About 90% of Florida's orange groves are now infected with the pathogen that causes citrus greening, a situation that has led 5,000 of the state's 7,000 citrus growers to exit the business since 2004. The disease has taken a toll on processors and packing operations, and researchers are working to create hardier versions of root stocks and citrus fruit.

Earlier-than-usual cold weather could threaten the 20% to 30% of Mississippi's peanut crop that's still in the fields, Mississippi Peanut Growers Association Executive Director Malcolm Broome said. "We just need about a week of good weather, and we could probably pull it off," he said.

Grocery Outlet has tapped former Walmart and Boxed executive Heather Mayo to help it expand in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern California. The discount grocer operates 337 stores, mainly on the West Coast, and expanded into Pennsylvania after acquiring Amelia's Grocery Outlet in 2011.

The Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites is devoted to investigating new plant-based alternatives to traditional plastics for everything from industrial parts to food packaging. The materials not only offer recycling possibilities, but can prove to have beneficial chemical properties, such as the seedling container made from soy and corn that produced plants with healthier roots.

Scientists have discovered a genetic reason why some people are more averse than others to bitter-tasting flavors, including vegetables such as broccoli and sprouts. Researchers at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine hope to study whether using spices could help cover up the bitter taste and make vegetables more appealing to so-called "super-tasters."

The Agriculture Department is preparing to make $800 million in state block grants available to farmers and food producers in Alabama, Florida and Georgia who lost crops and livestock as a result of two 2018 hurricanes. The grants are designed to cover losses that qualify but aren't covered by other USDA disaster programs.

Results come in two forms, both of which are necessary, writes Jane Perdue: profits and relationships. "Inclusive leaders know the value of balancing opposing goods, rather than labeling one right and the other wrong," she writes.

Large offices and exclusive amenities for CEOs communicate a sense of separation, writes First Orion CEO and Chairman Charles Morgan. "In an office environment, everything communicates something, and as a longtime CEO, I have learned -- sometimes the hard way -- that our nonverbal communication often speaks louder than the verbal," he writes.