Month: January 2019

Omaha World-Herald: ‘One Nebraska’ book on farm family is divisive, won’t get proclamation, Ricketts says; author calls move ‘shocking’

by Aaron Hegarty / World-Herald staff writer | January 8, 2018 Since 2005, the Nebraska Center for the Book has had its annual “One Book One Nebraska” selection recognized by the governor. Not this year. The book selected was “This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm,” which follows the…



Pacific Standard: How the Farm Bill Could Help Spur a Rural Innovation Renaissance

by Vivian Graubard & Nathan Ohle | January 3, 2019 With the right policy support, sparsely populated areas of the U.S. may be on the brink of becoming the country’s next hub for innovation. News from rural communities in recent years has been bleak. Young people are leaving for coastal cities, industries that have historically…



New Food Economy: The biggest food recall of 2018 is one you still haven’t heard about

by Sam Bloch | January 3rd, 2019 How a prepared produce wholesaler quietly recalled 100 million pounds of potentially listeria-contaminated product without the public noticing. In a year with some record-breaking recalls—from romaine to cake mix to ground beef—the one initiated by McCain Foods, which ran for six weeks in October and November, may be…



Food & Power: JBS Shortchanges Nebraska Ranchers, Violating the Packers & Stockyards Act

by Claire Kelloway Last month, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service announced that the world’s largest meatpacker, JBS, made inaccurate and non-transparent payments during early 2018 to ranchers at its Grand Island, Nebraska plant. For more than three months from December 2017 to March 2018, this processing facility failed to accurately record the weights and grades…