More woes: An invasive species of snails has wiped out a 50-acre field of rice, the first time the pest has been known to do that in Louisiana, according to the LSU AgCenter. AgCenter rice specialist Dustin Harrell says the invasive apple snails, which have threatened Louisiana crawfish ponds, have caused problems in Texas rice fields, and that they are the first known threat to rice production in North America. Read the full story.
Slowdown: Growth in the U.S. service sector slowed in March with a much bigger decline expected in coming months from all the shutdowns and job layoffs that have occurred because of efforts to contain the coronavirus. The Institute for Supply Management said this morning that its service-sector index slowed to 52.5 in March from a reading of 57.3 in February. Read the full report.
Controversy: Amazon had a strategy to smear the organizer of a worker walkout at the online retailing giant’s Staten Island, New York, fulfillment center on Monday, according to leaked notes from a company meeting, USA Today reports. The notes, circulated as a memo within Amazon addressed many issues about the company’s planned actions during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Amazon fired Chris Smalls, the organizer of the workplace walkout several hours after the event Monday. Read the full story.
