AgClips
Recent AgClips
Kansas house passes new tax break for rural jobs despite skepticism from some lawmakers
Lawrence Journal World | Posted onMarch 21, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe Kansas House on Tuesday passed and sent to the Senate a bill that would offer tax incentives for investment companies that finance business projects that bring jobs to rural areas. The Ad Astra Rural Jobs Act, as the bill is called, passed the House, 97-22, over the objection of some House members who said it had not been thoroughly studied, and worried that it could lead to giving taxpayer subsidies to factory hog farms or other kinds of confined animal feeding operations. Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, made that argument during debate on the bill Tuesday.
Minnesota Buffer Law Compliance
State of Minnesota | Posted onMarch 21, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsThese preliminary compliance estimates were conducted by soil and water conservation districts based on parcel reviews via aerial/satellite imagery. It is important to note that these estimates do not imply or represent non-compliance. Additional field-level reviews will be the next step in the inventory process.
White House budget would cut EPA by 31%, Labor Dept. by 21%
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onMarch 21, 2017 in Federal NewsThe White House 2018 budget requests $5.7 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, a savings of $2.6 billion, or 31 percent, from the 2017 annualized continuing resolution (CR) level. The President’s 2018 Budget: Discontinues funding for the Clean Power Plan, international climate change programs, climate change research and partnership programs, and related efforts —saving more than $100 million for the American taxpayer compared to 2017 annualized CR levels.
Breed-specific Legislation
AVMA | Posted onMarch 21, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsAcross the country, communities have attempted to reduce the incidence of serious and fatal dog bites by restricting the ownership of certain types of dogs, most often pit bulls. But others, including some states, have made these types of breed-specific laws illegal. So are breed-specific laws an effective way to reduce the incidence of dog bites? Or do they unfairly target good dogs whose only crime is matching the description of what some people believe to be dangerous? In this podcast, Dr.
Nation’s best cheesemakers compete in Wisconsin
Capital Press | Posted onMarch 21, 2017 in Food NewsThe national cheese spotlight this week turns to Wisconsin — where else? — as judges get ready to sniff, taste and touch thousands of samples in the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest. The national contest alternates each year with the world cheese-off. Judging is Tuesday and Wednesday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, with winners announced Thursday. Entries for the national competition are up 22 percent, to a record 2,303, as cheesemakers recognize the marketing value of winning big competitions.
Dairy air debate centers on nearly decade-old report
Capital Press | Posted onMarch 21, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsProponents of legislation requiring new air regulations for Oregon dairies, Senate Bill 197, claim it merely implements recommendations from the 2008 Dairy Air Task Force, which was composed of agricultural and environmental representatives, among others. Critics of the proposal argue the 2008 report didn’t actually require any action and that emissions from dairies still aren’t significant enough to justify new rule-making.
Maize engineered to silence deadly toxins in poisonous mold
New Scientist | Posted onMarch 21, 2017 in Food NewsIt’s a silent killer lurking in common foods.
Cornell Professor Advocates for Access to Choose Genetically Modified Crops
Cornell University | Posted onMarch 21, 2017 in NewsOn a list of the most controversial topics in science, genetically modified organisms would easily be close to the top. Concerns about their safety and effect on naturally bred species continue to dominate scientific and policy discussions. Prof. Sarah Davidson Evanega, plant breeding and genetics, however, is assured of their safety and maintains that they could play an important role in fighting global food insecurity.
Researchers trial "genetically engineered" tree to rebuild US chestnut population hit by chestnut blight
Agriculture Week | Posted onMarch 21, 2017 in Rural NewsOnce a dominant species of the eastern US, the American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was devastated early last century by the disease chestnut blight, caused by the fungal pathogen Cryphonectria parasitica which was recently detected in southwest England. Now researchers at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), part of the State University of New York, have planted 100 transgenic young trees which carry a wheat gene enabling them to withstand the blight in a "seed orchard"in upstate New York.
Deadly fungus taking toll on Minnesota bats
inForum | Posted onMarch 21, 2017 in Rural NewsThe number of bats counted in the Soudan Underground Mine has dropped 70 percent due to white-nose syndrome, according to the annual survey of the state's largest bat wintering area.Researchers have known since 2013 that the deadly fungus was present on some bats that spend their winter deep underground in the former iron ore mine near Tower. Last winter was the first time they had seen hundreds of dead bats outside the mine during winter months, a sure sign of white-nose syndrome. This winter, the deaths have mounted to catastrophic levels.