Agriculture News
Producers Urged to Plan for Possible Drought-Driven Culling
DTN | Posted on May 24, 2018It may be time to cut cattle stocking rates by as much as 10% in some parts of the Northern Plains. That news comes as drought conditions that began last year there continue, and many producers are warned to expect reductions in forage production on pasture and rangeland going forward."Last year, some producers experienced as much as a 75 percent reduction in forage production on pasture, range and hayland due to the drought," said Kevin Sedivec, North Dakota State University Extension rangeland management specialist.In many areas, pasture and rangeland received excess grazing pressure. These pastures may need extra time to recover before producers initiate grazing.
State Import Rules Guide For Livestock
DTN | Posted on May 24, 2018States' livestock rules to protect against disease can vary widely and are based on the unique needs of that industry and the people there. Identification is an especially challenging issue because we have no mandatory national system. (By the way, that fact scares the willies out of me when I think about some sort of foreign disease outbreak. But, that is a discussion for another day.) There is a good web site hosted by the United States Animal Health Association and the National Institute for Animal Agriculture: www.interstatelivestock.com. This gives you "quick, accurate access to state import requirements for livestock." It's easy to use and a great new tool.With regards to a universally accepted ID for cattle, the only ones we currently have use the office of USDA metal tags (silver "brite" tags or the OCV/Bangs orange tags), or the official "840 tag." Some states accept tattoos and brands under certain conditions.
Scalise Announces Plan for Immigration, Farm Bill Votes Third Week of June
Roll Call | Posted on May 24, 2018The farm bill, which failed on the House floor Friday, will get a second vote June 22 after a vote on a conservative immigration bill earlier that week, House Majority Whip Steve Scalisesaid Monday. The immigration bill by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas that leaders have scheduled a vote on includes border wall funding, security and enforcement provisions, cuts to legal immigration and a process for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipients to obtain three-year renewals of their work permits. “We’re looking at moving the farm bill on June 22 and having the Goodlatte-McCaul bill come up the third week of June,” Scalise told reporters.
With defeat of Farm Bill amendment, Minnesota’s powerful sugar lobby notches another win
The Minnesota Post | Posted on May 24, 2018Last week, as the U.S. House considered its twice-a-decade Farm Bill, Minnesota’s sugar growers got the challenge they had been expecting for years: an amendment, filed to the massive nutrition and agriculture bill, that would “reform” and “modernize” the federal sugar subsidy program. The government’s system to protect the domestic sugar-growing industry, which is not based on direct subsidies but a complex set of measures designed to keep the price of sugar high, has been around for decades, and farmers credit it with shielding their business in the face of an uncertain global market.But the program has recently become a huge target for a diverse coalition of interests that loathe it — particularly, food companies who believe the policy inflates the price of sugar and hurts their businesses. “Modernizing” the sugar program, in the eyes of this camp, means undoing government protections and opening up the domestic sugar industry to market forces.
Trouble in Big Food: America's cereal, soda and soup companies are in turmoil
CNN | Posted on May 24, 2018America's cereal, soda and soup companies are having a rough 2018.General Mills, Campbell Soup, Hershey and Pepsi are all failing to convince investors they have a plan to navigate shoppers' changing tastes.The consumer staples sector is at the back of the pack in the S&P 500, down 13% this year. It's on track for its worst year in a decade.
17 organizations feeding the world through regenerative agriculture
Green Biz | Posted on May 24, 2018Transitioning to more sustainable forms of agriculture remains critical, as many current agriculture practices have serious consequences including deforestation and soil degradation. But despite agriculture’s enormous potential to hurt the environment, it also has enormous potential to heal it. Realizing this, many organizations are promoting regenerative agriculture as a way to not just grow food but to progressively improve ecosystems.Drawing from decades of research, regenerative agriculture uses farming principles designed to mimic nature. To build healthy soils and fertile, thriving agro-ecosystems, this approach incorporates a range of practices such as agroforestry and well-managed grazing. Benefits of these practices include richer soil, healthier water systems, increased biodiversity, climate change resilience and stronger farming communities.To celebrate the ongoing work of individuals and organizations dedicated to healing agro-ecosystems around the globe, Food Tank is highlighting these 17 organizations building a global grassroots movement for better agriculture.
Five years after West Fertilizer explosion, EPA rolls back chemical safety reforms
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Five-years-after-West-Fertilizer-explosion-EPA-12931424.php?utm_source=Daily+Harvest+2018&utm_campaign=e881c5df62-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_05_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6978e27d37-e881c5df62-48780033 | Posted on May 24, 2018The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected next month to roll back chemical plant safety reforms that the Obama administration proposed after 15 people died in a fertilizer plant explosion in West. The rollback means the disaster, which exposed wide safety gaps in the industry and its oversight, will result in no significant federal regulatory changes, as the Austin American-Statesman reports.That angers the mayor of the Central Texas town.
California Fresh Fruit on offensive over water, labor
Western Farm Press | Posted on May 24, 2018As California fruit growers wait for effective tools to mechanically harvest their crops the association that represents about 85 percent of the industry is on offense, hoping to secure wins in water and labor issues. Survey California farmers up and down the state and the top issue they likely will cite is water. The cost of labor, and regulatory burdens associated with it, are also high on that list, particularly because the industry must rely on labor-intensive harvest crews to pick fruit. There are stories to suggest that labor shortages across the agricultural spectrum last year left growers with unharvested fruit.
Tyson gets Iowa’s help for plant expansion
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on May 24, 2018Tyson Fresh Meats will receive nearly $675,000 in Iowa state tax credits to help the company upgrade its pork plant in Perry, Iowa. The Tyson Foods subsidiary plans to construct a new chilling system to improve product quality and efficiencies at the Perry facility, the Iowa Economic Development Authority said in a post on its website. The $43.7 million project won’t add jobs there but will require additional training for existing employees.
This dairy startup is trying to introduce the US to quark
Smart Brief | Posted on May 22, 2018need to make a confession. This was an interview I really wanted to do. I spent over 25 years in consumer packaged goods, specifically in dairy, and have always wanted to see quark succeed in the US market. If you don’t know what quark is, Google it. It is creamy and soft. If yogurt and cream cheese had a love child, it would be quark.I first tried Wünder Creamery’s quark at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. I loved it. Then I met co-founder Kamilya Abilova. Her story was fascinating, and I thought it would be interesting to share a bit about her journey."Quark is essentially a cheese, and we use cheese cultures to make it. Think something between yogurt and crème fresh.”“When I came to the US, I discovered that yogurt and dairy products were far different from what I knew back home. Yogurts seemed too sour or too sweet, they also seemed to be a bit too runny. I like my cultured dairy snack thick and filling. I found some quark here, but it was sold in the cheese section in big containers without any callouts on the packaging about its benefits, and it just tasted different. There was just no authentic quark on the market as a grab-n-go item, and an explanation about what quark is was nowhere to be seen. So, unless you are curious enough to Google it or you are somewhere from Europe and know how to use it in recipes, quark was just an obscure name on the shelf you pass by occasionally.”