AgClips
Recent AgClips
Why antibiotic-use foes should be wary of lab-grown meat
Watt Ag Net | Posted onSeptember 20, 2018 in Food NewsIf consumers have the perception that too many antibiotics are used to raise chickens, turkeys, hogs and cattle, they would certainly be turned off by the cell-cultured meat movement, said Dr. Frank Mitloehner, professor and air quality specialist in the department of animal science at University of California-Davis (UC-Davis). Mitloehner’s colleague told him that when working with cells, an extremely sterile environment is necessary. Mitloehner said he then asked him if antibiotics were used to create that sterile environment.
‘CUPS’ Protects Citrus From Greening, Storms
Universifty of Florida | Posted onSeptember 20, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA system designed to protect citrus trees from the deadly greening disease withstood the ravaging winds of Hurricane Irma last year, University of Florida scientists say. With reinforcements installed after the storm, they’ll likely withstand even more dangerous storms. Using Citrus Under Protective Screening, or “CUPS,” growers can keep the Asian citrus psyllid away from their trees, said Arnold Schumann, a professor of soil and water sciences at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
$2M Missing at Minnesota grain elevator
Ag Web | Posted onSeptember 20, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA former grain elevator manager is on the run after allegedly pocketing $2 million from the Ashby Farmers Cooperative Elevator Co. in west-central Minnesota. Jerry Hennessey used the money for hunting trips, taxidermy and paying his personal Cabela’s credit card. Initial investigations show Hennessey had been siphoning off funds while inflating grain inventories from the single-location grain co-op for at least a decade. But the issue came to head earlier this month and forced the co-op, which was established 110 years ago, to stop taking grain deliveries and close for business.
NASDA Debuts Model Preventive Controls for Animal Food Framework
NASDA | Posted onSeptember 20, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsThe National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) is pleased to announce the debut of their Model Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Preventive Controls for Animal Food Implementation Framework. The document contains the fundamental and essential components for the operation of a state animal food safety program that can fully implement the FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-based Preventive Control for Animal Food regulation.
Trump's dairy dilemma
Politico | Posted onSeptember 20, 2018 in Federal NewsThe Trump administration wants any NAFTA 2.0 deal involving Canada to feature major concessions on dairy from America’s northern neighbor. The dairy standoff is one of the most challenging issues facing trade negotiators in each country because of political considerations on both sides of the border. Trudeau’s Liberal Party is vying to maintain its supporters in Ontario and Quebec, where the country’s powerful dairy industry is concentrated and provincial elections are approaching.
Small Refinery Exemptions and Ethanol Demand Destruction
Farm Doc Daily | Posted onSeptember 20, 2018 in Energy NewsSmall refinery exemptions (SREs) represent the latest controversy to engulf the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). When the U.S. Congress first created the RFS in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L.
Eating cheese and butter ever day linked to living longer
Newsweek | Posted onSeptember 20, 2018 in Food NewsEating three servings of dairy products a day could lower the risk of heart disease, a study suggests. After analyzing the diets of more than 130,000 people in almost two dozen countries, scientists found that eating the equivalent of one serving (244 grams, or 8.6 ounces) of full-fat milk or yogurt, a 15 gram (0.6 ounce) slice of cheese or a teaspoon of butter could benefit health.
Major U.S. trade groups link up in anti-tariff coalition
CBS | Posted onSeptember 20, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsAs the Trump administration readies major trade actions this month, including a potential $200 billion in new tariffs on imported Chinese goods, America's biggest trade associations -- representing a wide swath of industries -- have formed what they say will be a sweeping campaign against tariffs. Americans for Free Trade, a group of more than 80 associations, said it represents thousands of businesses and workers.
New approach reduces antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter in poultry: study
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onSeptember 20, 2018 in Food NewsNew research from a multi-institute scientific team in Canada showcases a synergistic antimicrobial mechanism using nanoparticles to reduce Campylobacter in poultry. Alternative antimicrobial strategies like this, say the authors, have the potential to reduce the prevalence of this microbe in agri-foods and avoid the emergence of antibiotic resistance.
N.M. beef plant expands into bison meat processing
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onSeptember 20, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA small New Mexico beef processing operation that opened its doors a year ago is adding bison meat packing in an effort to differentiate itself from larger competitors, according to a local news report. USA Beef Packing, based in Roswell, has signed a contract with a ranch near Amarillo, Texas, that will supply the bison and has agreed to pack the meat for retailers and distributors, the Roswell Daily Record reported.