Soil conservation has always been the foundation of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which for nearly 60 years was known as the Soil Conservation Service. But NRCS is having trouble finding candidates with the right set of qualifications to fill its ranks.
The latest installment in our five-part series on NRCS staffing looks at the challenges of finding qualified soil scientists and helping them learn how to work with farmers to implement a wide range of conservation practices.
Software group warns of dangers of losing Universal Service Fund
A group representing software and information companies is warning the Supreme Court that much of the technology used rural schools, libraries and health care providers would be rendered "useless” if they can’t access programs supported by the Universal Service Fund. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals declared the fund unconstitutional earlier this year.
A lawyer for the Software & Information Industry Association warned in an amicus brief that losing access to the FCC's E-Rate program would not only “create staggering sunk costs” for rural institutions, but also “dramatically exacerbate the ‘digital divide.’”
Stephen Vladeck, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, wrote in the brief that many schools have adapted to using online curricula, tests and communications systems, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. These programs are “only as good as the internet access that students have to use them,” he said.
"The simple and ineluctable reality is that, as a society, we have all come to depend far more upon the internet for even the most basic communication — to say nothing of the more advanced ways in which schools, libraries, and health-care providers utilize it,” Vladeck wrote. "For many Americans, especially those living in rural or economically disadvantaged areas, there is no obvious backstop if that access were suddenly to disappear, or even to become less reliable."
USDA to limit school meal junk fees
Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, schools won’t be allowed to charge low-income families junk fees for meals offered through federal school meal programs.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service issued a memo Friday to schools explaining the upcoming requirements. With fewer schools using cash, junk fees are online processing fees associated with purchasing school meals.
The agency is responding to a report from the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau that found private processing companies are raising costs. When families add money to a student’s account, an average of $2.37 is added in junk fees, according to the report. These fees can collectively cost families over $100 million annually.
By law, students eligible for free or reduced meals cannot be charged over 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch. Many families exceed this when they deposit money into an online school account to cover meals, according to USDA.
“USDA and schools across America share the common goal of nourishing schoolchildren and giving them the fuel they need to learn, grow and thrive,” Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “While today’s action to eliminate extra fees for lower income households is a major step in the right direction, the most equitable path forward is to offer every child access to healthy school meals at no cost.”
Comment period on voluntary sodium reduction targets extended
FDA has extended the comment period until Jan. 13 on the agency’s voluntary sodium reduction targets.
The August draft guidance is supposed to help Americans reduce average sodium intake to 2,750 milligrams a day “by encouraging food manufacturers, restaurants, and food service operations to gradually reduce sodium in foods over time.”
That level is higher than the recommended sodium limit of 2,300 milligrams a day, but what are called the Phase II goals “are intended to balance the need for broad and gradual reductions in sodium and what is publicly known about technical and market constraints on sodium reduction and reformulation.”
FDA says some commenters sought an extension of 90 days. But the agency decided 60 days would “allow adequate time for interested persons to submit comments without significantly delaying finalizing the guidance.”
NASA to send lettuce, moss to space
Lettuce and moss will make their way to space this week as astronauts aboard the International Space Station look to test plant growth in microgravity environments.
One experiment will focus on how moisture conditions and microgravity impact red lettuce production, while another will look at the effects of ionizing radiation on Antarctic moss, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The experiments will be launched into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Final word: “It may be impossible to un-ring that bell”: An amicus brief from the Software & Information Industry Association arguing that the way the Universal Service Fund is set up is constitutional, and if its funding mechanism is overturned, schools nationwide will suffer due to their dependency on web-based technologies
