AgClips
Recent AgClips
Farmers to plant record low wheat acres, most soybeans ever
Weau.com | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Federal NewsIn its annual prospective plantings report released Friday, the U.S.
Danone will sell Stonyfield to win federal OK for WhiteWave buyout
Chicago Tribune | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Food NewsFrench yogurt maker Danone will sell its Stonyfield Farms business to gain approval from U.S. regulators for a $12.5 billion buyout of Denver's WhiteWave Foods. The Justice Department made the deal, first announced last summer, contingent on the sale, citing the potential for reduced competition in the organic milk market if Stonyfield were owned by Danone.
New scandal ensnares JBS
Meat + Poultry | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Food NewsJBS SA, the world’s largest meatpacker, has been named in a new federal investigation into purchases of cattle that were grazed on illegally deforested land. JBS has denied any wrongdoing. IBAMA, the Brazilian environmental protection agency, released the results of Operation “Carne Fria” which is a three-year probe of more than a dozen meat packers and at least 20 farms that sold cattle raised in Para, which occupies a large swath of the Amazon Rainforest. The state capital is Belem, which is located near the mouth of the Amazon River.
Montana bill would label raw milk, related products
Great Falls Tribune | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsIn response to a House-approved bill that would legalize raw milk, lawmakers are considering a bill that would label it and products made from it. Senate Bill 300 would make it so “fresh” or unpasteurized milk and related products would require a warning label for consumers who are vulnerable to bacterial infections. That would include pregnant women, young children or infants.The bill passed the Senate 29-to-21 in February and is now in the House of Representatives.Another bill, House Bill 325, would allow milk producers to sell unpasteurized milk.
States Seek Medicaid Dollars for Addiction Treatment Beds
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Rural NewsTo boost the number of beds available for low-income residents, the federal government has granted California, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York a waiver of an obscure Medicaid rule that prohibits the use of federal dollars for addiction treatment provided in facilities with more than 16 beds. Seven other states — Arizona, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Utah and Virginia — are seeking similar permission.
APHIS Announces Public Meetings on Animal Disease Traceability
USDA | Posted onApril 5, 2017 in Federal NewsThe United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is announcing a series of public meetings to receive input on the current Animal Disease Traceability system. The meetings will allow APHIS to hear from the public about the successes and challenges of the current ADT framework, specifically for traceability in cattle and bison. They will also provide attendees an opportunity to brainstorm ideas about overcoming these challenges and finding ways to fill gaps in the existing system. These meetings will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
U.S. pig inventory continues — and will continue to — rise
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onApril 3, 2017 in Agriculture NewsU.S. pork producers continue to expand their herds as windfalls from 2014 and relatively cheap input costs help them weather lagging pork pricing and new slaughtering capacity set to come online in the fall provides an incentive. So said analysts Thursday after USDA released its quarterly Hogs and Pigs report, which showed a record crop of 71 million head, up 4.2 percent from the year-ago report. That compared to analysts' average expectations of a 3.9 percent bump in the total inventory.
Prestage Farms break ground for new plant in Iowa
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onApril 3, 2017 in Agriculture NewsPrestage Farms on Thursday broke ground in Eagle Grove, Iowa, to begin construction of its new fresh pork processing plant. The $240 million facility is expected to be completed in the fall of 2018 and will employ about 1,000 people.Prestage Farms now raises pigs in more than 30 counties in Iowa. The plant will support those operations, utilizing "the latest in processing and automation technology," the company said.
75 U.S. mayors won’t enforce climate policy rollback
Curbed | Posted onApril 3, 2017 in Federal NewsThe 75 mayors who make up the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda—also known as Climate Mayors—not only issued a strong condemnation of Trump’s actions, they outlined specific ways they will continue their collective work to stop climate change, regardless of the federal government. The signatories include mayors of all major metropolitan areas like New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and D.C., as well as smaller cities like Santa Monica, California, Park City, Utah, and Eugene, Oregon.
PDA approves 16 industrial hemp projects
Philadelphia Enquirer | Posted onApril 3, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe greater Lehigh Valley scored a handful of the first 16 industrial hemp research projects approved by the state Department of Agriculture.