AgClips
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Flooding causes headache for farmers in Kansas
KWCH | Posted onJune 20, 2016 in Agriculture NewsNear Halstead Wednesday, heavy rains and strong winds knocked over trees and flooded streets and fields. It was a downpour unlike anything farmer Rod Miller says he's seen in more than 20 years. "Not this much rain in that short amount of time. I don't think anybody remembers getting that kind of water," Miller says. Miller was out in the field working when the rain started falling Wednesday evening. He was forced to leave his tractor sitting in the field. "Most guys keep running their combine until the rain starts falling," Miller says. "And it just hit hard and fast.
Divided Legislature: Minoritis Missing
AP | Posted onJune 20, 2016 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsWhile minorities have made some political gains in recent decades, they remain significantly underrepresented in Congress and nearly every state legislature though they comprise a growing share of the U.S. population, according to an analysis of demographic data by The Associated Press. The disparity in elected representation is especially large for Hispanics, even though they are now the nation's largest ethnic minority. A lack of political representation can carry real-life consequences, and not only on hot-button immigration issues.
Washington dairies buoyed by ecology’s stance on CAFO permit
Capital Press | Posted onJune 20, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe Washington Department of Ecology on Wednesday will propose issuing permits to dairies that could limit federal lawsuits over groundwater pollution, creating a regulatory framework sought by the dairy industry and fought by environmental groups. “We think this is a good thing,” Washington State Dairy Federation policy director Jay Gordon said. “They (DOE) have done an excellent job of listening.
USDA grant helps military vets start poultry farms
meatingplace.com | Posted onJune 20, 2016 in Agriculture NewsA three-year, $750,000 USDA grant to the University of Arkansas’s poultry science department will aid in funding the Military Veterans Small Farms Outreach Program. The program aims to help military veterans succeed in new poultry, small livestock, and agroforestry enterprises. The long-term goal is to develop and expand on a personalized, comprehensive and integrated educational program that provides military veterans and minority beginning farmers and ranchers with relevant information and practical skills in their new agricultural enterprises.
Philadelphia passes beverage tax
ABC | Posted onJune 20, 2016 in Food NewsPhiladelphia became the first major American city with a soda tax despite a multi-million dollar campaign by the beverage industry to block it. The City Council gave final approval to a 1.5 cent-per-ounce tax on sugary and diet beverages.
The Salmonella conundrum for egg producers continues
Watt Ag Net | Posted onJune 20, 2016 in Food NewsOut of 1,355 FDA inspections of U.S.
NFU Calls on Lawmakers to Stop Undermining #Biofuels
energy.agwired | Posted onJune 20, 2016 in Energy NewsThe appropriations bill, as written, would exempt the military from Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which prohibits federal agencies from making bulk purchases of synthetic fuels with a larger greenhouse gas footprint than traditional petroleum. However, especially in the advanced biofuels industry, the military's use of biofuels has been a long standing source of encouragement for new technologies.
How Naomi Starkman’s Using Journalism to Change Food Policy
Modern Farmer | Posted onJune 20, 2016 in Agriculture NewsWith all the recent hubbub surrounding the food-and-politics website Civil Eats—which raised $100,000 on Kickstarter in 2013 and snagged the James Beard Foundation’s Best Publication Award the next year—it would be easy to mistake editor-in-chief Naomi Starkman for an overnight sensation. Her path to new-media success, however, has been neither short nor narrow.
NOAA: Hot Summer Ahead
DTN | Posted onJune 20, 2016 in Agriculture NewsTemperature and precipitation conditions in mid-June across the primary crop regions in the United States look similar to the widespread drought year of 2012 when, at the time, there also was little or no concern about drought, a climatologist said. Brian Fuchs, climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said as temperatures continue to rise heading into the summer months, climatologists are watching closely for signs of flash drought -- often brought on by a drop in precipitation and increased temperatures and winds.
New York Links Power Lines to Bring Renewables From Upstate to Downstate
Green Tech Media | Posted onJune 20, 2016 in Energy NewsNew York has an ambitious goal of getting 50 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2030. To get there, the state will need to expand grid infrastructure to deliver renewable power from rural areas to load centers. But the state won't always have to build new infrastructure -- it can do more with what it has. The New York Power Authority and New York State Electric & Gas have just finished the first project that shows what is possible using existing infrastructure.