Bloomberg writer Joel Rosenblatt reported today that, “Bayer AG settled thousands more U.S. lawsuits over its Roundup weed killer after criticism that the company was failing to uphold an $11 billion deal it announced in June to resolve the massive litigation.

“The agreements, revealed in a court filing late Monday, are with lawyers representing consumers who argue Roundup caused their cancer. The settlements mark a significant step forward after the lawyers said two weeks ago that Bayer was backing out of their agreements. The judge handling all the cases filed in U.S. federal court expressed surprise in an Aug. 28 hearing at how little progress the company had made.

“The latest settlements resolve about 15,000 U.S. lawsuits, according to lawyers familiar with the deals. Added to the approximately 32,000 settlements previously disclosed by Ken Feinberg, the mediator overseeing the process, Bayer has resolved at least 47,000 of the suits. The company has said it faces about 125,000 filed and unfiled Roundup claims. The value of the settlements wasn’t disclosed.”

Today’s article added that, “Bayer last week extended the contract of Chief Executive Officer Werner Baumann, in a sign of continuity as the German company works its way through the thicket of lawsuits. The company said at the time it was making progress with plaintiff attorneys.”

Reuters writer Ludwig Burger reported last week that, “Bayer boss Werner Baumann’s contract has been extended until 2024, in a show of support from the drugmaker’s new chairman just months after the company agreed an $11 billion outline settlement of U.S. lawsuits over its Roundup weedkiller.

“In a statement late Thursday [Sept. 10th], Bayer also said it was making progress in finalising the settlement of claims that Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides cause cancer, which Bayer inherited as part of a $63 billion takeover of Monsanto.

“A judge in July raised concern about an agreement with plaintiffs’ lawyers on how to handle a class of claims that may be brought in the future, throwing the overall settlement deal into doubt.”

The Reuters article noted that, “[Norbert Winkeljohann, a former head of six European countries at auditing and consulting firm PwC] said he expected ‘the glyphosate litigation will be handled in a way that is satisfactory for the company, makes economic sense and is structured in a way that enables potential future cases to be efficiently resolved.'”

“The arrangement on future cases is unprecedented because glyphosate will remain on the market without a cancer warning, with the backing of the U.S. pesticides regulator,” the Reuters article said.

An update yesterday from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) stated that, “[FSA] reminds farm owners that they have a one-time opportunity to update Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program yields for covered commodities on the farm. The deadline is September 30, 2020, to update yields, which are used to calculate the PLC payments for 2020 through 2023. Additionally, producers who elected Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) should also consider updating their yields.

“‘The last time farmers could update yields for these important safety-net programs was in 2014,’ said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. ‘It is the farm owner’s choice whether to update or keep existing yields. So, if you rent, you’ll need to communicate with your landlord who will be the one to sign off on the yield updates.’

“Updating yields requires the signature of one owner on a farm and not all owners. If a yield update is not made, no action is required to maintain the existing base crop yield on file with FSA.”

Yesterday’s update added that, “For program payments, updated yields will apply beginning with the 2020 crop year which, should payments trigger, will be paid out in October of 2021.”

New York Times writers Ian Teh and Mike Ives reported this week that, “The setup of the two friends’ agricultural venture was unusual. Their farm sat next to a gas station, inside a shipping container where the plants grew in vertically stacked shelves. And the timing of their first sales — during the early days of Malaysia’s coronavirus outbreak — seemed less than ideal.

“‘We were a nascent product in an uncertain market,’ said Shawn Ng, 28, a co-founder of the vertical farm, the Vegetable Co. ‘We weren’t too sure if it would take off.’

“‘But somehow,’ he added, ‘the market kind of played in our favor.’

“As in-person shopping wanes during the pandemic, Mr. Ng’s Malaysia-based operation is one of many small farms around the world that are selling fresh produce directly to consumers in ways that bypass brick-and-mortar grocery stores.”

The Times article noted that, “But even though the rules were gradually loosened to let most businesses reopen, many urban Malaysians have maintained the online shopping habits they developed during the initial lockdown, said Audrey Goo, the founder of MyFishman, an e-commerce platform that connects fishermen from villages along the country’s west coast with consumers in Kuala Lumpur.

“‘Not many end users are willing to go back to the wet market,’ said Ms. Goo, adding that her company’s sales had roughly doubled during the pandemic. ‘So I think the whole business model will continue to change.'”

Associated Press writer John Flesher reported yesterday that, “Federal regulators said Monday they would not designate critical habitat for the first bee species in the continental U.S. to be listed as endangered, a move that environmentalists said would worsen its chances for recovery.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it had determined the rusty patched bumblebee could survive without having specific areas managed for its protection, even though its population has plummeted 90% in the past couple of decades.

“Biologists have concluded that habitat loss is not the biggest reason for the bee’s decline, the service said. Additional factors include pesticides, disease and climate change.”

The AP article noted that, “Once found in 31 states and provinces from Connecticut to South Dakota, the bee now occupies only scattered areas in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada.

“‘The designation of critical habitat plays a very specific role in species recovery and is prudent when a species’ recovery is dependent on specific habitat elements it needs to survive,’ said Lori Nordstrom, assistant regional director for Ecological Services in the Service’s Great Lakes region.”

An update today from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) stated that, “[FSA] reminds farmers and ranchers that the deadline to apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) is Sept. 11, 2020. This program provides direct relief to producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19.

“‘FSA offers several options for farmers and ranchers to apply for CFAP, including a call center where employees can answer your questions and help you get started on your application,’ said Richard Fordyce, Farm Service Agency administrator. ‘With only two weeks before the deadline, now is the time to check out the resources on our website and contact the call center or your local office for your last-minute questions.’

“Over 160 commodities are eligible for CFAP, including certain non-specialty crops, livestock, dairy, wool, specialty crops, eggs, aquaculture, and nursery crops and cut flowers. All eligible commodities, payment rates, and calculations can be found on farmers.gov/cfap.”

Today’s update added that, “Customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer general assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office at their local USDA Service Center.”