Agriculture News
Michael Scuse confirmed as Secretary of Delaware Department of Agriculture
Delaware Government | Posted on January 31, 2017Michael Scuse was confirmed as Secretary of the Delaware Department of Agriculture, an agency that promotes and supports Delaware’s agricultural industry, oversees food inspection services to protect Delaware consumers, ensures agricultural compliance statewide, and helps conserve forest resources. Scuse has served as the Acting Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture since March 2016, helping support the national agricultural industry, promote vibrant rural communities, and open new markets for America’s farmers. Previously, Scuse was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, leading efforts to promote American agricultural products globally. From 2001 to 2008, he served Secretary of the Delaware Department of Agriculture under then-Governor Ruth Ann Minner.
Food companies ranked on animal welfare
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on January 31, 2017Almost three-quarters (73 percent) of companies have published farm animal welfare policies, up from 46 percent in 2012, according to the findings compiled by Compassion in World Farming, World Animal Protection and investment firm Coller Capital. Cargill and McDonald’s Corp. were among companies that received a Tier 2 ranking for making animal welfare integral to their business strategy. Tier 3 companies that have established policies but still have work to be done included Hormel Foods, JBS, Subway, Sysco Corp., Tyson Foods, Walmart and Wendy’s. Those making progress on implementation (Tier 4) included Chipotle Mexican Grill, Costco Wholesale, Kroger, Panera Bread and WH Group. At Tier 5 for showing limited evidence of implementation were Chick-fil-A, ConAgra, Darden Restaurants, Dunkin’ Brands, OSI Group, Publix, Starbucks, Target and Yum Brands, among others. Those ranked at the bottom, or Tier 6, for showing no evidence of having animal welfare on the business agenda included Domino’s Pizza and Kraft Heinz.
Closed-loop concept could be the future of sustainable animal farms
Phys.org | Posted on January 31, 2017Dr. Eunsung Kan sees his concept of a closed-loop dairy farm, which reuses wastewater, emits zero waste and powers itself on manure, as the future of sustainable animal farming. Kan's research would utilize existing technology – biochar, a carbon material similar to charcoal, created from animal manure and agricultural waste, such as corn stubble or rice straw – that would be used to filter solid waste and effluent. The biochar could be used as a slow-release fertilizer or converted, via pyrolysis, which is the decomposition of organic material by heat, into energy to power the farm. The closed-loop dairy concept focuses on three main goals – wastewater treatment using dairy manure-derived biochar, producing bioenergy using dairy manure and capturing greenhouse gasses via adsorption onto dairy manure-derived biochar, Kan said.
Meat processing feasibility study shows insufficient volumes for new facility
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on January 31, 2017A study initiated to assess the feasibility of a new multi-species processing facility in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula determined demand was insufficient to support a new facility, but did find a clear need for increased slaughter and processing capacity in the region. The research team concluded that targeted initiatives could increase the region’s capacity and throughput by nurturing incremental growth in production, processing and demand. As a result of input received from producers and buyers, a group of stakeholders applied for and received a Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Strategic Growth Initiative grant in the fall of 2015. They conducted a feasibility study to determine if more processing is needed and what type of facility might be feasible. Four primary recommendations with connected strategies were developed and focus on the following: increase communication and coordination; cultivate and tap into the greater demand for U.P.-produced meat; increase access to tools and guidance for farmers and processers; and expand processing capacity in the Upper Peninsula.
Spread of diseases in farmed animals shown using social network analysis
Phys.org | Posted on January 31, 2017Researchers have shown that looking at movements of operators and vehicles between farms in the same way we look at contacts in social networks can help explain the spread of dangerous infectious diseases of livestock, such as foot-and-mouth disease and avian influenza. The study, produced by Dr Gianluigi Rossi from the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna and colleagues, have shown that the network of contacts originated from on-farm visits by veterinarians in dairy farms of Northern Italy displays hidden features that cannot be detected by simply looking at the frequency of visits and unveils patterns of infection otherwise unexplained. The authors discovered that veterinarians' movements produce an unexpectedly large number of potentially infectious contacts between farms that can quickly spread dangerous livestock diseases.
KY Dept of Agriculture proposes legislation to help feed the hungry
KY Department of Agriculture | Posted on January 31, 2017The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) has come forward with legislation to help businesses and individuals who wish to donate food to organizations that serve hungry Kentuckians. “These measures would provide incentives and protections for those who want to join the fight against hunger in Kentucky,” Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said. “This is due to the work of the Hunger Task Force, which met for the first time last spring. This is just the beginning of our efforts to reduce food insecurity in the Commonwealth.” One proposal would double the tax credit for food products donated to food banks to 20 percent. The current tax credit is 10 percent and is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. Quarles also called for the tax credit to be made permanent. Few Kentucky farmers know about the tax credit, and even fewer use it. The state Department of Revenue reported that only one taxpayer was approved to claim the credit in its first two years. Quarles said this measure would provide a stronger financial incentive for farmers to donate surplus foods. A second proposal would strengthen the shield against legal liability for food donations beyond that of the federal Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, making Kentucky’s food donor immunity shield one of the strongest in the nation. The measure would provide a stronger immunity shield for individuals and businesses, and their employees, who donate to food banks; for food banks and their employees; and for landowners who allow gleaners to come onto their land to pick vegetables and fruits for the hungry.
Court Rules Against Monsanto, Allows California To Put Cancer Warning On Roundup
CBS Sacramento | Posted on January 31, 2017California can require Monsanto to label its popular weed-killer Roundup as a possible cancer threat despite an insistence from the chemical giant that it poses no risk to people, a judge tentatively ruled. California would be the first state to order such labeling if it carries out the proposal.
The 35 Best College Farms
College Rank | Posted on January 31, 2017Today’s college farms are not simply research facilities as they have been in the past. College farms provide students with hands-on experience in the growth of crops and animals. Students are able to learn more about how plants thrive, what can damage their growth and how best to maximize yield in a crop. The life-cycle of animals is demonstrated first-hand, providing information for all types of career paths, including veterinary medicine and pharmaceutical development. Campus farms also provide benefits to the community. Although the main purpose of a campus farm is for students to learn, they also provide opportunities for student organizations, many of which serve the community that surrounds the campus. Some campuses arrange for tables at local farmers’ markets where students can sell the fresh produce or other products produced by the farm, allowing them to build networks within the community that can help further them in their careers.
In America’s Heartland, Discussing Climate Change Without Saying ‘Climate Change’
The New York Times | Posted on January 31, 2017Doug Palen, a fourth-generation grain farmer on Kansas’ wind-swept plains, is in the business of understanding the climate. Since 2012, he has choked through the harshest drought to hit the Great Plains in a century, punctuated by freakish snowstorms and suffocating gales of dust. His planting season starts earlier in the spring and pushes deeper into winter. To adapt, he has embraced an environmentally conscious way of farming that guards against soil erosion and conserves precious water. He can talk for hours about carbon sequestration — the trapping of global-warming-causing gases in plant life and in the soil — or the science of the beneficial microbes that enrich his land. In short, he is a climate change realist. Just don’t expect him to utter the words “climate change.” “If politicians want to exhaust themselves debating the climate, that’s their choice,” Mr. Palen said, walking through fields of freshly planted winter wheat. “I have a farm to run.”
Water Quality– Iowa Case Resolves One Issue, Clean Water Act Permitting Issue Remains Open
Farm Policy News | Posted on January 31, 2017A case filed by Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) involving financial damages from treatment of this water recently made its way to the Iowa Supreme Court. On Friday, January 27, the Iowa Supreme Court resolved one issue associated with the DMWW case; however, non-point source permitting issues under the Clean Water Act will still be considered by a trial court in June. “Bill Stowe, chief executive officer and general manager of Des Moines Water Works, said in a statement to DTN the water utility would continue to pursue the case in federal court…’Unresolved questions of permitting and, ultimately regulation, are not addressed yet, and remain at the heart of the federal case…'” Mr. Neeley added that, “If successful, it is believed the legal action could lead to regulating farm ground as a pollution point source in Iowa and perhaps across the country if legal fever spreads. It could require farmers to pay for expensive permits for normal farm practices, as well as restrict the use of fertilizer or other farm chemicals.”