@reuters.com Evelyn Hockstein & I spent a week in the state, reporting on how federal economic policy changes are impacting the nation’s farming and food systems. It's the latest in our narrative series, and what we found was really eye-opening.
www.reuters.com/investigates...

A couple really terrific reads by @reuters.com's Lisa Baertlein that, if you track agriculture, you'll want to check out:

🧵 First up, this trucking story...

www.reuters.com/business/tru...

What's the impact of the Trump Administration slashing federal funding for ag research at land-grant and other universities - furthering the trend of cutting public backing for such work, at a time when rivals China and Brazil are doing the opposite? www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

Yes, city folks, your grocery prices are going up over time - partly because retailers pass on higher overhead expenses (like rents). Given that commercial real estate could be recovering this year, will that result in even higher grocery prices?

Hat tip to USDA's Charts of Note team!

The "free school lunch" history is fascinating: Started in the 1940s by Truman, in response to claims that many American men had been rejected for WW2 military service because of diet-related health problems. Hat tip to USDA ERS team's Charts of Note: www.ers.usda.gov/data-product...

Rural access to grocery stores is often limited - and that trend is growing. There have been tests to revive rural grocery stores - but how successful have these projects been, as some rural populations shrink? Hat tip to @USDA_ERS Charts of Note.
ers.usda.gov/data-product...

My latest (on the @reuters.com wire now - working late): USDA will release approximately $20 million in funding for previously approved contracts that had been frozen by the Trump administration's push to overhaul the federal government, the agency said late on Thursday.

I've always found it both ironic (and jarring) that in parts of rural America - where much of the nation's food supply is grown or produced - that there are such high rates of food insecurity (meaning people struggled to provide enough food for their household members within the past year).

Monday morning mood...

(Hat tip to the talented Boult Animal Photography)

TGIF - on a food note (not so much ags, but still food): Milk Street Radio's podcast this week include a terrific piece on Don Lindgren, the antique bookseller who collects community cookbooks - that oh-so-very-American tradition. It's worth a listen!

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

Good morning from the snowy central Midwest! Fun #agriculture fact of the day: Did you know that the US produces about 2/3rd of the world's cranberries?

Now, more important question: Do you prefer to make your cranberry sauce from scratch? Or eat it directly out of the can?

I've long been a fan of USDA ERS's team behind the Charts of Note graphics. This one caught my eye, in particularly the lowest v highest differential: Households spend more money on food as their incomes rise, but the amount spent represents a smaller share of their overall budgets.