Tyson Foods Closing Four More Chicken Plants In Heartland U.S.
Image Source: Andrew Jansen
Back in March, Tyson closed two chicken plants in Virginia and Arkansas, cutting about 1,700 jobs. The poultry giant is now closing four more plants in Arkansas, Indiana and Missouri, cutting almost 3,000 more jobs. For over 50 years, these chicken plants have been small-town fixtures. The closures will deliver a blow, especially in Noel, Missouri, where well over half the town population works at the Tyson plant. Why the closures? Demand for chicken is trending down, forcing a number of cost-cutting moves, including the recent layoff of more than 225 Tyson corporate employees.
US Suspends Food Aid To Ethiopia, Citing Widespread Theft
Image Source: Ben Curtis/Associated Press
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) suspended all food aid to Ethiopia after an investigation found “widespread and coordinated” theft of emergency rations. A brief by the Humanitarian and Resilience Donor Group said the scheme “appeared to be orchestrated by federal and regional government of Ethiopia entities, with military units across the country benefiting from humanitarian assistance.” The US is the biggest single donor to Ethiopia, providing $1.8 billion in humanitarian assistance, including food aid, in 2022. In total, 20 million people across Ethiopia rely on food aid because of conflict and drought. It appears the government decided its military needed the food most. USAID intends to resume food assistance once they are "confident in the integrity of delivery systems to get assistance to its intended recipients."
Supreme Court Upholds California Ban On Inhumane Pork Sales
Image Source: Reuters/Daniel Acker
In 2021, California passed a law (Proposition 12) banning the sale of pork products derived from sows that don’t have at least 24 square feet of space and the ability to stand up and turn around in their pens. The National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation sued, arguing that increased costs for pig farmers violate the "Commerce Clause," which prevents states from passing laws discriminating against commerce in other states. The case went to the Supreme Court, and last month, federal judges upheld the California law: no more gestation crates for California pork. Score 1 for this little piggy.
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Plummeting Stocks Set To Trigger Salmon Fishing Ban In California
Image Source: Steve Martarano/US Fish and Wildlife Service
The Pacific Fishery Management Council, a federal commission that oversees West Coast fisheries, has recommended that Chinook salmon fishing off the California coast be called off until 2024. The ban would halt both commercial and recreational salmon fishing in the state and much of the neighboring Oregon coast. The reason? Chinook salmon have become increasingly endangered due to drought, heat waves, and agriculture. To take effect, the National Marine Fisheries Service must approve the ban by May 16.
California Floods Jeopardize Summer Strawberry Harvest
Image Source: California Strawberry Commission
Most US-grown strawberries come from California, and about a third of the state’s strawberry acreage is in the Watsonville and Salinas areas, according to the California Strawberry Commission. This winter, that area has been battered by 11 atmospheric rivers and storms, causing about $324 million is agricultural losses. In mid-March another storm broke a local levee, drowning over 1,000 acres of prime strawberry fields, and forcing the evacuation of more than 8,000 people from the Latino farmworker community. Soren Bjorn, president of leading strawberry brand Driscoll’s, said the potential impact is significant. Strawberry shortcake, beware.
