The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct a referendum May 8-30, 2023, for pear growers to vote on whether to continue their federal marketing order. Growers who produced pears in Oregon and Washington between July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, are eligible to vote.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that beginning July 1, 2023, suppliers of food purchase programs administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will no longer be required to use high security seals on trucks, railcars, vessels and other transports when transporting food products purchased to support those programs but will be allowed to use traceable, tamper evident, flat metal, wire or plastic commercial security seals.

Kansas schools are facing challenges providing school meals to students due to supply chain issues, rising prices and staffing shortages. There is an urgent need to support schools in implementation of Child Nutrition Programs and fueling students for success. Historically, small‐scale Kansas producers have had difficulty entering the school market, facing barriers with school delivery requirements, cashflow, and processing compacity compared to established broadline distributors. Socially disadvantaged producers face additional systematic challenges that impede their ability to compete.