AgClips
Recent AgClips
Farm bill’s expansion of trade opportunities between the US and Cuba historic and mutually beneficial
The Hill | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Agriculture NewsThe 2018 farm bill is a huge victory for U.S. farmers. The bipartisan legislation improves food security, strengthens crop insurance and reinvests in America’s rural economy. It is especially critical for Arkansas, where agriculture accounts for about one in every six jobs and adds nearly $16 billion to the state’s economy. Expanding markets has long been a priority for our agricultural producers. A historic provision in this legislation gives them a much-needed win in their desire to trade with Cuba.
By banning pesticides and GMOs, the EU is sleepwalking into a food security crisis
Euronews | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Agriculture NewsMany people are opposed to the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and believe they are dangerous for your health. Many also are opposed to the use of pesticides, and believe that there are ‘natural’ alternatives to their use in farming. Both of these beliefs are not just wrong: they are dangerous.As the population of the world is set to grow to 10 billion by 2050, we urgently need to recognise that many of the commonly-held views in Europe on agriculture are simply not based on fact. For most of human history, hunger and starvation were facts of life in Europe.
Administration moves closer to opening Arctic refuge for oil
AP | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Energy NewsThe Trump administration moved closer to opening thousands of miles within Alaska’s pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing, issuing a draft report that concluded the polar bears, caribou and other wildlife could safely share their untouched wilderness with oil and gas producers. The report released by the Bureau of Land Management studied the environmental impact of opening between two-thirds and all of 1.65 million acres (667,731 hectares) of coastal plain within the remote refuge for oil and gas leasing.
This robot picks a pepper in 24 seconds using a tiny saw, and could help combat a shortage of farm labor
CNBC | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Agriculture NewsResearchers from Europe and Israel have built a robot that can pick ripe peppers in a greenhouse. The prototype, called Sweeper, is backed by the European Union as part of its Horizon 2020 innovation program. To do its job, Sweeper uses a camera that can recognize the color of a pepper. Computer vision then helps the robot decide if the fruit is ripe for picking. If it is, Sweeper uses a small razor to cut the stem before catching the fruit in its “claws” and dropping it into a collection basket below.
Here’s what research shows about immigration’s impact on an economy
CNBC | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Rural NewsControlling immigration was one of U.S. President Donald Trump’s primary arguments during the 2016 election, with him campaigning to limit entries into the U.S. and proposing building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to the United Nations, nearly 50 million people in the U.S. are foreign born, which accounts for about 15 percent of the total population.
Lean finely textured beef reclassified as ‘ground beef’
Meating Place (free registration required) | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Food Newshe ultra-lean beef product made primarily by Beef Products Inc., which has been called out on labels on a voluntary basis since 2012 as “lean finely textured beef,” has been reclassified by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service as simply “ground beef.” “We're not producing LFTB anymore. We're producing ground beef from this point on,” said Craig Letch, BPI’s vice president of sales and marketing, in an interview with Meatingplace about the agency’s move.
Worried about antibiotics in livestock? Here are the facts
Seattle Times | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Agriculture NewsThree years ago, I wrote about antibiotic use in raising livestock, which was a problem — and still is, although much progress has been made. But when someone recently said to me, “I switched to almond milk because I heard that dairy milk contains antibiotics,” I realized there’s still some myth-busting to do. It would indeed be bad if we were getting antibiotics in our milk — but we’re not. Tens of thousands of retail samples of pasteurized milk, cream, yogurt and sour cream are tested annually.
FDA requests preventative labels on dewormers to combat antiparasitic resistance
Veterinary Practice News | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Agriculture NewsAnimal drug companies are being asked to revise the labels of medicine made to treat certain internal parasites in livestock and horses. The goal is to add information that will spread awareness of antiparasitic resistance.The U.S.
The farm bill, hemp legalization and the status of CBD
Brookings | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Agriculture, Federal NewsTypically, cannabis is not part of the conversation around farm subsidies, nutritional assistance, and crop insurance. The new Farm Bill does not create a completely free system in which individuals or businesses can grow hemp whenever and wherever they want. There are numerous restrictions. Hemp cannot contain more than 0.3 percent THC, per section 10113 of the Farm Bill.Second, there will be significant, shared state-federal regulatory power over hemp cultivation and production.
2018 Farm Bill Includes Key Renewable Energy Program
Clean Technica | Posted onJanuary 2, 2019 in Energy NewsFunding for a wide-ranging renewable energy funding program that benefits farmers and other rural businesses somehow made it into the new Farm Bill intact. REAP is already laying plans for its 2019 round of funding. Eligible clean power projects include:Biomass (for example: biodiesel and ethanol, anaerobic digesters, and solid fuels)Geothermal for electric generation or direct use.