Agriculture News
National Academies Press Genetically Engineered Crops Report Available
National Academies Press | Posted on February 4, 2017Genetically engineered (GE) crops were first introduced commercially in the 1990s. After two decades of production, some groups and individuals remain critical of the technology based on their concerns about possible adverse effects on human health, the environment, and ethical considerations. At the same time, others are concerned that the technology is not reaching its potential to improve human health and the environment because of stringent regulations and reduced public funding to develop products offering more benefits to society. While the debate about these and other questions related to the genetic engineering techniques of the first 20 years goes on, emerging genetic-engineering technologies are adding new complexities to the conversation.
What are Dairy Farmers Doing to Ensure Cows Health
Dairy Herd | Posted on February 4, 2017Consumers are expressing more interest in knowing how their food is handled, what is in it and where it comes from. Dairy farmers care about their cows and are passionate about their work. People in the dairy industry know how hard farmers work to have healthy and well cared for cows; the problem is it is one of the best-kept secrets from the rest of us. One way the dairy industry is striving to ensure excellent animal care is the National FARM Program. FARM stands for Farmers Assuring Responsible Management. FARM was developed by the National Milk Producers Federation with support from the national dairy check-off, national beef check-off and Dairy Management Inc. to demonstrate that dairy farmers are dedicated to providing the maximum level of animal care and milk and meat quality. In the United States, 98 percent of the milk supply is enrolled in this program. The FARM program works by providing animal care guidelines that dairy farmers must follow to participate in the program.
Weed 101: Colorado Agriculture Agency Shares Pot Know-How
ABC News | Posted on February 4, 2017North Carolina wants to know if marijuana could one day replace tobacco as a cash crop. Louisiana is wondering how pot holds up in high humidity. And Washington state has questions about water supplies for weed. Colorado agriculture officials this week briefed officials from about a dozen states — some that have legalized weed, others that joked their states will legalize pot "when hell freezes over" — on the basics of marijuana farming and swapped stories about regulating a crop that the federal government still considers illegal. The Colorado Department of Agriculture also is working on the world's first government-produced guidelines on growing marijuana. There's no shortage of how-to books catering to pot growers both in and out of the black market, but Colorado's forthcoming guidebook aims to apply established agronomy practices to the production of marijuana. "When you start with no knowledge at all, it's rough," said Mitch Yergert, head of Colorado's Division of Plant Industry, an agency within the Agriculture Department that regulates marijuana production.
Idaho Gov. Otter recommends $10 million for major ag research center
Capital Press | Posted on February 2, 2017Idaho Gov. Butch Otter’s proposed fiscal 2017 budget recommends $10 million for ag research center, $400,000 for wolf control efforts and $500,000 in ongoing funding for graduate student housing at University of Idaho agricultural research stations.
Washington Ecology shakes up dairy regulation
Capital Press | Posted on February 2, 2017The Washington Department of Ecology’s rules could keep dairies out of court, but the costs for farmers are uncertain. New rules issued by the Washington Department of Ecology on Wednesday will change the regulatory landscape for the state’s 230 dairies with more than 200 cows. Embracing the rules may shield dairies from government fines or lawsuits by environmental groups, but will mean taking on new obligations with uncertain costs. The rules, codified in a revised permit for concentrated animal feeding operations, were years in the making and are meant to keep nitrates out of groundwater and fecal coliform out of surface water. They are in addition to the state’s 19-year-old Dairy Nutrient Management Act, which has the identical goal. While all dairies must follow the nutrient act, only a few have had CAFO permits. Environmental groups hoped a revised permit would be a vehicle to force dairies to line manure lagoons with synthetic material and install wells to monitor groundwater, steps the department was unwilling to take.
Specialty crop success relies on labor
Illinois Farmer Today | Posted on February 2, 2017Without a stable, legal workforce to pick their fruit, the future of Sirles’ Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass — and many other orchards — is in danger. “We need help to harvest our crops. It is a huge issue for specialty growers,” Sirles said at the recent Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism and Organic Conference in Springfield. Rendleman Orchards has been in business for almost a 150 years, but it may have to reduce the size of its operation to keep going if family members can’t find workers. “Our biggest limitation is labor. It’s expensive and restrictive,” Sirles explained. The orchard grows apples, peaches, cucumbers, pumpkins, nectarines and other fruits and vegetables. The issue has grown over time with stricter regulations and the evolution of the immigrant workforce. The children of many immigrants who worked for the family previously are getting college educations and choosing different careers. The move reflects the same trend in many long-term farm families.
Radical farmers are expanding agriculture’s political and economic philosophy
WTKR | Posted on February 2, 2017In recent years, a global network of alternative farms have pushed the edges of Western society’s “natural food” obsession by incorporating elements of environmental justice, climate activism, and urban planning. They include the creation of seedbanks to help hedge against the spread of habitat destruction and impoverished sharecropping communities reclaiming land from corporate control to provide living-wage jobs in farm cooperatives and a more diverse, healthier vegetable selection than the dominant monocultures crowding the cereal aisle.
Hormel, Maschhoffs launch probes after hog farm video release
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on February 2, 2017“The Maschhoffs has a zero-tolerance policy for any abuse or mistreatment of its pigs,” the company said in a statement. The company added that it is reinforcing the animal care policy with its employees and production partners, in addition to making sure that “every farm manager” reviews the video and “fully understands the responsibility that comes with proper animal care.” For its part, Hormel released a statement suspending all of the Oklahoma sow operations of the Maschhoffs until “a thorough investigation” is completed. The Austin, Minn.-based company also dispatched “certified third-party auditors to the farms to verify that its animal care requirements for suppliers are being upheld.
The Outlook for the Big Six Becoming the Big Three
DTN | Posted on February 2, 2017Syngenta-ChemChina; Dow-Dupont; Bayer-Monsanto. Three agribusiness mega-mergers are streaking for the goal line in 2017. The only obstacles for these combinations are U.S. and European Union regulators. Will any (or all) of them make it past these watch dogs? Farmers have been wary of these mergers, fearful of paying higher prices for seeds and chemicals. Supporters of the deals cite the staggering research, development and regulatory-approval costs of bringing products to the agricultural market. Only the biggest companies with the deepest pockets can compete, the supporters' argument goes. As they see it, the urge to merge may be regrettable but it's unavoidable. Two esteemed former agriculture secretaries, Republican Mike Johanns and Democrat Dan Glickman, offer an interesting wrinkle on the bigger-is-necessary theory. In an opinion piece. They make the case for one of the three mega-mergers -- the union of Dow and Dupont. Their logic? The resulting combination would be American-owned. It's easy for Americans to sympathize with the desire for a national champion ag company. It's harder to articulate why American ownership matters to American farmers. No nation has farmers that spend more on seed, chemicals and other supplies than the U.S. Will Monsanto really start ignoring the American ag market simply because it has a German corporate parent? Will Swiss-based Syngenta change its approach to the U.S. market as a result of being acquired by the Chinese? Chrysler is owned by Italy's Fiat but its Ram trucks are very much aimed at Americans. For that matter, DTN is currently owned by a French company, Schneider Electric. instead of being part of a big chemical conglomerate serving pharmaceutical, industrial and other markets, the Dow-DuPont combination will give birth to a company focused entirely on agriculture. When times are tough in ag land, a "pure agriculture company" won't be as tempted to redirect investment dollars to other product lines. It won't have other product lines.
Hormel, Maschhoffs launch probes after hog farm video release
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on January 31, 2017An investigation is already under way after this morning’s release of an undercover video from the activist group Mercy for Animals alleging abuse at a pig farm that supplies Hormel Foods Corp. The Maschhoffs LLC – one of the nation’s largest pork producers – announced on the company’s website that it is looking into “any animal care deficiencies” in light of the video, which the group said was filmed at a farm in Oklahoma. According to Mercy for Animals, the video shows animals being mistreated. “The Maschhoffs has a zero-tolerance policy for any abuse or mistreatment of its pigs,” the company said in a statement. The company added that it is reinforcing the animal care policy with its employees and production partners, in addition to making sure that “every farm manager” reviews the video and “fully understands the responsibility that comes with proper animal care.” For its part, Hormel released a statement suspending all of the Oklahoma sow operations of the Maschhoffs.