U.S. agriculture faces early-winter variability: freeze–thaw, mud and fog causing intermittent delays, with decent access in drier belts. Next seven days favor northern-tier/Pacific Northwest storms, lake-effect snow, and livestock chill; southern tier, Plains/Southwest, and most of California trend milder, mostly dry, offering field windows and wind-erosion vigilance.
Plasma‑activated water energizes ordinary water to generate reactive species that sanitize seeds, irrigation lines, hydroponics, and postharvest washes. Deployed near point‑of‑use with ORP/pH control, it reduces biofilms, pathogens, chemicals, and downtime, with modest energy costs and minimal residues. Results depend on water chemistry; validation, materials compatibility, and safety are essential.
U.S. agriculture policy centers on farm bill talks, USDA/EPA notices, and litigation. Priorities: crop insurance, commodity reference prices, conservation funding, nutrition costs, RFS and E15 access, SPS trade frictions, H-2A rules, and state animal welfare. Watch Federal Register updates and export sales through Dec. 25.
On this day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, creating federal old-age benefits and a broader social insurance framework. But the original law excluded agricultural and domestic workers, leaving much of the U.S. farm labor force outside the new safety net. Coverage was later expanded—regularly employed farm and domestic workers began to be included in 1950, and remaining groups (including many farmworkers and self-employed farmers) were brought under the program in 1954.