AgClips
Recent AgClips
State Rep. Triston Cole from Mancelona Named Next Majority Floor Leader in Michigan House
9 and 10 News | Posted onNovember 15, 2018 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsState Rep. Triston Cole was selected to be to the majority floor leader in the state House of Representatives.
Thanks to all who ran for office
Montana Associated Technology Roundtables | Posted onNovember 15, 2018 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsI thank everyone who took the incredible leap of faith to run for elected office in the face of this turbulent political environment. After one of the most negative elections cycles I have ever seen, I can only propose that most voters want to hear what you stand for, not why your opponent is scum. I am amazed and gratified that truly dedicated people who actually want to be public servants and represent the interests of their constituents, not their own selfish interests, still run and face the relentless attacks and misrepresentations on who they are and what they believe.
Gene-edited food is coming, but will shoppers buy?
WTOL | Posted onNovember 15, 2018 in Food NewsThe next generation of biotech food is headed for the grocery aisles, and first up may be salad dressings or granola bars made with soybean oil genetically tweaked to be good for your heart.By early next year, the first foods from plants or animals that had their DNA "edited" are expected to begin selling. It's a different technology than today's controversial "genetically modified" foods, more like faster breeding that promises to boost nutrition, spur crop growth, and make farm animals hardier and fruits and vegetables last longer.The U.S.
Lawsuit: Ohio wind setbacks were adopted in violation of state constitution
Energy News Network | Posted onNovember 15, 2018 in Energy, SARL Members and Alumni NewsA lawsuit filed this week over Ohio’s wind turbine setbacks centers on whether landowners, developers and others had a chance to be heard before the stricter terms were adopted as part of an eleventh-hour budget bill amendment in 2014.House Bill 483’s property line setbacks became part of a massive 2014 budget bill less than 24 hours before its passage by the Ohio Senate.Barely 10 minutes of discussion on the provisions took place on the Senate floor.That “tucked away” issue forms the basis for the plaintiffs’ constitutional challenge now.
Lawsuit against USDA takes aim at animal welfare label claims
Meating Place (free registration required) | Posted onNovember 15, 2018 in Federal NewsThe Animal Welfare Institute has sued USDA for failing to mandate third-party audits of food label claims such as “humane” and “sustainable.” The animal activist group, in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, accuses USDA of an unreasonable delay in responding to the organization’s 2014 petition for rulemaking. The petition asked the agency to require independent certification of animal raising claims including “animal compassionate” and “raised with care.”
FDA Says Leafy Green Industry Must Improve Safety
Growing Produce | Posted onNovember 15, 2018 in Food NewsIn his wrap up letter following the 2018 Yuma-AZ-linked Shiga-toxin producing E. coli(STEC) outbreak, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. is calling for improved safety measures for growing leafy greens. “We recognize and appreciate the efforts that the leafy greens industry has taken to date.
Trump Trade War Fallout Could Haunt U.S. Soy Farmers for Years
BLoomberg | Posted onNovember 15, 2018 in Agriculture NewsIf history is any guide, the trade war with China will have lasting affects for U.S. farmers and their soybean crops that the president won’t be boasting about. Donald Trump is set to meet Xi Jinping, his counterpart in China, at the G-20 summit and traders are optimistic for a resolution. But a flashback to Richard Nixon’s 1973 soybean embargo and Jimmy Carter’s 1980 Soviet grain ban suggest that what’s already happened this year may lead to permanent changes ahead as China seeks alternatives to the U.S. market."It’s possible that China will never fully trust the U.S.
Brucellosis reported in Wyoming
Jackson Hole News and Guide | Posted onNovember 15, 2018 in Agriculture Newsrare disease has popped up in a Teton County cattle herd. The Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory found five cows infected with brucellosis, a bacterial disease that can pass from wild animals to cattle, according to a press release from the Wyoming Livestock Board. The disease causes cattle, elk and bison to abort their pregnancies. All reported cases in Wyoming since 1988 were caused by transmission from wildlife to livestock.
These wild monkeys thrive in Florida—and carry a deadly virus
National Geographic | Posted onNovember 15, 2018 in Rural Newsn the heart of central Florida lies Silver Spring State Park—a large patchwork of forests and wetlands with a spring-fed river flowing through it. One of Florida’s first tourist attractions, the park was once known for its scenic vistas and native wildlife. But for the last 80 years, the park’s biggest draw has been its monkeys.That’s right—Silver Spring State Park is home to at least 300 rhesus macaques, a monkey native to south and southeast Asia.
Farmers Seek Additional Markets for Soy, While Fears Grow for Lasting Trade Impacts
Farm Policy News | Posted onNovember 15, 2018 in Agriculture NewsU.S. farmers would need about 11,000 markets the size of Sri Lanka to replace Chinese soybean purchases, but these days many growers will take any shred of new business they can get. A small but growing number of farmers have all but given up waiting for diplomatic solutions and started scrambling themselves to help open new markets and salvage existing ones disrupted by tariffs, according to dozens of interviews with producers, industry officials and trade lobbying groups.“Outside of China, foreign soybean importers have capitalized on bargain-priced U.S. supplies.