A Missouri judge ruled a St Louis man had no legal right under Missouri’s Right to Farm amendment to grow marijuana plants. The St Louis Post-Dispatch reports the judge sentenced Mark Shanklin to 120 days of jail time and five years’ probation after being found guilty of drug charges. The man didn’t dispute he was growing more than 300 marijuana plants in his home, but argued the Right to Farm amendment guarantees the right to cultivate marijuana. Missouri’s Right to Farm amendment was passed by voters in 2014 and states farming practices “shall be forever guaranteed in this state.” Shanklin argued that state laws prohibiting marijuana cultivation are at odds with the amendment. But the judge ruled that Marijuana is not a common item harvested, and that “even when constitutional amendments are designed to address government overreach…they are seldom intended to give citizens free rein to harm themselves or others.” A similar defense failed for a Jefferson City, Missouri woman in 2015 after being caught with nine marijuana plants in her basement.

A recent survey shows support for government interventions that limit, restrict or warn consumers about the risks of junk food has nearly doubled since 2012. Politico reports the FoodMinds survey found 70 percent of respondents felt the government should help consumers understand how junk food fits into a healthy diet. 30 percent of respondents felt the government should restrict or limit the availability of junk food. The survey polled 684 “opinion-leader shoppers” — a so-called subgroup of “politically aware,” “socially active” registered voters who are the primary grocery shoppers for their households. The poll also found 58 percent of Republican respondents support excluding soft drinks and empty-calorie foods from SNAP. For Democrats, 34 percent were in favor, 13 percent strongly opposed.

Syngenta says bridge financing for the ChemChina takeover of Syngenta is “committed and irrevocable.” The comments come after a news agency in China reported over the weekend that a $15 billion piece of the deal’s funding remains missing, citing several people it said were close to the deal, according to Reuters. A Syngenta spokesperson said this week “We have no comment to make on this article, and ChemChina is proceeding with their refinancing strategy.” State-owned ChemChina is borrowing heavily to buy Syngenta. The proposed $43 billion takeover is the biggest overseas offer ever made by a Chinese company and was expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Tuesday the U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering to purchase $20 million of cheddar cheese to reduce a private cheese surplus that has reached record levels. The announcement followed a roundtable discussion with dairy producers in Wisconsin. USDA will use the surplus cheese to assist food banks and other food assistance recipients. USDA predicts dairy prices will increase throughout the rest of this year, but low world market prices, increased milk supplies and inventories and slower demand have contributed to a sluggish market. The slow market has caused dairy revenues to drop 35 percent over the past two years. Vilsack says a solicitation will be issued shortly, and cheese deliveries to food banks and other food assistance recipients are expected to start in March of 2017.

The National FFA Organization last week announced record-high student membership of 649,355. Current membership is three percent higher than 2015’s 692,000 some members. FFA says the number of FFA chapters also grew, increasing from 7,757 to 7,859. The top six student membership states are Texas, California, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio and Missouri. Interest in FFA and agricultural education also continues to grow, as membership continues to increase. Student membership was not the organization’s only growth opportunity in 2016. National FFA Alumni membership grew to 225,891 members, growing from 62,000 some in 2015. This year, graduating high school seniors automatically received alumni membership, which the growth numbers reflect.

The American Journal of Transportation calls Russia a “grain superpower” as wheat exports from Russia surge. The Journal says grains are propelling Russia’s agriculture into a renaissance, charged by the 45 percent drop in the ruble against the dollar over the last few years and bumper crops. Last season, Russia topped the U.S. in wheat exports for the first time in decades and is expected to extend those gains to displace the European Union from the top spot this year. Wheat exports from Russia are projected around 30 million metric tons, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia last month urged the country to not hurry in moving excess grain. Russia’s Agriculture Ministry says the nation’s all-grain crop was estimated at 110 to 115 million metric tons, the largest overall grain crop in 25 years. The EU is also enjoying gains in wheat exports. The gains by Russia and the EU are coming mostly at the expense of the United States, which has seen its share of the wheat market steadily moving lower in recent years.

Former American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman has joined the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Board of Directors. The Foundation announced last week that it was expanding the board to include six new representatives. Stallman and the five other appointees will serve five-year terms. Stallman has also served on numerous state and federal panels, advising on economic issues including farm and trade policy. He was appointed by the President to the White House Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and served from 2007 through 2016. The new directors join a roster of 19, including Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who serves as an ex-officio member. The addition is the largest expansion of the Board since the inaugural members were appointed following the creation of the Foundation as part of the 2014 Farm Bill. The Foundation was created to support food and agriculture research.

ABC network, along with employees Diane Sawyer and Jim Avila are asking a judge to dismiss a $1.2 billion defamation lawsuit regarding the networks reporting on lean, finely textured beef products. ABC had nicknamed the product “pink slime,” which Beef Products Inc. claims led to significant losses. BPI filed the lawsuit in 2012 claiming the reporting led to the closure of three plants and roughly 700 layoffs. However, in the request for dismissal, ABC argues that the number of reports was driven primarily by questions from viewers. The Washington Post reports ABC’s argument counters the lawsuit’s characterization of the network’s coverage as a “vicious, concerted disinformation campaign against BPI.” Court documents recently filed by ABC argue the work was done in the public’s interest as consumers were unaware that the product at the time was present in 70 percent of the ground beef sold in supermarkets. The case is currently slated to go to trial in June.