Illinois public schools and licensed daycare facilities will be required to test drinking water for lead contamination under a major compromise reached by key stakeholders.  Long-running negotiations among environmental groups, lawmakers, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the governor’s office culminated in a compromise late last week, according to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office and the Illinois Environmental Council. [node:read-more:link]

Diners waste far less food when they understand the implications of their actions, but a new study found that if they know the food is going to be composted instead of dumped in a landfill, they aren’t as concerned. When composting enters the picture, educated diners waste just as much as those who haven’t learned about the consequences of food waste. [node:read-more:link]

A Saudi entrepreneur who runs a California-based raw milk network that stretches across the United States is on notice from the FDA to stop making illegal claims about the therapeutic benefits of unpasteurized milk, including raw camel milk. In a warning letter dated Sept. [node:read-more:link]

The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) has surpassed 300 certified farms, marking a year of strong growth with a milestone. This voluntary program works with farmers and landowners to identify and mitigate risks to water quality on a field by field basis. The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program has certified 306 farms representing virtually every kind of agricultural production from all across the state.  The 306 farms certified by the MAWQCP represent over 175,000 acres of working lands. [node:read-more:link]

For the first time in more than three decades, New World screwworm has been found on Florida’s mainland. A stray dog was found in Homestead with the flesh-eating parasite last week and the worms in its body were confirmed as screwworm. The dog has been treated and is in good health. It wasn’t known if someone from the Keys abandoned the dog or if it got infested in another way.

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Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported Monday that a hunter-harvested mallard duck in Fergus County has tested positive for the H5N2 Avian influenza virus. This is the first recurrence of the highly contagious “bird flu” disease since 2015, when close to 50 million chickens and turkeys in the U.S. either died or were put down in response to the outbreak.  “The mallard duck appears to have a similar strain as the 2014/2015 outbreak that affected domestic birds nationwide,” the MFWP news release states. “Testing of the sample is ongoing at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories. [node:read-more:link]

Although the Texas Supreme Court decision in Denbury Green Pipeline-Texas, LLC v. Texas Rice Land Partners, Ltd. has put an end to the litigation, there are a number of unanswered questions and potential issues that remain in the opinion’s aftermath. [node:read-more:link]

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced earlier today that he has been invited to Israel to meet with regional and national officials, including Uri Ariel, the Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development, to discuss vital agricultural issues, including trade and jobs. The trip will take place in March and the itinerary is still being finalized.  I am going to deliver the message to our trade partners in Israel that Texas is open for business and that we are looking forward to strengthening the bond between Texas and Israel,” Miller said. [node:read-more:link]

Concerns over animal antibiotics potentially getting into consumers' food prompted the federal government to pass a new law.  "The government created what we call a VFD or  veterinarian food directive, and what that means is any livestock animal that is going to be fed an antibiotic in their feed or in the water as a water soluble will now have to have a veterinarian directive on how that goes into the feed," said Tom Pastor, Swine Industry employee.  The Food and Drug Administration says the law aims to prevent overuse of antibiotics. [node:read-more:link]

A federal district court judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter against the Obama administration. In September 2015, Otter’s office filed suit against the Interior Department, arguing the federal agency illegally imposed land-use restrictions to protect the imperiled sage grouse. Now – a year and a half later – U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan dismissed the lawsuit. The state’s lawsuit argued that the feds cut them out of the management and planning process. [node:read-more:link]