While regulations to protect agricultural workers from the heat have been held up by political wrangling, Gonzalo and her colleagues have spearheaded an alternate strategy. They seek to sidestep the slow and increasingly politicized government machinery and instead appeal directly to consumers and large brands.

Farmworkers in the US cultivate their own heat safety standards
Fair Food Program seeks to circumvent slow regulatory process

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures continue rally on steady demand
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Friday as consumer demand for beef remains high and as U.S. cattle herds continue to undergo a period of contraction, traders said.

Brazil sues Syngenta for alleged environmental damage
Brazil's environmental agency IBAMA has sued Syngenta alleging the chemicals company caused "environmental damage" by producing and selling pesticides using much higher concentrations of a carcinogen than allowed under law, according to court documents seen by Reuters.

Germany reports rare outbreak of H7N5 bird flu near Dutch border
Germany reported a rare outbreak of highly pathogenic H7N5 bird flu on a farm in the western part of the country, near the border with the Netherlands, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Thursday.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures end higher in light pre-holiday trade
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher for a second session on Wednesday, supported by strong wholesale beef prices and light technical trading ahead of the U.S. July Fourth holiday, traders said.

U.S. grains: Soybean futures recover from four-year low
Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures rose on short covering on Wednesday after nearing a four-year low this week on concerns about large supplies and lackluster U.S. export demand, analysts said.

Colorado reports human case of bird flu
Dairy farm worker had mild symptoms and recovered after antiviral treatment
Public health officials in Colorado on Wednesday announced an adult man had tested positive for avian flu after reporting mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis, or pink eye.

U.S. grains: Corn, soy futures rise on technical trading, weather questions
Chicago corn futures extended gains on Tuesday on short-covering and U.S. crop condition questions, while soybean prices also turned higher on technical trading and unfavorable weather in some soybean growing areas of the central U.S., traders said.

Rains partially collapse roof at Kansas Cargill plant
Cargill plans to resume slaughtering cattle on Friday at its Dodge City, Kansas, beef plant, after weekend rains caused a partial roof collapse, the company said on Tuesday.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures lower, hogs higher, on month-end positioning
Flooding in Midwest provides some support for hogs as roads, rail lines washed out around processors
Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures turned lower on Friday on technical trading, month-end positioning and ongoing concerns that high retail beef prices could chill consumer demand later this summer, traders said.