Ag News; Water Intake Technology & Smithfield Sends Food to Flori

**New technology, which allows farmers to detect how thirsty their trees are, can help them make better irrigation decisions and get greater yields.

Researchers at U.C., Davis, have been testing SENSORS in different commercial orchards as part of a four-year study, funded by the Almond Board of California, to measure a tree’s stem water potential, the amount of energy a plant needs to draw water from the soil.

Two sensors tested by the research team have made market debuts in recent years.

**The National Milk Producers Federation says the temporary, short-term lifting of restrictions on infant formula imports to address the shortage is a positive move to fill the supply gap.

NMPF President Jim Mulhern says, we did not oppose the just-passed Bulk Infant Formula to Retail Shelves Act given its targeted volume and limited time frame.

But, Mulhern says his group “emphatically” opposes efforts that would create long-term dependence on foreign suppliers for a critical nutritional food.

**Smithfield Foods is sending more than 37,000 pounds of food to Fort Myers, Florida, to help with recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Ian.

The protein will be delivered to Mercy Chefs, a Virginia-based non-profit that deploys to disaster zones across America.

They will help serve free chef-prepared, restaurant-quality, hot meals to victims, volunteers, and first responders in Fort Myers.