AgClips
Recent AgClips
From pigs to prairie grass: Missouri company seeks new biogas feedstock
U.S. Energy News | Posted onSeptember 11, 2018 in Energy NewsA St. Louis alternative energy company has started the second phase of an ambitious biogas project in northern Missouri that aims to turn prairie plants from marginal farmland into renewable natural gas. Roeslein Alternative Energy, in a partnership with Smithfield Foods and a group of Midwest universities, has begun converting the first of a thousand acres of lower quality farmland to prairie grasses.If the company can find a solution that is both technically and financially viable, it could provide broad environmental benefits as well as new income for farmers.
The E.P.A.’s Review of Mercury Rules Could Remake Its Methods for Valuing Human Life and Health
The New York Times | Posted onSeptember 11, 2018 in Federal NewsWhen writing environmental rules, one of the most important calculations involves weighing the financial costs against any gains in human life and health. The formulas are complex, but the bottom line is that reducing the emphasis on health makes it tougher to justify a rule.
Congress rolls back tariffs
Washington Examiner | Posted onSeptember 11, 2018 in Agriculture NewsOn a voice vote and with little fanfare the House passed legislation Tuesday that would roll back tariffs on an estimated 1,660 products from China, mostly chemicals. The legislation, dubbed the Miscellaneous Tariffs Act, previously passed the Senate last month and now heads to the White House, which has not taken a public position on it. The bill’s supporters argue that the tariffs are outdated and protect few products made domestically and therefore drove up costs for the manufacturers that need them.
German cows die after being freed from organic farm
DW | Posted onSeptember 11, 2018 in Agriculture NewsAt least four cows have died and many more are injured after unknown assailants trespassed on an organic farm and released the cattle from their pens in the German state of Brandenburg. The culprits released scores of dairy cows and young cattle between Saturday night and Sunday morning. The cows proceeded to the concentrate feed area, where they ate up to 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of the substance. Normally, cows only receive a maximum of two kilograms of concentrate per day, the report said.
U.S. agriculture chief says NAFTA deal must end Canada's milk protein scheme
Reuters | Posted onSeptember 10, 2018 in NewsCanada must end its low-price milk proteins policy to reach a U.S.-Canadian deal to update the North American Free Trade Agreement, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said. Canada has encouraged overproduction and flooded export markets for milk proteins used in cheese and yogurt, hurting U.S. dairy farmers, Perdue said in an interview aired on Sunday on C-SPAN television. “Our farmers don’t have access to the Canadian markets the way that they have access to us. Class 7 has to go.
Minnesota farmers consider asking for government help as trade war worsens downturn that started years ago
Minnesota Star Tribune | Posted onSeptember 10, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsThe escalating trade war is imposing new burdens on Minnesota’s vast and economically important agricultural sector. Farmers have already endured almost five years of marginal profits as they produced record volumes in summer after summer of good weather. Now, the trade war appears likely to tip them from small profits to sizable losses. Many are reluctantly preparing to take what they consider a distasteful step: turning to the government for help. Last Tuesday, the U.S.
Ag associations voice support for King amendment
Watt Ag Net | Posted onSeptember 6, 2018 in Agriculture NewsSupport for the proposed King amendment is growing, as a group of agricultural organizations is urging members of Congress to make sure the provision is included in the next farm bill. The King amendment, formally known as the Protect Interstate Commerce Act (PICA) was introduced within the House version of the farm bill. The bill was designed to prevent states from regulating farm animal production in other states.For Rep.
Unlikely adversaries: PETA and Impossible Foods
Watt Ag Net | Posted onSeptember 6, 2018 in Food NewsOne wouldn’t think that an animal rights group like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) would have a beef with a company that makes plant-based protein products, but that is what has happened.
BSE Found in Florida Beef Cow
DTN | Posted onSeptember 6, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA 6-year-old mixed-breed beef cow in Florida tested positive for an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, USDA announced. USDA stated the animal never entered slaughter channels, and at no time posed a threat to the food supply, or to human health in the United States."As expected, the market has greeted the news with a big yawn," said John Harrington, DTN livestock analyst. "The scary days of BSE are long gone."
Sickened Kingston coal ash workers left with faulty, manipulated test results
Knox News | Posted onSeptember 6, 2018 in Energy NewsMore than 50 coal ash spill cleanup workers and workers' survivors are suiing Jacobs Engineering for unsafe working conditions that they allege lead to sickness and death at the cleanup site.