Agriculture is one of the biggest, most powerful industries in North Carolina. But its corporate and political backers just lost the first round of a legal battle with the industry’s lowest-paid workers. Last year the N.C. General Assembly passed a law that, in part, made it illegal for farms and unions to negotiate settlements involving union contracts. It also made it illegal for farm workers to directly transfer parts of their paycheck to the union as dues. [node:read-more:link]

Elanco Animal Health began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on September 20 under the ticker symbol “ELAN.” “A historic day for Elanco! A tribute to our 5,800 team members who made it happen, and the amazing farmers, veterinarians and pet owners we serve,” Elanco President Jeff Simmons posted on Twitterto commemorate the IPO. The pricing of its initial public offering (IPO) of 62.9 million shares of its common stock began selling at a price to the public of $24 per share. [node:read-more:link]

Agri-Mark, the company that owns Cabot Creamery, could continue to lose millions of dollars in revenue following President Trump’s announcement Monday of tariffs on $200 billion worth of goods from China and Beijing’s response the next day that it would tax $60 billion worth of U.S. goods — including almost all dairy products. For dairy companies like [Agri-Mark], which merged with Cabot in the 1990s and has one third of the dairy farms in New England in its cooperative, news of more tariffs is not good for business. China is the third largest market for U.S. [node:read-more:link]

If you want a straw with your drink or a soda with a kids’ meal at a California restaurant, you’ll need to ask for them starting next year. A law signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown makes California the first state to bar full-service restaurants from automatically giving out single-use plastic straws. Another law he approved requires milk or water to be the default drink sold with kids’ meals at fast-food and full-service restaurants.Neither law is an outright ban on straws or sugary drinks in kids’ meals. [node:read-more:link]

New York certainly has got milk and an assortment of products made from milk. And apples and grapes and cabbage, corn and beans.Oh, and maple syrup.All of those products rank in the top five in the nation when it comes to production, with New York taking the top spot for producing cottage cheese, sour cream and yogurt. In fact, 15 agriculture products produced in New York are in the top five nationwide, according to a report released Thursday by state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. [node:read-more:link]

Voters across Switzerland on Sunday resoundingly rejected initiatives aimed at boosting local farming and promoting more ethical and environmental standards in food production, amid fears of cost hikes and reduced consumer choice. Voters rejected two schemes linked to agriculture and food security, as well as protection for Swiss farmers against cheap food imports. [node:read-more:link]

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-KS, and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-MI, wrote a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue Sept. 7 raising concerns about the Trump administration’s plans to place the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s economics functions under the Office of the Secretary and to move most of the employees of the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture out of Washington. At the same time, USDA announced an extension of the deadline for communities to express an interest in housing the agencies until Oct. [node:read-more:link]

Autryville, NC-based Jackson Farming Company is the 2018 winner of American Vegetable Grower's prestigious Grower Achievement Award. First generation growers Brent and Debbie Jackson and their son Rodney Jackson demonstrate what can be accomplished when you’re willing to aim for long-term success.The Jackson Family will receive the American Vegetable Grower Grower Achievement Award in Washington, D.C., on September 24, 2018, during the United Fresh Produce Association’s Washington Conference. [node:read-more:link]