Agriculture News
MN:Ag loans expand for more pollution prevention; State extends eligibility to include larger livestock operations
Austin Daily Herald | Posted on November 28, 2017Low-interest loans for projects that help prevent pollution are being expanded by the state to include larger livestock operations. Minnesota Department of Agriculture is expanding the Agricultural Best Management Practices – better known as AgBMP – loans under an agreement with the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program in Louisiana. Livestock operations holding National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits or those with more than 1,000 animal units now can apply.A formal letter of understanding recently was signed recognizing the importance of coordinating pollution-prevention efforts throughout the Mississippi River watershed locally in Minnesota and in distant downstream areas, including the receiving waters of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico.“This is great news for Mower County’s numerous livestock operators,” said Justin Hanson, district manager for Mower Soil & Water Conservation District. “We hope this leads to even more AgBMP funds being secured for local projects.”
New Hampshire: Jasper confirmed as agriculture commissioner with help from Dems
New Hampshire Union Leader | Posted on November 28, 2017House Speaker Shawn Jasper, R-Hudson, won confirmation as commissioner of agriculture today, setting up a battle to replace him as the New Hampshire Legislature heads into the 2018 legislative session.The two Democrats on the council, Andru Volinsky of Concord and Chris Pappas of Manchester, helped deliver this appointment to Sununu, a first-term Republican. “I think if the person is qualified, you get your choice, governor,” Volinsky said. Republican Councilors David Wheeler and Joseph Kenney said they could not support voting for Jasper until the end of the 2018 session.
Turkey farmers facing squeeze after Trump kills agriculture rules
Politico | Posted on November 28, 2017Ike Horst raises 22,000 turkeys a year on his farm in the rolling hills of south-central Pennsylvania, selling them to a processing company that was providing him with enough of a nest egg that he hoped he could sell the farm and retire. But a Trump administration decision to block proposed agriculture regulations may blow up those plans, preserving the multibillion-dollar meat industry’s power over the smaller turkey farmers whose birds will grace the tables in millions of American homes this Thanksgiving. Horst is one of the independent businessmen caught up in the Trump administration’s governmentwide deregulation frenzy.Obama-era rules that had yet to take effect would have given smaller farmers more power to set the terms of their deals with massive meat companies, empowering the growers to sue and better define abusive practices by processors and distributors under federal law. Trump’s Agriculture Department killed two of the proposed rules, one of which would have taken effect in October.Major agribusinesses like Cargill and Butterball fought the rules, saying they would lead to endless litigation between farmers and global food companies.Trump’s deregulatory strike — lauded by big business — has consequences, even for the mom-and-pop turkey farmers who raise free-range, antibiotic-free turkeys that have seen increasing demand as Americans become more socially conscious about the production of their foods.Horst is afraid a planned sale of his farm will fall through because Plainville Farms, a major organic food producer and the primary customer for his turkeys, is requiring the buyer to install upgrades including fans, tunnel ventilation and a stationary generator if it wants to continue supplying to the company.
State Legislative Update, AVMA
AVMA | Posted on November 28, 2017Although most state legislatures are currently out of session, a number of state proposals related to animal welfare came forth this month from D.C., Michigan, New York, and Ohio. In Michigan, a new bill would prohibit any person from leaving or confining an animal in an unattended motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of the animal. The District of Columbia proposed a bill that would allow food establishments to permit dogs in outdoor dining areas and unenclosed sidewalk cafes. One of the bills introduced in New York would require a court to consider the best interest of a companion animal when awarding possession, of such animal, in a divorce or separation proceeding. New York lawmakers are also considering a bill that would prohibit any person from misrepresenting a companion animal and defines how a person could commit the crime of misrepresenting an animal. In Ohio, a bill has been put forth that would define what constitutes a “vicious dog” and modify the current definitions of a “dangerous dog” and a “nuisance dog.” This bill would also establish training requirements for dog wardens and deputies that includes 42 hours of initial training and 10 hours of continuing education within a time period established by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission.
Utah turkey farm accused of mistreating turkeys
KSL | Posted on November 28, 2017An animal activist group sneaked into a Utah turkey farm and documented deplorable conditions, claiming the farm was housing diseased birds. Direct Action Everywhere is taking aim at a farm that supplies turkeys for Norbest. The plant, located at 306 W. 300 South in Moroni, provides 5 million turkeys to 34 states and 26 countries.The video, shot over a nine-month period in 2017, shows the turkeys living in deplorable conditions at a nearby farm that supplies birds to Norbest. On Nov. 10, all birds were removed from those barns and the company officially suspended the contract with this grower, Cook said, adding that the sick birds are being treated and the terminally ill ones were euthanized.The company is also denying the group’s claims of the birds having certain health issues.“The video said our turkeys have hepatitis. That is not true,” Cook said.To prevent something like this from happening again, Cook said the company is going through their policies and procedures with a fine-toothed comb.“It is my goal to ensure this is never repeated,” he said.
EU backs 5-year extension for glyphosate
Business Insider | Posted on November 28, 2017EU countries approved on Monday the use of weed-killer glyphosate for the next five years after a heated debate over whether it causes cancer. Diplomats said Germany swung the vote, coming off the fence after abstaining in previous meetings to oppose its key EU partner France, which wanted a shorter licence extension.The European Commission said in a statement that 18 countries had backed its proposal to renew the chemical's licence, with nine voting against and one abstaining, declaring this to be a "positive opinion".Europe has been wrestling for the past two years over what to do with the chemical, a key ingredient in Monsanto's top-selling Roundup, whose licence was set to expire on Dec. 15.
Food Demand Survey: Parsing ‘sustainability,’ counting cows
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on November 22, 2017The key to food “sustainability,” consumers believe, has much more to do with food safety than with traditional environmental concerns such as global warming, according to Oklahoma State University’s most recent Food Demand Survey. Consumers responded to a question included in the survey about the importance of various factors in determining food sustainability. They indicated that “ensuring food is safe to eat” and “ensuring everyone has access to plentiful, affordable, healthy foods” are more important to sustainability than “being able to trace the food sold all the way back to the farm where it was produced” or “minimizing the impact of food production on global warming.”
Science doesn’t support slow-growing broiler movement
Watt Ag Net | Posted on November 22, 2017There’s more evidence that modern poultry production practices are good for society at large, but will it matter in the long run? In November 2017, German scientific consultancy and research firm HFFA Research GmBH published a comprehensive report evaluating the opportunity cost of moving all poultry production to alternative poultry rearing methods that are “extensive” or “organic.” The study, which analyzed the potential impacts in the European Union and Germany, defined extensive methods as those that: use slow-growing poultry breeds, render less efficient feed conversion than conventional practices and require more space per head. Organic poultry is defined as meeting the EU’s minimum requirements for organic production and labeling.
USDA Awards Funds to Support Rural Veterinary Services
USDA | Posted on November 22, 2017The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced 13 grants to support rural veterinary services and relieve veterinarian shortages in parts of the U.S. and its insular areas. The funding from NIFA’s Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. “Rural veterinary practitioners address a variety of unique challenges related to the health and welfare of agricultural animals, public health concerns, and managing their practices,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “This program offers incentives to these types of practitioners, students, and educators, empowering the veterinary workforce with specialized skills to enhance services in the field.”
Improved datasets show that Arctic warmed six times faster than the global average during 'global warming hiatus'
Science Daily | Posted on November 22, 2017Missing Arctic temperature data, not Mother Nature, created the seeming slowdown of global warming from 1998 to 2012, according to a new study.