At least 4,800 chicks shipped to Maine farmers through the U.S. Postal Service have arrived dead in the recent weeks since rapid cuts hit the federal mail carrier’s operations, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said. (Associated Press)  

As a reminder, USDA has extended the deadline to apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) until September 11, 2020. For more details, visit our COVID-19 page.

Up to 300 Pizza Hut restaurants will be closed, most of them dine-in locations not well suited for carryout and delivery at a time when millions of people are sheltering and eating at home. (Associated Press)

Heartland Community College leaders are seeking $22.4 million in state funds to help pay for an agriculture complex, part of an updated facilities master plan aimed at accommodating future growth. (The Pantagraph)

In keeping up with the recent innovations of the foodservice industry, you may be familiar with the latest trend: ghost kitchens. These facilities came into the scene long before COVID-19, but the pressures of the pandemic, and resulting cultural changes, launched this new take on commercial kitchens into the public eye. (FSR Magazine

Yesterday would have been Agriculture Day at the Illinois State Fair and Brownfield caught up with a couple of the state’s ag leaders to commemorate the event. (Brownfield)