AgClips
Recent AgClips
N.E. Oregon makes progress on water puzzle
Capital Press | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Agriculture NewsIt was a crisis more than 60 years in the making. The Umatilla Basin in northeast Oregon is home to some of the state’s most productive farmland, famously growing more than 200 different crops including wheat, corn, potatoes and watermelon. Irrigation pivots dominate the countryside, transforming scrubby desert into lush, green fields.The development of the region’s farms and cities, however, came at a price underground. As early as 1958, regulators began to see groundwater declines in the Butter Creek area of Umatilla and Morrow counties.
Iowans hope to cash in big on hemp. But they need lawmakers' help to make it happen
Des Moines Register | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Agriculture NewsThe farm bill's hemp provision opens up production of a plant that can be used for food and animal bedding, as well as to make cloth, high-protein feed, fuel and plastics that are biodegradable, said Christopher Disbro, the Iowa Hemp Association's board president. For example, North Face and Patagonia already use hemp fiber in their winter gear.
Court rules Iowa Ag-Gag law unconstitutional
Southwest Iowa News Source | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa on Wednesday struck down the Iowa Ag-Gag law, holding that the ban on undercover investigations at factory farms and slaughterhouses violates the First Amendment.Iowa’s Ag-Gag law criminalizes undercover investigations at a broad range of animal facilities including factory farms, puppy mills, and slaughterhouses, preventing advocates from exposing animal cruelty and environmental, workers’ rights, and food safety violations.
Trump cuts off federal funds to California to fight ‘Forrest fires’
Roll Call | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Federal, SARL Members and Alumni NewsPresident Donald Trump said he has ordered FEMA to withhold funds from California’s state government until officials there “get their act together” fighting forest fires. But he tweeted he thinks that is “unlikely.”
NASDA announces new Secretaries/commissioners of agriculture
NASDA | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsNASDA would like to congratulate the newly announced commissioners, secretaries and directors of agriculture! Colorado: Secretary Kate Greenburg, Florida: Commissioner Nikki Fried, Illinois: Director John Sullivan, Michigan: Director Gary McDowell, Minnesota: Commissioner Thom Peterson, Oklahoma: Secretary Blayne Arthur, South Dakota: Secretary Kim Vanneman, Tennessee: Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, Wisconsin: Secretary Brad Pfaff
Mexican immigrants in U.S. continue drop, driven by politics, economics
News Maven | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Rural NewsThe number of Mexican-born immigrants in the United States dropped by about 300,000 people between 2016 and 2017, according to Census Bureau data, a shift that experts say is likely driven by changes on both sides of the border. While the drop, from 11.6 million to 11.3 million, coincides with the election of President Donald Trump, who made border enforcement and deportation of unauthorized immigrants top priorities of his administration, analysts said Trump was not the only factor.
Michigan Attorney General to review pipeline deal at governor's request
My Northwest | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Energy, SARL Members and Alumni NewsMichigan’s new governor and attorney general moved to review the legality of a contentious state deal to run an oil pipeline beneath a crucial section of the Great Lakes. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced her request for a legal opinion from Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat who welcomed the opportunity and expressed concern with a law that facilitated the agreement between the state and Canadian pipeline company Enbridge. Such opinions, while not the same as legal rulings, are considered to bind state agencies unless reversed by a court.
Farm Animal Deaths Due to Fire Nearly Doubled in 2018
VMD Today | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Agriculture NewsThe number of farm animals that perished in potentially preventable barn fires in the United State doubled between 2017 and 2018. According to an Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) analysis of media reports, more than 150,000 farm animals died over the past 12 months. However, it is believed that the actual number of fires and animal deaths is likely higher because laws and regulations vary by state, and municipalities are not generally required to report barn fires and livestock losses that occur within their boundaries.
California:It’s now legal to sell home-cooked food — but there’s a catch
San Francisco Chronicle | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsJan. 1 was supposed to be the date when, thanks to a new law, California cooks could apply to their local health department for permits to sell food cooked in their home kitchens. But because of the wording in AB626, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law in September, cooks may have to wait months or years for the opportunity to do so.The Homemade Foods Operations Act, introduced by Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella (Riverside County), is the widest-reaching “cottage food” law in the country.
Staring down tariffs and rollbacks, US renewables rang in a record year
Utility Dive | Posted onJanuary 9, 2019 in Energy News2018 was a difficult year to find good news when it comes to climate change. The dire predictions announced by climate scientists in report after report played out in real time as we witnessed unprecedented wildfires and storms devastating communities. As scientists issued a clarion warning that avoiding catastrophic climate impacts requires slashing carbon pollution within the next decade, President Trump remained determined to move in the opposite direction.