AgClips
Recent AgClips
Pennsylvania officials admit their state is behind in curbing Chesapeake pollution
Baltimore Sun | Posted onAugust 9, 2018 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsPennsylvania officials on Tuesday conceded to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and other state leaders in the Chesapeake Bay watershed that the commonwealth has not done its part to reduce pollution washing into waterways.
Why American policy is leaving millions hungry
The Washington Post | Posted onAugust 9, 2018 in Federal, Rural NewsInstead of trying to eliminate hunger, we continue to talk about personal responsibility. A whopping 15.6 million American households experienced at least some food insecurity in 2016, meaning that more than 12 percent of the population did not always know when or how they would get their next meal. Despite this, Congress is debating making it even harder for the hungry to access government assistance.
Renewable Energy Saves Water and Creates Jobs
Scientific American | Posted onAugust 9, 2018 in Energy NewsA common argument for expanding renewable energy sources is that technologies such as solar panels and wind turbines are responsible for far less carbon dioxide than power plants that burn fossil fuels. But two other powerful benefits should also be getting much more attention: the switch can save vast quantities of freshwater, and can create a large number of new, high-paying jobs. Want proof? Let’s look at the data that our detailed research has revealed.
Corps Turns to States on CWA Permits
DTN | Posted onAugust 9, 2018 in Agriculture NewsThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is ready to hand over Clean Water Act permitting authority on a subset of protected waters to states and tribes. For decades, farmers and ranchers have faced confusion not only on what constitutes a water of the United States, but also where to apply for Section 404 dredge and fill permits. Many farmers have undertaken projects that require the movement of soil during construction, only to learn later they violated the Clean Water Act by not having permits.As a result, farmers and ranchers can face penalties of $37,500 per day, per violation.
Farmers for Free Trade launches latest campaign
Politico | Posted onAugust 9, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsFarmers for Free Trade, the association that’s railing against President Donald Trump’s tariffs, is ramping up an advertising campaign highlighting the harm that the escalating trade war is having on the U.S. agriculture industry. The new effort involves $800,000 in radio, print, online and television ads on farm programming across the heartland. Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin will see the first round of ads.The “Tariffs Hurt the Heartland” campaign will also include town hall events in various states.
With plenty of meat supply, prices continue to decrease
Meat + Poultry | Posted onAugust 9, 2018 in Food NewsThe US Dept. of Agriculture, in its July Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook, forecast higher pork and beef production and lower prices for hogs and cattle in 2018 than in 2017. Previously, the USDA estimated July 1 cattle-on-feed up 4 percent from a year earlier and the highest since the data series began 22 years ago, and the June 1 US total hog inventory up 3 percent from a year ago and the highest since records began in 1964. Exports of pork and beef were forecast to increase from 2017, but tenuous trade relationships with some major export destinations add a level of uncertainty.
EPA is now allowing asbestos back into manufacturing
The Architect's Newspaper | Posted onAugust 9, 2018 in Federal NewsFast Company recently reported on the potential comeback of one of the most infamous building materials of recent memory. Asbestos is now legally allowed back into U.S. manufacturing under a serious of loopholes by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As Fast Company reported, on June 1, the EPA authorized a “SNUR” (Significant New Use Rule) that allowed the creation of new products containing asbestos on a case-by-case basis.
Trump admin sees grim climate outcome in car rule
E & E News | Posted onAugust 9, 2018 in Energy, Federal NewsThe last time carbon dioxide levels hit the mark the Trump administration envisions for the end of the century, crocodiles roamed the poles and palm trees existed where glaciers are today. In fact, there were no glaciers — not even in Antarctica. Although the White House has avoided addressing climate change, it made a rare acknowledgement that its proposal to weaken vehicle fuel efficiency standards would contribute to a warmer planet. Its prediction for what the atmosphere will look like in 2100 startled climate scientists — a carbon dioxide concentration of 789.76 parts per million.
Apple Is Leading a Plan to Develop Wind and Solar Power With Akamai, Etsy and Other Companies
Fortune | Posted onAugust 9, 2018 in Energy NewsApple is leading the development of two new wind and solar energy farms in Illinois in Virginia that will help not only bring green energy to its own operations, but also those of Akamai, Etsy, and Swiss Re. The new projects will generate 290 megawatts, enough to power 74,000 homes, to the electric grid that serves much of the eastern U.S. Apple is leading the development in part to bring renewable energy power to other companies.
Meat consumption in a declining economy — ours
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onAugust 9, 2018 in Food NewsBut what happens to meat consumption, and to eating patterns in general, when wealth across a population declines? Especially if the economy in question is a meat-loving culture with traditionally plenty of wealth. According to “The Demographics of Wealth: 2018 Series,” an in-depth study conducted by the Center for Household Financial Stability (CFS) of the Federal Reserve Bank of St.