Agriculture News
Beef Benefits From Bird Flu
DTN | Posted on January 26, 2017Despite a regain in consumer interest for imported pork, ostensibly because of bird flu, South Korea's pork imports slightly decreased over the past year, both overall and from the U.S. Contrastingly, beef imports volumes have surged, with the U.S. product the main beneficiary. Korea Customs Service figures provided by Meat Export Federation South Korea director Ji-Hae Yang show South Korea's January-November overall pork imports very slightly dipped from 422,766 to 421,123 metric tons. During the same period, imports from the U.S. went down 4% from 129,224 to 124,093 tons. December 2016 import figures are not available yet. South Korea is highly self-sufficient in pork, and domestic production continues to rise, Yang says, explaining the stagnancy of imported product volumes.
$2 million proposed in funding for dairy relief bill
Concord Monitor | Posted on January 25, 2017Dairy farmers are officially on the 2017 legislative docket. Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley presented a relief funding bill to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday. “It’s hard to imagine drought after all the moisture we’ve had over the last couple months,” Bradley said. But he added that after a lack of rain, a shortage in forage crops and a second year of dropping milk prices, “dairy farmers and their herds were totally adversely affected.” State dairy licensing and permitting data show that for more than 10 months in 2016, New Hampshire’s 123 farms shipping milk were reduced to 115. On Tuesday, Bradley brought with him an amendment to the bill, proposing to simplify the process and appropriate $2 million to be divided among licensed milk producers.
DuPont CEO Gives Investors Confidence Dow Deal Is on Track
Bloomberg | Posted on January 25, 2017DuPont Co. said it can address antitrust regulators’ concerns that its $72 billion merger with Dow Chemical Co. could limit discovery of new agricultural pesticides, boosting confidence that the deal will be approved. Shares of both companies rose the most in almost a year. Regulators are mostly concerned that the combination could hurt innovation in crop-protection chemicals, DuPont Chief Executive Officer Ed Breen said Tuesday on a conference call to discuss fourth-quarter results. The remedy will involve products as well as related research and development resources. He didn’t provide specifics, but the process could involve selling assets
Why storms are becoming more dangerous as the climate warms
Science Daily | Posted on January 25, 2017Researchers know that more, and more dangerous, storms have begun to occur as the climate warms. A team of scientists has reported an underlying explanation, using meteorological satellite data gathered over a 35-year period. The examination of the movement and interaction of mechanical energies across the atmosphere, published Jan. 24 in the journal Nature Communications, is the first to explore long-term variations of the Lorenz energy cycle -- a complex formula used to describe the interaction between potential and kinetic energy in the atmosphere -- and offers a new perspective on what is happening with global warming."It is a new way to look at and explain what people have observed," said Liming Li, assistant professor of physics at the University of Houston and corresponding author of the paper. "We found that the efficiency of Earth's global atmosphere as a heat engine is increasing during the past four decades in response to climate change."In this case, increased efficiency isn't a good thing. It suggests more potential energy is being converted to kinetic energy -- energy that is driving atmospheric movement -- resulting in a greater potential for destructive storms in regions where the conversion takes place."Our analyses suggest that most energy components in the Lorenz energy cycle have positive trends," the researchers wrote. "As a result, the efficiency of Earth's global atmosphere as a heat engine increased during the past 35 years."
It had help, but the animal rights movement won again
Watt Ag Net | Posted on January 24, 2017The animal rights movement celebrated a victory recently, when Feld Entertainment, owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, announced that the circus was no longer financially viable to operate, and would soon cease to exist. The timing of it all just really struck me. Just a few weeks ago, my wife and I got to talking about how much fun we had when we took our oldest kids to the circus, back before our youngest was born. I also told her (again) about how much I loved it when my parents took my sister and I to see the circus when we were little. We discussed how we wanted our youngest child to be able to enjoy the same magic. Suddenly, taking him to see the circus just got a little more difficult. There will still be other circuses, but the most famous one, the one dubbed “The Greatest Show on Earth,” is going six feet under. It’s no secret that circuses aren’t as popular as they were in the 20th century. Gone are the days of “Circus of the Stars” on television, even though we can still cherish the memories of Loni Anderson walking on broken glass and the dude that played Carmine Ragusa on “Laverne & Shirley” being shot out of a cannon. But television, the internet, video games, increased emphasis on sports, and shorter attention spans made the circus less relevant as an entertainment option for families. I’m certain those low-lifes who dressed as clowns with the intent of harming children last fall didn’t help matters, either. But also influential were the animal rights groups like HSUS and PETA.
A Look Forward: Ag Law in 2017
agrilife.org | Posted on January 24, 2017It appears that 2017 could be an important year for a number of agricultural law issues. From the Clean Water Act, to “Ag Gag” legislation, to the Endangered Species Act, there are a number of pending cases that could have major impacts on the agricultural industry in the coming year. Here is a brief look at four of the biggest cases to watch this year. Everyone may be tired of talking about the new rule promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency and Corps of Engineers to define the meaning of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act, but the drama surrounding this rule is far from over. Currently, there are lawsuits against the EPA across the nation challenging the new rule. Another case involving the Clean Water Act should be on agricultural law enthusiasts’ radar. The Duarte Nursery v. US Army Corps of Engineers case is making its way through the federal courts in California. In that case, a farmer wanted to plow up grassland and sow wheat. The Corps of Engineers determined that because there were vernal pools and swales on the property, it was a “water of the United States” and the landowner needed a federal permit in order to plow the ground.
Ever wondered about animals with unusual jobs?
The Washington Post | Posted on January 24, 2017When people think about working animals, what often comes to mind are dogs that herd sheep, horses that work on farms and animals that perform in movies. But there are lots of other jobs animals have had over the years. Dogs are much more sensitive to smell than humans. This made dogs the traditional hunting companion, enabling their owners to track foxes and other game. Police departments have taken advantage of this skill to help find missing people and escaped convicts. Recently, dogs have been trained to use their super-sniffers to find illegal drugs, explosives and even hidden computer equipment. There is a bird in the southeast African nation of Mozambique called the honeyguide, which has developed a mutually beneficial relationship with a tribe called the Yao. If a Yao tribesman makes a certain chirping sound, the honeyguide will fly from tree to tree directing the tribesman to a hidden beehive. Once discovered, the humans break open the hive for honey, and the birds feast on wax. Ferrets are cute, furry animals in the weasel family that range in size from 1½ to four pounds. They have helped humans for centuries. About 2,000 years ago, ancient Romans trained ferrets to flush rabbits out of their burrows to feed their troops. European settlers who came to America used them to keep rodents under control. More recently, people have taken advantage of a ferret’s natural instinct to run through tight spaces. Pipe-running ferrets wear a special harness that enables them to pull a string through hundreds of feet of pipe. The string is then used to pull cables and computer wires through the pipe.
AFIA: Industry wide community service hours on up and up
AFIA | Posted on January 24, 2017The American Feed Industry Association released the results of its annual “Community Involvement and Charitable Giving Survey” today, revealing the animal food industry’s volunteer hours in 2016 to be significantly higher than 2015. The informal poll, conducted at the close of each year, tallies community service hours and funds donated by participating companies. Results show more than 41,000 hours of community service donated by AFIA member companies’ employees in 2016—a 28 percent increase from 2015. Nearly $2.2 million was also contributed to an expansive list of community causes.
‘Right to farm’ law among targets in Oregon Legislature
Capital Press | Posted on January 24, 2017Agribusiness groups have cheered the Trump administration’s vow to roll back federal regulations but they continue to fear overreach by the state government in Oregon. With Democrats controlling the Oregon Legislature and the governor’s office, farm lobbyists said they expect new threats to emerge during the 2017 legislative session. Despite optimism at the national level, the political climate in Oregon “sucks some of the air out of the room,” said Katie Fast, executive director of the Oregonians for Food and Shelter agribusiness group. Though Republicans picked up one seat in the state Senate during last year’s election, they’re still a minority in both legislative chambers and several moderate-leaning Democrats have left their positions, Fast said during the 2017 Ag Summit, organized by the Dunn Carney law firm. One proposal to be considered during the upcoming legislative session, Senate Bill 499, would remove protections for pesticide usage from the state’s “Right to Farm and Forest Law,” which prohibits lawsuits and local ordinances against common farming practices, she said. “It’s a big attack on the whole program,” said Fast.
Beginning Farmers: I want to start farming. Is it feasible?
Center for Rural Affairs | Posted on January 24, 2017his is a time of tremendous opportunity in farming and ranching. Commodity production (undifferentiated crops and livestock sold into “commodity markets”) has minimal profit margin, unpredictable price swings, and many risks for a small, uncapitalized, inexperienced farmer. That type of farming is best entered with substantial farming-family support. Alternative crops and high value markets offer more profit potential and lower risk for new farmers. Most land transfers happen out of public view, between people who have some connection. You want to know when a landowner’s children decide not to come home to farm, or when a health condition forces a change in farming activity. You need a network to learn all this at the earliest possible stage, so you can introduce yourself as a solution to the situation. You need networks of people to accomplish this well – your family, business and education contacts all know people who know people. You need to tell all of your contacts what you’re looking for. Those who know you and your commitment will be pleased to have a hand in your success. Beginners won’t be able to outbid large, established landowners, so they need to appeal in other ways. You can offer a chance to keep the farm in operation, to continue the legacy of the farm. You can keep the farmstead alive, instead of plowed over, so family can continue to visit where the family history occurred. You can bring a new family to the community, to invigorate the church, school and town businesses. And you can partner with the senior landowner to build the business to greater success together as you, perhaps, bring livestock back to the farm or introduce new enterprises to the existing operation.