Need a quick catch up on the news of the week? Here are seven agricultural stories you might have missed. 

1. Romania has had almost 550 outbreaks of African swine fever reported since July 31. African swine fever is highly contagious, infecting pigs, warthogs, European wild board and American wild pigs. It kills animals in two to 10 days. It is not a human health threat. In China, which reported its first-ever case last week, quarantine measures are being tightened and widespread inspections launched to eradicate the epidemic as soon as possible. – Bloomberg/ Reuters 

2. The 9^thU.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to remove chlorpyrifos from sale in the United States within 60 days. The decision comes after former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt denied a petition to ban the use of the chemical on food crops. – Farm Futures

3. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is moving Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture employees out of the nation’s capital and moving the Economic Research Service under the Office of the Secretary. – Farm Futures

4. Nuisance lawsuits filed against hog farms in North Carolina were discussed at a hearing at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds that featured more than 20 state and national agricultural leaders. Several lawsuits have been filed against pork producers in North Carolina. A total of 26 lawsuits with more than 500 plaintiffs have been filed against Murphy-Brown. – Southeast Farm Press

5. From July 2017 through June 2018, beef production rose by 3.3%, with pork output 2.8% higher. Prices remained stable or even higher during that time. – Beef magazine 

6. The Renewable Fuel Standard was signed into law 13 years ago, Aug. 8. Biofuel advocates used the occasion to call on Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to uphold the RFS and expand the market for ethanol blends. – Wallaces Farmer 

7. Chuck Hicks built an 11-row, no-till soybean planter with 15-inch row widths, an example of the hands-on approach he takes to conservation on his Ohio farm. Hicks earned a 2018 Ohio Conservation Farm Family Award. – Ohio Farmer 

And your bonus:

Aires Hill Farm is the 2018 Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year. The farm began in 1826. It is a 400-head Holstein operation on 550 acres. – American Agriculturalist