AgClips
Recent AgClips
Genetic sleuthing helps investigate food poisoning outbreaks
CBS | Posted onMay 4, 2018 in Food NewsDisease hunters are using genetic sequencing in their investigation of the ongoing food poisoning outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, a technique that is revolutionizing the detection of germs in food. The genetic analysis is being used to bolster investigations and -- in some cases -- connect the dots between what were once seemingly unrelated illnesses. It also is uncovering previously unfathomed sources of food poisoning, including one outbreak from apples dipped in caramel.So far, most of the work has largely focused on one germ, listeria. But it is expanding.
Ted Cruz ups pressure on Trump to overhaul ethanol mandate
Washington Examiner | Posted onMay 4, 2018 in Energy NewsSen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and House lawmakers upped the pressure on President Trump to make a decision soon on a way to save oil refineries from the costs of meeting the Environmental Protection Agency's ethanol mandate. “The president can solve this with the stroke of a pen,” the Texas Republican said Thursday afternoon, joined by refinery workers and the steelworkers union.
New York reminds farmers tax credit programs available this year
WKYT | Posted onMay 4, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsNew York State is reminding farmers that several tax credit programs are available to help them offset business and labor costs for the 2018 tax season. The Farm Workforce Retention Credit has increased to $300 per eligible farm employee who works at least 500 hours annually, and it will increase to $500 in the 2019 tax year. The Retention Credit is expected to save farmers an estimated $14 million this year, according to the state.The Minimum Wage Reimbursement Tax Credit is also available for farms who employ students ages 16-20 who are paid the New York minimum wage.
Brown, Thune Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve the Agriculture Risk Coverage Program
Senator Brown | Posted onMay 4, 2018 in Federal NewsU.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and John Thune (R-SD), members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, unveiled bipartisan legislation they are advocating to be included in the 2018 farm bill.
Bill Gates and CowTech: Fix or replace our friends in the pasture?
Biofuels Digest | Posted onMay 4, 2018 in Food NewsCow-lovers can take heart in this report from TheWeek.com about the Bill Gates Super Cow, which begins:BBC reported Friday that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will invest millions of dollars to promote “the health and productivity of livestock” through research by Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines. “For over a billion people living in the world’s poorest countries, agriculture and livestock are a lifeline out of poverty,” Gates said Friday. “You can sell the output, and that’s money for school fees.
Clostridium can survice processing, infect humans
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onMay 4, 2018 in Food NewsClostridium perfringens, a cause of necrotic enteritis, can survive processing and pose a threat of foodborne illness in people, according to research conducted by the University of Montreal. C. perfringens can be more prevalent in birds raised without antibiotics, and over the past few years, especially in Canada, there appear to be more reports of human illness attributed to C. perfringens, said Marie-Lou Gaucher, a professor at the University of Montreal.
Let public schools sell whole milk again, says GOP lawmaker
Washington Examiner | Posted onMay 3, 2018 in Rural NewsA House Republican is pressing the Trump administration to change federal regulations so public schools can sell unflavored whole milk to kids again. Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., introduced the Whole Milk Act, along with Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., to codify that change.Under former President Barack Obama, the Department of Agriculture changed federal nutrition standards by allowing schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to sell only unflavored 1 percent milk, not whole milk. But Marino said that change didn't have the effect that regulators hoped
Every state but Missouri has opioid drug tracking. Why are senators against it?
Kansascity.com | Posted onMay 3, 2018 in Rural NewsMissouri is among the 20 worst states for drug overdose deaths, but it was the only state left without a statewide prescription drug monitoring program. This week, the Missouri Senate attempted to defund one set up by Gov. Eric Greitens.Greitens ordered the creation of a statewide prescription drug monitoring program, or PDMP, last year amid a growing opioid crisisaffecting Missouri and the U.S.
Oklahoma City Police Department gets funding to feed horses it hasn't had in years
News OK | Posted onMay 3, 2018 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsSo where was the remaining money spent? During an hour-long meeting with The Oklahoman, department officials struggled to explain exactly where the money had been shifted, but said the department can account for every dollar it spends. More than likely, it was shifted to another area in the department's supplies category, Dowler said, but it's not possible to directly tie what was purchased to the originating account.Even though a line item is developed, the department tends not to focus on the more granular sub-categories of its budget, Dowler said.
The stunningly lopsided growth of wind power in the US, in 4 maps
Vox | Posted onMay 3, 2018 in Energy NewsWind turbines have cropped up like dandelions across large areas of the United States, and thousands more are coming. The US Department of Energy projects that we’ll have 404 gigawatts of wind energy capacity across the country by 2050, up from 89 GW today.