolumne County ventures that convert wildfire fuel into wood products or energy. … Businesses and other recipients could use the money to produce building material, power plant fuel, chips for landscaping and other goods. … Advocates of forest thinning note that it also protects recreational spots visited by people from the San Joaquin Valley and other regions. And they say fewer trees sucking up moisture can mean more yield from mountain watersheds.
https://www.modbee.com/article243043466.html
California wants to hire more cannabis cops to get a handle on black market marijuana [Sacramento Bee]
California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control is looking to beef up its law enforcement presence. The bureau in a new state budget request is asking lawmakers to let it build an 87-member police force that would enforce the 2016 law voters passed legalizing recreational cannabis. … The department is trying to contain a black market that pervades the state three years after California’s first recreational marijuana stores opened.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/california-weed/article243061066.html
Activists arrested after chaining themselves outside Iowa facility where pigs euthanized [Des Moines Register]
Three members of an animal rights group were charged with trespass after chaining themselves Sunday to a fence surrounding an Iowa facility where thousands of pigs were euthanized last month, authorities said. Also over the weekend, law enforcement officials arrested Matt Johnson, an investigator for the group Direct Action Everywhere, and charged him with third-degree burglary, three counts of trespass at an agricultural production facility, and electronic eavesdropping. The activists supporting the California animal rights group have targeted Iowa Select Farms, a pork production facility, in a flurry of activities over the past month.
Opinion: America’s factory farm system is broken; hopefully, that’s about to change [Marin Independent Journal]
… The factory farm system is broken. In addition to hurting the animals, America’s appetite for cheap meat is not only harming the environment, but also the “expendable” workers whose plight is kept hidden from public scrutiny. … There has never been a better time to eat less meat, and to explore the many alternatives available in stores. … In our rush back to “normal,” let’s take this moment to reflect on what kind of normal we’d like to return to: a more resilient and sustainable food system, instead of one that causes so much suffering to people and animals.
