AgClips
Recent AgClips
State lawmakers join forces against offshore drilling
AP News | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Energy, SARL Members and Alumni NewsA group of nine Democratic state lawmakers from different coastal states announced that they are going to use their coming legislative sessions to try to block attempts at offshore drilling. The lawmakers’ announcement came as new and re-elected legislators were entering office around the country after an election that saw high turnover in some states, and the group said it wants to take advantage of new political dynamics that could favor environmental bills.
First case of PEDv discovered in Alberta
Meat & Poultry | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Agriculture NewsAccording to a Jan. 8 disease notification from Alberta Pork, a case of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) was confirmed in the province at a 400-head hog farm. Officials with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and Alberta Pork are investigating the cause of the outbreak and working to prevent the spread of the contagious disease, but according to reports, no quarantine boundaries have been established. While the disease can cause 100 percent mortality among young pigs, it is not considered a threat to human health or food safety.
Storm Lake: a study in rural resilience, diversity and hope
Daily Yonder | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe small city of Storm Lake, Iowa, is full of surprises. Its population grows with each Census. Its public-school students speak 23 languages. It still has two newspapers, one of which won a Pulitzer Prize. Art Cullen shows the complexity of today’s rural America in the book Storm Lake.
Drug resistance in animal farming could mean a fight against urban elites
Daily Yonder | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Agriculture NewsFarmers are more than technicians who merely implement the "best practices" that are defined in the lab or in the boardroom. If we want food policy that works, farmers have to have a place at the table. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been framed as one of the biggest threats to humanity in the 21st century. By 2050, more humans could die because of AMR than cancer.
Rural investments could be the next big opportunity
Daily Yonder | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Rural NewsRural America’s slow recovery from the Great Recession isn’t entirely bad news, says the founder of the Rural Opportunity Initiative. For smart public and private investors, it could provide a chance to get ahead of the pack.Rural companies and entrepreneurs in the U.S. share many similarities and common challenges with those in the developing world, McKenna says, a fact that made Georgetown, with its global economic development focus, a natural home for the initiative. One of those common challenges?
Rapid Response Lowers Eradication Costs of Invasive Species: Evidence from Florida
Choices Magazine | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Rural NewsWhile government agencies have developed guidance documents with specific recommendations for early detection and rapid response (National Invasive Species Council, 2016; U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016) and some international agreements mention invasive species, there are no clear science-based national policies to deal with invasive species in the United States.
China gives long-awaited GM crop approvals amid U.S. trade talks
Reuters | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Agriculture NewsChina approved five genetically modified (GM) crops for import on Tuesday, the first in about 18 months in a move that could boost its overseas grains purchases and ease pressure from the United States to open its markets to more farm goods.
Senators start session with focus on bills bridging ‘two Vermonts’
VT Digger | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsSenate leader Tim Ashe challenged his colleagues on Wednesday to bring legislation to the table this session that will raise the standard of living for the “other Vermont,” those in rural areas or urban pockets struggling to get by. “I challenge each of you,” Ashe said upon being re-elected as the Senate president pro tem, “I challenge each committee you will serve on, and I challenge myself, to never let go of this one question, what can we do to improve life in the other Vermont?”
Rural Recycling Hit Hard by Shifting Scrap Market
Pew Trust | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Rural NewsBig cities have shielded their residents from the impact of China’s decision last year to curtail the solid waste it will accept from other countries. But rural and small-town residents are starting to get squeezed by a change that is wreaking havoc on the global recycling market. Hannibal, Missouri, population 18,000, has stopped accepting recyclable plastics labeled with the numbers 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, such as yogurt containers and shampoo bottles. Villages near Erie, Pennsylvania, no longer take glass.
New Waters of the U.S. Rule From EPA
Farm Policy News | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Agriculture NewsLast month, on the same day that the Senate passed the Farm Bill Conference Report, and a day before the House took similar action, the Trump Administration released a new proposed waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule. Today’s update highlights news items that focused on the new proposal.