A new technology that extends the life of avocados and other produce is coming soon to grocery stores nationwide. Apeel Sciences, a California startup that aims to reduce food waste by giving produce a spoilage-resistant skin, announced Wednesday that its longer-lasting avocados will be sold at more than 1,100 Kroger grocery stores across the country. Avocados treated with Apeel’s protective coating tend to achieve ideal ripeness for four to six days – double the regular window of two to three days. (Chicago Tribune)

The Illinois Department of Labor is using Farm Safety Week to remind farmers of the potential hazards related to grain bins. “Always remember to turn off and lockout or tag out all powered equipment to the grain bins,” said Illinois OSHA Director Ben Noven. There could be a potential for disaster if power is still on to the grain bin while a worker is inside. Moving grain can be fatal as it can act like quicksand. “With the late harvest, there is a good probability the grain is going to go into the bins a lot wetter than it normally

Farmers and ranchers are being denied due process as part of an abuse of discretion by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, according to a scathing ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. The ruling is highlighted in a letter from the American Farm Bureau Federation calling on Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to enact much-needed reforms in the agency. (Ag Daily)

Western Illinois University (WIU) alternative crop research has been awarded a $10 million federal grant to commercialize pennycress as a cash cover crop for biofuel. “Integration of pennycress into existing corn-soybean rotations extends the growing season on established cropland,” said WIU Agriculture Professor Win Phippen. He noted integrating pennycress as a winter-annual cash crop will impact farmers’ bottom line, decrease soil erosion and nutrient losses, support pollinators, suppress weeds, diversify the country’s energy sources and boost rural economies. (FarmWeekNow)

President Trump said on Monday that his administration had reached an initial trade agreement with Japan and would announce a deal in the coming weeks. The trade pact, while limited, is expected to increase access for American agricultural products like beef and chicken to the Japanese market. That would provide some relief to farmers who have been hurt by Mr. Trump’s trade war with China. Exact details of the deal have not been released. (New York Times)

Oil refinery bosses have told Donald Trump to ignore demands by the rural sector to increase government mandates for biofuels, as the president faces a tough fight to keep both farmers and the oil industry happy ahead of his 2020 re-election bid. The EPA normally grants exemptions (SREs) only to small, financially distressed oil companies, but farmers were angered when it emerged that they were also given to oil giants. On Monday, Reuters cited anonymous sources saying that Trump had tentatively approved a plan to help farmers by increasing the amount of biofuels that oil refiners must blend by 10