Need a quick catch up on the news? Here are a few things you might have missed this week.

1.The Senate ag committee voted 14-6 on March 1 to support the Biotechnology Labeling Solutions legislation put forth by committee chairman, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas. The legislation establishes a national voluntary labeling standard for bioengineered foods and preempts states from having their own standard. – Farm Futures

From biotech labeling to trouble with wild hogs, the ag-related news covers plenty of territory this week.

2.The Supreme Court on Feb. 29 decided not to hear the American Farm Bureau Federation challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency’s pollution regulatory plan for the Chesapeake Bay. The decision means the ruling from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals stands. – Farm Futures

3.Former USDA deputy secretary Krysta Harden has joined DuPont as vice president of public policy and chief sustainability officer. She will be based in Washington, D.C., and be responsible for the company’s public policy and government affairs strategies. – Farm Futures

4.American Farm Bureau Federation has joined with universities and industry to launch the Agricultural Data Coalition. The goal is to build a data bank where farmers can securely store and oversee the data generated from their fields. – Farm Futures

5.Jonathan Lundgren, an entomologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, says U.S. agriculture is in crisis because of a lack of diversity in farming and an overreliance on pesticides. He says he feels muzzled by the government and filed a whistleblower lawsuit. – The Washington Post

6. Nearly a third of households using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, have to visit a food pantry to feed themselves, according to data released this week by USDA. – National Public Radio

7.The Environmental Protection Agency is issuing a notice of intent to cancel all Bayer CropScience and Nichino America flubendiamide products that pose a risk to aquatic invertebrates. – Farm Futures

And your bonus:

Wild hog problems are growing in Oklahoma, Missouri and Virginia. In Oklahoma, KFOR News Channel 4 reports they “breed like rabbits, eat like pigs and are now spreading into the metro.” In Missouri, the department of conservation partnered with other groups to provide Missouri’s feral hog strike team with more trapping equipment. In Virginia, lawmakers are considering a bill that allows the state’s game department to shoot feral hogs from helicopters, The Virginian-Pilot reported. – KFOR News Channel 4, KFVS Channel 12 and The Virginia-Pilot