Trump deems farmworkers ‘essential’ but not safety rules for them. That could threaten the food supply. [Politico]
… The lack of federal action has left state and industry leaders scrambling to shield their farmworkers from the coronavirus. As harvest season ramps up, farmers across several major produce states have installed more hand-washing stations, instructed workers to keep their distance and provided face masks — but those efforts have been inconsistent and largely voluntary. … Labor officials have said they have all the enforcement tools necessary to ensure worker safety. … American fruit and vegetable growers, who are heavily reliant on migrant and immigrant labor, are taking note of what’s happening in meatpacking and processing plants as they try to avoid a similar catastrophe.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/12/trump-farmworkers-essential-coronavirus-safety-250142
Democratic attorneys general urge stricter safety at meat plants [Bloomberg]
Twenty Democratic attorneys general urged President Donald Trump to enforce stricter safety standards for meat-processing workers under his executive order reopening packing plants. … The letter calls on Trump to require priority coronavirus testing for all meat-processing workers covered by the executive order, immediate access to personal protective equipment for the workers, and mandatory six-feet space for social distancing at facilities or, where not possible, installation of plexiglass barriers. “If the president wants to force workers to toil away in extremely unsafe conditions, then he must enforce the protections they deserve,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, one of the signatories of the letter, said in a statement.
Opinion: Shutdowns sow seeds of starvation [Wall Street Journal]
… Even states with lockdowns have exempted food production as essential, and with good reason. If governors shut down food plants, disease today would be followed by hunger tomorrow. … This is a food distribution problem. We’d be facing a much bigger problem—a nationwide food shortage—if U.S. farms and food-processing and distribution facilities stopped operating. … Many political and opinion leaders say minimizing Covid-19 deaths should be the sole focus of policy. … Deaths caused by government policies that ultimately result in starvation are at least as tragic as those caused by a disease.
Bay Area meat, dairy prices spike as alcohol cost stays level in pandemic [Bay Area News Group]
Scenes from inside Bay Area grocery stores are quite different in the coronavirus age: face coverings, fewer shoppers, plexiglass separators. You can add rising price tags on meat and dairy products to the list. According to Consumer Price Index data released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, meat prices in the Bay Area last month were 10.4 percent higher than they were in February and 14.5 percent higher than in April 2019. Dairy prices rose 9.6 percent over last April, and prices on food at home (bought in stores) jumped 6.7 percent over that time frame, the majority of which has come since February.
Coronavirus meat shortages have plant-based food makers’ mouths watering [Wall Street Journal]
Plant-based food makers are racing to fill in for missing cuts in supermarket meat cases, after the coronavirus disrupted operations at meatpacking plants. Companies like Beyond Meat Inc., Impossible Foods Inc. and Tofurky Co. say they are ramping up production, discounting their plant-based meat alternatives to appeal to more consumers and expanding into more stores—sometimes at the request of grocery chains that are running short of staple meat product. … Producers of plant-based meat alternatives, which have battled to get their products stocked alongside traditional beef, pork and chicken, now see a chance to grab grocery store turf and win over more consumers.
With county fairs off, children show their cows and sheep virtually [New York Times]
… For rural children in local 4-H and National FFA Organization clubs, the fair cancellations are a particularly painful blow. … Leaders of local farm clubs are trying to make up for the losses by hosting online livestock shows, asking children to submit photos and videos of themselves displaying their cows, sheep and goats. … Clubs have offered virtual contests for showmanship or on the market potential of their livestock raised to slaughter. Some have added costume and TikTok competitions and contests that require children to show off their barns in the spirit of the MTV show “Cribs.”
Local farms utilizing multiple safety advancements [Glenn County Transcript]
The agriculture industry is an ever-changing world with new technology always being implemented and tinkered with to make operations safer for everyone involved. Kelli Evans, local farmer and board member with Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau, said farming work is transitioning to a number of automated programs to consolidate the day-to-day processes. … Another potential hazard on the farm is working around underground power lines. Evans said local farmers use a program called “811 Dig,” which is a number that technicians call before any digging happens on the farm.
