Many farms like Sola Gratia in Champaign are dealing with wet fields. It’s putting a little damper on their planting season. The rain has left its mark and farmers have noticed. (Fox Illinois)

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue has issued his expectations for Governors regarding Meat Packing and Processing Facilities. Read his letter to Stakeholders here.  

At a time when many Americans are growing concerned about the cost and availability of meat items on grocery store shelves, Illinois pork producer Brian Duncan is worried about his farm surviving what he calls an “economic tsunami.” (Voice of America)

The national meat shortage has come for Wendy’s. The fast food chain says some menu items are unavailable, and one analyst estimates nearly one in five of Wendy’s restaurants are out of beef. Around 1,000, or 18%, of Wendy’s 5,500 US restaurants are not serving any hamburgers or other meat-based items, according to an analysis of online menus at every location. (CNN)

Hundreds of Asian giant hornets, an invasive, predatory insect dubbed the “murder hornet,” have turned up in Washington state near the Canadian border, where they pose a threat to humans and the beekeeping industry, state agriculture officials said on Monday. (Reuters)

Why are farmers dumping milk and plowing under vegetable crops while grocery store shelves are bare? This happens when the processing and distribution sectors that turn raw farm commodities into the food we eat are disrupted. (Purdue)