Trump environmental war against California ran deep. Here’s how Biden changes everything [Sacramento Bee]
… Experts say the Biden administration is likely to side with California officials on a host of environmental controversies. … All told, Trump’s four-year crusade to overhaul California’s water supply — and boost deliveries to Republican-voting Valley counties — didn’t amount to much. … What happens come January is uncertain. … The Trump and Newsom administrations have established a fair amount of common ground on how to deal with wildfires.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article247320424.html
Coastal harm from invading saltwater ‘happening right now’ [Howard Center for Investigative Journalism via Associated Press]
… New scientific research along the East Coast and in California shows measurable and sometimes startling change, much of it from saltwater’s unseen advance beneath the surface. … Salt is a significant threat in the farm-rich Central Valley of California. Local agencies are implementing plans to balance overdrafted aquifers — critical water supplies that are prone to saltwater intrusion. … Proponents say recharging aquifers by putting freshwater back into them will preserve agriculture in California. But the path to sustainability is laden with sacrifice.
New outreach campaign educates farming community about workers’ rights [NBC Palm Springs/KMIR TV]
Over 4,000 farm workers have tested positive for coronavirus in Riverside County. … In California, it is illegal for employers to threaten employees because of immigration status, but many workers still have concerns. To help alleviate worries, the California Labor Commissioner’s Office and Todec Legal Center are starting a new campaign to educate farm workers about their rights. Those rights include paid sick leave, regardless of immigration status.
Cargill’s CEO on preventing Covid-19 surge from disrupting the food supply [Wall Street Journal]
… Cargill Inc., a 155-year-old company with 155,000 employees in 70 countries, straddles the global food- and agriculture-supply chains, processing farmers’ crops, packing meat and distributing sugar, salt, cotton and other commodities. … The coronavirus pandemic upended those finely tuned supply chains. Since the spring, when meatpacking workers across North America fell sick by the thousands, Cargill and other food processors have revamped plants to defend against the virus that causes Covid-19.
Should Americans get half their calories from carbs? Two camps battle it out [Wall Street Journal]
… Years after low-carb eating gained attention with the Atkins diet, the low-carb movement is trying to gain wider mainstream acceptance and a nod of government endorsement. The latest battleground is the U.S. government’s dietary guidelines, which are being revised for the first time in five years. … During heated public hearings over the past 18 months, low-carb advocates pushed to include a low-carb diet option in the new dietary guidelines, which the government is expected to finalize in December.
Cost of traditional Thanksgiving meal this year falls to less than $5 per person, Farm Bureau says [USA Today/Des Moines Register]
Getting a gobbler and all the fixings on your table this year will cost less per guest than buying a fancy spiced pumpkin latte, data from the American Farm Bureau Federation shows. The average price tag for a typical Thanksgiving meal — including turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie — is down 4% from last year, according to the Farm Bureau, which has tracked costs annually for 35 years. … The biggest factor in the decreased cost for this year’s holiday meal is the price of turkey.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/11/23/thanksgiving-meal-2020-average-cost/6394116002/
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