AgClips
Recent AgClips
First evidence found of neonicotinoids in drinking water in Iowa
The Washington Post | Posted onApril 6, 2017 in Rural NewsA team of chemists and engineers at the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Iowa reported that they found neonicotinoids in treated drinking water. It marks the first time that anyone has identified this class of pesticide in tap water, the researchers write in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. Gregory LeFevre, a study author and U of Iowa environmental engineer, told The Washington Post that the find was important but not immediate cause for alarm.
Vilsack: Canada intentionally choking off U.S. milk sales
Ag Daily | Posted onApril 6, 2017 in Federal NewsThe National Milk Producers Federation, the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and the International Dairy Foods Association are asking the federal government, and governors in northern states, to take immediate action in response to Canada’s violation of its trade commitments to the United States. Because of the new “Class 7” pricing policy, which is expressly designed to disadvantage U.S. exports to Canada and globally, multiple dairy companies in Wisconsin and New York have been forced to inform many of their supplying farmers that the Canadian market for their exports has dried up.
Study: Coal plant pollution leads to lower birth weights for nearby residents
Utility Dive | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Energy NewsResearchers from Leigh University say emissions from coal-fired power plants can impact pregnant women 20 to 30 miles away from the source, leading to increased incidence of low birth weights. The paper, "The Impact of Prenatal Exposure to Power Plant Emissions on Birth Weight," is the first scholarly look at the prenatal effects of coal emissions.
Defying Trump, Supreme Court will continue with WOTUS case
Utility Drive | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Federal NewsThe U.S. Supreme Court declined a request to stay litigation over the controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which the White House asked for as it reconsiders the environmental regulations. Last month President Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider the controversial WOTUS rule, in which the Obama administration clarified federal jurisdiction over waterways and wetlands under the Clean Water Act of 1972.The question before the Supreme Court includes whether District or Circuit courts have jurisdiction over the rule.
Environmentalists seek clean-air rules for mega-dairies
Portland Tribune | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThe number of family dairy farms in Oregon, which typically have a couple hundred cows, has plummetted more than 80 percent the past 15 years — from 1,133 down to 228 — according to the Oregon Dairy Farm Employment Report. As large factory-scale dairies displace smaller operations, that lowers costs for consumers.But some say the emerging breed of mega-dairies, known as confined animal feeding operations, bring worrisome environmental impacts, prompting a bill before the 2017 Oregon Legislature to require their air emissions be regulated.
Dozens of Wisconsin Farmers Lose Their Milk Contracts
Milk Business | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Agriculture NewsImagine walking to the mailbox on a Monday only to find a note from your processor that in one month they will no longer be picking up your milk. That’s what happened to several Grassland producers in Southern Wisconsin this week. Grassland handles the majority of cream sold in Wisconsin.
Meal kits resonating with consumers: Harris Poll study
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Food NewsOne in four adults bought a meal kit in 2016 and 70 percent of meal kit purchasers are still actively buying meal kits, according to a new Harris Poll.
Seven reasons we're at more risk than ever of a global pandemic
CNN | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThe risk at hand: an infectious outbreak.Public health experts believe we are at greater risk than ever of experiencing large-scale outbreaks and global pandemics like those we've seen before: SARS, swine flu, Ebola and Zika.Experts are unanimous in the belief that the next outbreak contender will most likely be a surprise -- and we need to be ready."We're only as secure in the world as the weakest country," said Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Hey, You! Stop Eating My Yard!
Wall Street Journal | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Food NewsThe rise in popularity of wild vegetation like fiddleheads, mushrooms and seaweed is causing friction between foragers and landowners; ‘fry it up and eat it.’ Such tensions are becoming more common in Maine, where the rise in popularity of wild vegetation like fiddleheads, ramps, mushrooms and seaweed for uses from gourmet cooking to nutritional supplements is causing friction between foragers and landowners. It is also threatening the state’s unusual and centuries-old tradition of allowing public access to private property.
Nevada legislature looks at job creation through advanced energy technologies
KOLO TV | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Energy NewsNevada legislators are looking at several bills that would expand Nevada's renewable energy output. A study by the American Jobs Project, a nonprofit focused on creating jobs in clean energy sectors, identified solar and battery technology as the state's most promising fields.