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SARL Members and Alumni News

Northeast Washington needs action on wolves

Capital Press | Posted on February 26, 2019

A northeast Washington legislator Friday laid out for the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee the state of ranching in wolf country. "My folks are at the breaking point right now. I've got people who are not going to continue in the business," said Rep. Joel Kretz, who figures about 90 percent of the state's wolves are in the four counties he represents."We're going to see more family ranches going by the wayside. That might not sound like a big deal to some of you in more urban areas, but it is the base economy in some of these counties," he said. "It doesn't just affect the rancher. It affects every small town up there."Before adjourning, the Democratic-controlled committee voted 11-3 to endorse Kretz's bill directing the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to consider whether it's time to take wolves off the state's endangered species list in the eastern one-third of Washington.


Bill would require Washington farmers to report slaves

Capital Press | Posted on February 26, 2019

Washington dairy farmers and fruit growers would have to report to retailers whether they use slaves under a bill endorsed Thursday by Democrats on the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee. Farm groups, for the record, say they oppose slavery, as well as human trafficking and peonage — two other forms of servitude producers would have to report.At a hearing last week, farm lobbyists said the bill was offensive and asked the committee to kill it.Introduced by Seattle Democrat Rebecca Saldana, Senate Bill 5693 would require farmers to report any incidents of slavery, peonage and human trafficking to retailers with more than $200 million in global sales.Peonage is also called debt servitude and involves an employer compelling workers to pay off a debt through their labor. 


Another N.J. college opens a food pantry for students, public - no questions asked

NJ.com | Posted on February 26, 2019

Awareness about food insecurity among college students, and even homelessness in some cases, has been expanding in the past few years. And on Monday, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) will do their part, opening a food pantry for students. Other colleges and universities have opened similar ones in the past few years. They all operate different, and TCNJ’s will also be open to the local community.Starting off, it'll be open Mondays and Wednesdays for a few hours each day, offering non-perishable food and drinks. It’s called The Shop @ TCNJ and like others, items are free and no questions asked.


Arkansas panel approves rules for use of herbicide dicamba

Arkansas Democrat Gazette | Posted on February 25, 2019

An Arkansas panel has adopted a plan to allow restricted use of an herbicide banned in the wake of complaints that it drifted onto crops and caused damage. The Arkansas Plant Board voted after a 9½-hour public hearing to allow the use of dicamba through May 25. The new restrictions also would impose a half-mile buffer zone around research stations, organic crops, specialty crops, non-tolerant dicamba crops and other sensitive crops. The rules now go to lawmakers for approval.The state had previously banned dicamba's use from April 16 through Oct. 31.


Kansas Senate passes Farm Bureau health-plan bill, dodges Medicaid expansion

The Topeka Capital-Journal | Posted on February 25, 2019

A bid to force debate on Gov. Laura Kelly’s plan for Medicaid expansion Wednesday was blocked on procedural grounds ahead of Kansas Senate votes advancing a bill granting Kansas Farm Bureau the exclusive opportunity to offer a basic health benefit plan not subject to standard medical insurance policies. Supporters of the legislation contended Farm Bureau could provide health coverage — technically, not insurance — to an estimated 42,000 members of the organization at rates 30 percent lower than premiums of other policies on the market.Critics argued the bill would enable Farm Bureau to market a plan sidestepping routine state and federal requirements, subject people to substandard medical care and divide families by excluding individuals with pre-existing conditions.“This plan gives options to people,” said Sen. Rob Olson, an Olathe Republican who chairs the Senate’s insurance committee. “Give them the service they need. Drive competition to lower insurance in this state. I think this is going to save and help our rural communities.”He said rejection of Senate Bill 32 would punish healthy people living in areas of the state without access to affordable medical insurance coverage. Nothing in the bill precluded a person living in the heart of a city from paying the $50 annual fee to join Farm Bureau and sign a health contract with the nonprofit agriculture organization.The Senate voted 28-11 on final action to forward the bill to the House.


Oregon canola debate spills into Legislature

Capital Press | Posted on February 25, 2019

Negotiations over canola restrictions in Oregon’s Willamette Valley have spilled into the legislative arena with the introduction of a bill limiting annual plantings to 500 acres. Canola acreage in the valley was capped at 500 acres by lawmakers in 2013 after a dispute over how the crop should be regulated, but that limit was set to expire this year.The Oregon Department of Agriculture is currently planning to implement new rules for canola production before the 500-acre limit ends in July.The agency had submitted options for regulating canola in the region to lawmakers last November based on a study by Oregon State University, which found the crop didn’t pose greater risks than related species grown for specialty seed.While some of those regulatory alternatives would have required new legal authority for ODA — such as creating a public “pinning” system to avoid cross-pollination — the agency isn’t pursuing such proposals during the 2019 legislative session.During a Feb. 19 legislative hearing, the House Committee on Agriculture and Land Use introduced a bill that would extend the 500-acre limit indefinitely while directing ODA to develop recommendations to protect “the unique attributes of the specialty seed industry in this state.”


Legislation adds up costs of Idaho's new hemp program

Capital Press | Posted on February 21, 2019

An Idaho House bill that would legalize hemp as an agricultural commodity in accordance with a new federal law now includes estimates of how much it will cost. A fiscal note included with House Bill 122, discussed in a hearing Feb. 18, says one-time, startup costs include $100,000 for the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and for contracted experts to coordinate a plan in time for the 2020 spring growing season.The plan would be developed with input from growers, processors, the Idaho State Police and others.Another one-time cost is an estimated $50,000 for information technology specific to USDA requirements for hemp cultivation and other startup expenses. Initially, plant and oil samples will likely be sent to an approved testing lab, since the extent to which Idaho growers and entrepreneurs will invest in growing and processing hemp is unknown.HB 122’s fiscal note estimates ongoing costs at $150,000 including operating expenses, salaries and benefits.


Defenders of raw milk focusing on liberty more than health

Edairy News | Posted on February 21, 2019

The Tennessee Senate Commerce and Labor Committee has yet to schedule a hearing on the Briggs bill, but what lawmakers are hearing is that Senate Bill (SB) 15 pits community health against civil liberties.Briggs, is a Republican, a cardiac surgeon and a retired U.S. Army Colonel. He represents Knoxville in the Tennessee Senate, told Ohio television station WTOL Channel 11 that the controversy his bill has caused is like “kicking a hornet’s nest.” Raw milk dairy farmers are fighting for their loophole, saying civil liberties are at stake for both producers and consumers of raw milk. They are calling opposition to the Briggs bill “a liberty issue.” Briggs decided to take on the cow-share loophole after an E. coli outbreak this past summer in Knox County sickened 10 children, some severely. Raw milk produced by French Broad Farm was the likely cause of the outbreak, according to investigators. The dairy ended its cow-share program in response to the event.


MnDOT: State should have 194k more electric vehicles in a decade

Minneapolis Public Radio | Posted on February 21, 2019

Minnesota transit officials have a bold new goal for electric vehicles in the state: electrify 20 percent of all cars, SUVs and light-duty trucks in a decade.An effort to tackle climate change and move away from fossil fuels, the Minnesota Department of Transportation's proposal, released last week, calls for a 3,200 percent increase in the amount of electric vehicles by 2030.The electric vehicle target comes a month after a new state report shows that personal vehicles are among the largest greenhouse gas sources in Minnesota — emitting 23.3 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2016.


Go for the vacation, stay for the worker subsidy

Daily Yonder | Posted on February 21, 2019

Vermont is offering $10,000 to workers who move with their remote job to the state. It’s part of larger efforts in Northern New England to attract more young people.  When measured by median age, the three Northern New England states (Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine) are the three oldest in the country.


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