AgClips
Recent AgClips
Canada’s Agriculture Day Feb. 12
Journal Pioneer | Posted onFebruary 6, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsCanadians are invited to celebrate the food they love in celebration of the annual Canada’s Agricultural Day.This year, Feb. 12 marks the third annual celebration of the agriculture industry and all other industries that play a role in bringing food to tables across the country.It's the industry's biggest celebration of the year, said Debbie Bailey, manager of Agriculture More Than Ever, one of the driving forces behind Canada’s Agriculture Day.“Canada’s Agriculture Day showcases all the amazing things happening in agriculture and the entire food industry.
Michigan governor shakes up state government to focus on drinking water
Detroit Free Press | Posted onFebruary 6, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsGov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a reorganization of state government she said is largely aimed at ensuring safe drinking water for Michigan residents and fighting climate change. Whitmer announced the restructuring of the Department of Environmental Quality as the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
Logging, Money Battles Delay Wildfire Prevention Work
Pew | Posted onFebruary 6, 2019 in Rural NewsWith the number of devastating fires expected to increase as the climate grows warmer and drier, experts and states want to see more federal investment in projects that could avert massive blazes. Most forestry experts, including many environmentalists, say protecting communities from fire requires land managers to cut down problem trees, brush and saplings, and set prescribed burns that restore fire’s natural role in forest ecology.Due to the rising costs of fighting fires, however, the U.S.
Career in Farming Brings High Stress-Levels
KXNET | Posted onFebruary 6, 2019 in Agriculture NewsSuicide rates among farmers are alarmingly high. Much of it has to do with isolation and stress level. We spoke with Minnesota's Department of Agriculture's Mental Health Director who was here for the Local Foods Conference.He says farming is a job that includes one stressor after the next.For example, this year we saw a late planting season, and prices for crops being set lower than in the past few years.
Worsening labor shortage demands more immigrants
Houston Chronicle | Posted onFebruary 6, 2019 in Rural NewsThe exceptionally low unemployment rate is good news for American workers. But it contributes to a growing problem: Companies can’t find enough employees. This puts downward pressure on corporate and U.S. economic growth.Recent government statistics indicate that nearly 7 million non-farm jobs were unfilled. This includes 278,000 in construction and 493,000 in manufacturing. But it gets worse.
A New American Dream: The Rise of Immigrants in Rural America
The Politic | Posted onFebruary 6, 2019 in Rural NewsSince the 1990s, immigrants have migrated to rural areas at unprecedented rates, accounting for 37 percent of overall rural growth from 2000 to 2018. They come and fill crucial roles vacated by native-born Americans, ranging from the much-needed labor force in agricultural industries to the vital healthcare professionals in underserved regions. Although immigrants make valuable contributions to rural society, they are not necessarily well-treated nor particularly welcomed by locals.
Unexpected deaths of livestock reported in areas impacted by Hurricane Michael
WSFA | Posted onFebruary 6, 2019 in Agriculture NewsFarmers are still monitoring the impact of Hurricane Michael on their livestock. There have been reports of unexpected animal deaths in areas impacted by the storm - including southeast Alabama, Georgia and Florida.veterinarians who serve the Wiregrass also reported receiving calls about animal loss since the storm.Dr. William Terry of Hartford Veterinary Services and Supply says he’s had about 20 producers contact him about their livestock getting ill - particularly their stocker cows.“It could be anything, that’s the thing. It’s not going to be one thing,” Syfrett said.
Fish help fuel bumper cannabis crops for Canadian producer
Reuters | Posted onFebruary 6, 2019 in Agriculture NewsThe unlikely combination of freshwater fish and cannabis is producing outsized medical marijuana crops that Green Relief Inc aims to capitalize on, as the Canadian company plots a stock market listing and global expansion.In an underground southern Ontario facility surrounded by farmland, Green Relief operates a cutting-edge aquaponic farm, using filtered fish waste to fertilize cannabis plants, which in turn clean the water for the fish.The company says it is the world’s only licensed producer to grow medical marijuana this way, a pesticide-free process that took 2-1/2 years to fine tune.
Farm Bill says hemp gets a pass on interstate commerce, despite county official claims
Idaho Press | Posted onFebruary 6, 2019 in Federal NewsThe federal Farm Bill forbids states from preventing the transportation of hemp, and a Colorado company that wants its seized shipment back from Idaho is citing the Farm Bill in a court filing against the state.Still, the Ada County prosecuting attorney’s office argues that hauling hemp through Idaho is illegal and that the seizure was lawful.An Oregon trucker who claims he was hauling hemp from Oregon to Colorado through Idaho was arrested on Jan.
University specialist: Glyphosate link to cancer unfounded
Capital Press | Posted onFebruary 6, 2019 in Agriculture NewsWhile glyphosate has lower toxicity than many pesticides — it's rated zero risk for homeowner use — the news and social media are laden with its purported health risks to humans, especially cancer.But those claims are out of step with scientific risk assessments related to exposure, Ronda Hirnyck, University of Idaho pesticide coordinator, said during a pesticide seminar at this year’s Agri-Action.Part of the issue with glyphosate or Roundup —a Monsanto product used to treat weeds in some GMO crops — is that everybody’s heard about it.