AgClips
Recent AgClips
Can Farm Bill Help Fight Dairy Industry Decline?
Forbes | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Agriculture NewsIs the U.S. dairy industry declining? Dairy farmers, especially those with small, organic farms, have been grappling with low prices from tightened trade and decreasing domestic demand for dairy milk. The U.S. should expect its lowest year-on-year growth since 2013, according to Dairy Quarterly Q4 2018, a Rabobank report.
Starting Jan. 1, it will be legal to harvest roadkill in Oregon
KATU | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsAfter ringing in the New Year, you'll have a new option for picking up your dinner in Oregon when a law allowing people to harvest and eat roadkill goes into effect. Lawmakers approved the measure back in 2017, which states that states “salvaging deer and elk struck by vehicles is legal in Oregon.”People must complete and submit an application for a permit within 24 hours of salvaging the elk or deer. The application cannot be submitted beforehand because it requires specific information about location and time of the salvage.
Federal move to tighten work requirements for food stamps stirs worry about village hunger
Anchorage Daily News | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Federal NewsA new rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has drawn alarm from food security advocates in Alaska because it would make it tougher to waive work requirements for food stamps.
Wary of opioid abuse, Virginia veterinarians look for red flags in pet owners
The Virginia Pilot | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsA man in Fairfax County said his 10-year-old boxer chewed the floor trim, peed on pillows and scared easily from thunder. He insisted his pet needed treatment for separation anxiety.
Maryland courts will allow immigrant parents who are concerned about deportation to designate guardians for their children
Baltimore Sun | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsImmigrant parents in Maryland concerned about being deported may now designate someone to care for their children under an expansion of emergency guardianship measures that take effect Tuesday.
California limits pet store sales of cats, dogs and rabbits to rescue or shelter animals only
CNN | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsCalifornia pet stores soon will be allowed to sell dogs, cats and rabbits only if they come from shelters or non-profit rescue organizations.Under legislation going into effect on January 1, store operators also will have to be able to provide records of origin for the animals or face a $500 penalty per animal.The Pet Rescue and Adoption Act was introduced by assembly member Patrick O'Donnell and signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown in October 2017.Under the law, individuals are still allowed to buy from private breeders, but stores are prohibited from doing so.
Planted wheat acres projected to hit 100-year low
Star Herald | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Agriculture NewsOver the past two years, the breadbasket of America has planted less and less wheat. Acres planted to wheat in 2017 and 2018 neared 100-year lows, with last year’s 7.7 million wheat acres hitting the lowest point in 60 years. Low prices and a wheat surplus moved farmers away from the Kansas staple. This year, those problems combined with a delayed fall harvest and unfavorable weather to push wheat acres to what could be the lowest point in a century.
Oregon:Commissioners to vote on 94-acre farm-land solar project
Herald and News | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Energy NewsA proposed solar project could be developed on 94 acres of high-value farm land east of Klamath Community College and south of Olene.Klamath County commissioners plan to vote in early January on whether or not to grant Santa Monica, Calif. company Cypress Creek Renewables a permit to build the solar farm, which is called the Merrill Solar project. The project would generate about 10 megawatts of energy, said county planning director Mark Gallagher, powering roughly 2,000 homes annually.The proposed site is on high-value land exclusively zoned for agricultural use.
Dakota Access pipeline developer slow to replace some trees
Washington Post | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Energy NewsThe developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline missed a year-end deadline to plant thousands of trees along the pipeline corridor in North Dakota, but the company said it was still complying with a settlement of allegations it violated state rules during construction. Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, which built the $3.8 billion pipeline that’s now moving North Dakota oil to Illinois, is falling back on a provision of the September 2017 agreement that provides more time should the company run into problems.
In 2019, California workers gain on pay and working conditions.
Los Angeles Times | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Agriculture NewsFor minimum-wage earners, port truckers, farm laborers, sexual harassment victims, nursing mothers, high-powered female executives and workers injured on the job, 2019 offers reason to celebrate.A score of new state laws took effect on Jan. 1, expanding the rights of many employees while placing fresh restrictions on businesses.For workers, “2018 was a stellar year” for protections passed into law, said Steve Smith, a spokesman for the California Labor Federation, the umbrella group for more than 1,200 unions and a powerful force in state politics.