By Sarah Fielder
“Pink Slime” Defamation Trial Ends Suddenly In Settlement It was an abrupt ending to a closely-watched defamation trial last week when ABC and Beef Products Inc (BPI) announced a settlement midway through a jury trial last Wednesday morning. The trial came to an end in Union County Circuit Court in Elk Point, South Dakota. BPI alleged ABC’s 2012 negative coverage of its lean finely textured beef (LFTB) product, which ABC nicknamed “pink slime” forced it to close plants, lay off workers, and lose business. ABC countered by saying others had already covered the product in a negative light, and fast food outlets like Taco Bell and McDonald’s had already ceased purchasing the product. Read more at: https://go.umd.edu/cL9.
MARBIDCO’s Next Gen Program Helps Beginning Farmers With Land Purchases The Next Generation Farmland Acquisition Program (NGFAP) offers land acquisition assistance to young and beginning farmers and will beginning accepting its initial round of applications in July. To read the full story click here: https://go.umd.edu/cLv.
Whole Foods and Beyond—Three Ways Amazon Is Changing the Grocery Game In early 2018, Amazon will join nine other retailers with an online food presence, including FreshDirect and Safeway, in a two-year USDA pilot programto determine whether online grocery purchasing could help alleviate so-called food deserts—areas where residents have little or no access to fresh, healthy food. Click here to read the full story: https://go.umd.edu/cbm.
Florida Scientists Work to Develop Heat-resistant ‘Cow of the Future’ University of Florida scientists are working to breed the “cow of the future” by studying the more heat-tolerant Brangus cow- a cross between an Angus and a Brahman. To read the full story click here: https://go.umd.edu/cbs.
Cover Crop Sign Up Ends July 17th Planting cover crops this fall makes good sense for Maryland farmers and the Chesapeake Bay. Cover crops have a proven track record of protecting waterways from nutrient runoff, controlling erosion, suppressing weeds and improving the soil for the next crop. Cost-share grants are available from the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program to help offset seed, labor, and equipment costs associated with planting cover crops in the fall. For more information read here: https://go.umd.edu/cb4.
Vegetable Plant and Pest Diagnostics Workshop July 19, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., UME-Cecil County, Elkton, MD. For information and to register visit: https://go.umd.edu/cbh.