AgClips
Recent AgClips
Why this genetically modified mushroom gets to skip USDA oversight
The Washington Post | Posted onApril 22, 2016 in Food NewsFor the first time, a food product created using CRISPR – could be on track to be sold and eaten. And it might be the first of many. Few scientific issues are more divisive than the regulation and labeling of genetically modified organisms, otherwise known as GMOs. A new fungus shows just how murky our understanding of the technology – and our policy surrounding it – remains. Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that it will not regulate the cultivation and sale of a white-button mushroom created using CRISPR.
U.S. looking to expert panel to predict future GM products
Science | Posted onApril 22, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe U.S. government is hoping an expert panel will be the next best thing to a crystal ball in helping predict what the future of biotechnology holds. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) in Washington, D.C., yesterday held the first public meeting of a new committee of academic and industry researchers, tasked with forecasting what biotechnologies will emerge in the next 5 to 10 years, and what new types of risk they might pose to the environment or human health.
Goat Herd Helps Trump Lower Tax Bite
Wall Street Journal | Posted onApril 22, 2016 in Federal NewsNew Jersey farmland law lets presidential candidate save tens of thousands in property taxes on golf courses
Judge approves $380 million change to landmark 2010 Native American farm suit
Washington Post | Posted onApril 22, 2016 in Federal NewsA federal judge approved the creation of what is expected to become the largest U.S. philanthropy serving Native American farmers and ranchers, redistributing $380 million left unclaimed in a landmark 2010 civil rights settlement in which the U.S. government agreed to pay for years of official discrimination. Most of the $680 million in the 2010 settlement went unspent after far fewer people than expected brought successful claims. Instead of the 10,000 anticipated, only about 3,600 applicants were paid.
USDA Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program announces shortage areas for 2016
High Plains Journal | Posted onApril 22, 2016 in Federal NewsAuthorized by the National Veterinary Medical Services Act, the VMLRP helps qualified veterinarians offset a significant portion of debt incurred while pursuing their veterinary medicine degrees in return for their service in designated high-priority veterinary shortage situations.
Justices debate finality issues in Clean Water Act case
Scotus Blog | Posted onApril 22, 2016 in NewsThe government faced an uphill battle in Wednesday’s argument in United States Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co. As noted in my preview, the case involves the “jurisdictional determinations” (JDs) that the United States Army Corps of Engineers issues under the Clean Water Act.
Will states find other revenue streams to weather the fossil fuel bust?
High Country News | Posted onApril 22, 2016 in Energy NewsGaping deficits wrought by tumbling fossil fuel prices are forcing states like Alaska and Wyoming to slash spending, but little is being done – at least for now – to address politically unpopular, longer-term questions about new revenue models that would lessen their dependence on boom-and-bust industries.
Senate Barely Blocks Amendment to Block WOTUS Funding
Morning Consult | Posted onApril 22, 2016 in Federal NewsThe Senate on Thursday voted 56-42 to fail an amendment to block funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Water of the United States rule in the energy and water appropriations bill.
Phosphorus losses in surface runoff
Michigan State University Extension | Posted onApril 22, 2016 in Agriculture NewsMerrin Macrae, Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada opened a conference sponsored by the Michigan Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society and Michigan State University Extension in East Lansing on March 4, A Matter of Balance: Systems Approaches to Managing the Great Lakes Landscapes.
Congress again refuses to fund USDA poultry grower rules
meatingplace.com | Posted onApril 21, 2016 in Federal NewsThe House Appropriations Committee narrowly approved an amendment to funding legislation that would stop USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) from finalizing rules pertaining to how the Packers and Stockyards Act is interpreted and enforced.