Federal recommendations meant to keep meatpacking workers safe as they return to plants that were shuttered by the coronavirus have little enforcement muscle behind them, fueling anxiety that working conditions could put employees’ lives at risk. (Chicago Tribune)

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) said current aid levels will be insufficient to meet the needs of the dairy sector in spite of the USDA’s $16bn agriculture payments plan announced this week. (Dairy Reporter)

Planting of corn and soybeans across the Quad-Cities region is happening faster than a year ago. But the ag sector is dealing with difficulties brought on by COVID-19, the new coronavirus that has only compounded financial hardships on farms after two years of trade wars. Yet there is renewed hope after a farmer aid package was unveiled Tuesday by U.S. President Donald Trump. (Quad-City Times)

Headlines about dairy farms dumping milk and livestock being euthanized are a sharp contrast to empty meat cases. The novel coronavirus outbreak has disrupted the nation’s food supply chain, resulting in increased prices for panicked shoppers and major losses for Illinois farmers. (AgriNews)

China has promised to continue working toward the implementation of its “phase one” trade deal with the U.S., as tensions flare up between the two economic powerhouses. (CNBC

U.S. frozen pork inventories fell in April, when they typically rise, and beef inventories dropped more than normal as the coronavirus pandemic shut slaughterhouses and prompted grocers to limit customers’ buying, government data showed on Thursday. (Reuters)