Why can’t excess food go to food banks?

+ How to aid recession-hit renters, self-powered electronic skin Edition: US - Today's top story: Why farmers are dumping milk down the drain and letting produce rot in fields [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 23 April 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Editor's note At first glance, food in the U.S. seems to be in short supply due to the coronavirus pandemic. Americans are navigating long lines and finding empty shelves at grocery stores, while food banks are struggling to meet soaring demand for aid. At the same time, dairy farmers are dumping milk down their drains, vegetables are rotting in fields, and pork producers are debating whether to euthanize some of their animals as a result of the sudden drop in demand from shuttered restaurants, schools and other commercial buyers. Why can’t farmers just send all that food to consumers? Three sociologists who study how the structure of the food system affects people’s lives [explain why it’s not so simple](. This afternoon, you’ll receive a sample of a special new email course explaining what you need to know about the 2020 census. If you like it, we’ll send you four more email newsletters over the next two weeks with illuminating scholarship on this topic. There will also be a (optional) quiz at the end! Also today: - [Saving scientific collections during a pandemic]( - [Why states are working together on reopening plans]( - [A short history of disrupted pilgrimages to Mecca]( Bryan Keogh Senior Editor, Economy + Business Top story A Pennsylvania dairy farmer watches 5,500 gallons of milk swirl down the drain. MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images [Why farmers are dumping milk down the drain and letting produce rot in fields]( Elizabeth Ransom, Pennsylvania State University; E. Melanie DuPuis, Pace University ; Michelle R. Worosz, Auburn University It's not as easy as you might think to divert food intended for schools and restaurants and send it to grocery stores or even food banks. Health - [Why there isn’t a one-size-fits-all plan for states to reopen their economies]( Hilary Godwin, University of Washington How and when the US economy reopens will look different state to state, and for good reasons. This Q&A explains why, and why some states are working together. Politics + Society - [Coronavirus restrictions likely to lead to remote voting for Congress]( Stanley M. Brand, Pennsylvania State University Democrats may soon propose letting members of Congress vote by proxy during the pandemic. A legal scholar says the language the Founders used 233 years ago could allow voting remotely. - [Turkey releasing murderers – but not political opponents – from prison amid coronavirus pandemic]( Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University To stem the spread of COVID-19, Turkey is releasing 90,000 prison inmates. 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A scholar explains a long history that prevented people from the pilgrimage. - [Why Ramadan is called Ramadan: 6 questions answered]( Mohammad Hassan Khalil, Michigan State University Muslims observe a month-long fast for the holy month of Ramadan. A scholar explains the religious observance and its spiritual significance. Education - [How to score an internship during the COVID-19 pandemic]( Jon Schlesinger, Brandeis University Although jobs are being cut due to COVID-19-related business closures, there are still clever ways to secure meaningful work experience this summer, an internship specialist says. Environment + Energy - [BP paid a steep price for the Gulf oil spill but for the US a decade later, it’s business as usual]( David M. Uhlmann, University of Michigan The Deepwater Horizon disaster set new records for holding polluters to account. But it had much less impact on laws regulating offshore drilling or US oil dependence. Science + Technology - [Scientists are working to protect invaluable living collections during coronavirus lockdowns]( Matt Kasson, West Virginia University; Brian Lovett, West Virginia University; Rita Rio, West Virginia University From fungi and flies to spiders and fish, living collections need care and feeding even when their human keepers are dealing with a pandemic and its resultant social distancing. - [A smart second skin gets all the power it needs from sweat]( Wei Gao, California Institute of Technology Lightweight, flexible materials can be used to make health-monitoring wearable devices, but powering the devices is a challenge. Using fuel cells instead of batteries could make the difference. - [What is a brain freeze?]( Tyler Daniel Anderson-Sieg, University of South Carolina Have you ever felt a piercing pain in your head when you eat something cold? Most read on site - [1918 flu pandemic killed 12 million Indians, and British overlords’ indifference strengthened the anti-colonial movement]( Maura Chhun, Metropolitan State University When the 1918 influenza pandemic struck India, the death toll was highest among the poor. - [How the rich reacted to the bubonic plague has eerie similarities to today’s pandemic]( Kathryn McKinley, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Then – as now – the wealthy fled to the countryside, while the urban poor were forced to work on the front lines. - [Making masks at home – what you need to know about how to reduce the transmission of coronavirus]( Susan L. Sokolowski, University of Oregon; Karen L. LaBat, University of Minnesota At-home mask makers should carefully consider fit and fabric variables when designing face coverings to help prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2. [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. 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