The U.S. Coast Guard has reopened the Mississippi River Friday, following the closure of a cracked bridge on the Tennessee-Arkansas state line. An industry expert says the cracked bridge highlights bigger transportation issues. (Successful Farming)

Wholesale prices, driven by escalating costs for services and food, jumped 0.6% in April, surprising economists and providing more evidence that inflation pressures are starting to mount with the country emerging from a recession brought on by the pandemic. (Associated Press)

Mexico last week agreed to extend the deadline for U.S. organic exports to be certified to its Organic Products Law. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met with his counterpart, and they agreed to extend the compliance deadline to December 31, 2021. (KIWA)

Congratulations to Jewel Bronaugh, who was confirmed by the Senate Thursday evening as deputy agriculture secretary, USDA’s No. 2 position. (Agri-Pulse)

McDonald’s is raising pay at 650 company-owned stores in the U.S. as part of its push to hire thousands of new workers in a tight labor market. The fast-food giant is also encouraging its franchisees — which make up 95% of its restaurant base — to boost pay. (StarTribune

Companies serving different segments of the food supply chain faced chaotic weeks early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but regardless of those challenges, mandates for food safety and product quality did not change. Representatives of foodservice, retail and an industry association talked about their pandemic experiences and the difficulty in responding to the crisis during a recent Food Safety Summit 2021 virtual panel. (Food Safety News)