AgClips
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Food Stamp Work Requirements Would Force States to Provide Job Training. Many Aren’t Ready
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onJuly 11, 2018 in Federal, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe House version of the food-stamp-to-work program Congress is considering this week would require recipients to enroll in job training programs if they can’t find work — but in many states, those programs won’t be fully available for at least another decade. This will have a big impact on the people who depend on food stamps, some 42 million in 2017. The average beneficiary receives about $125 a month, and a family of four must have an annual income of about $25,000 or less to qualify.
Why President Trump Hates Canadian Dairy — And Canada Insists On Protecting It
NPR | Posted onJuly 11, 2018 in Federal NewsPresident Trump has railed against Canada for taking advantage of the U.S. when it comes to trade. Trump may not like it, but those tariffs are part of a politically sensitive, decades-old policy to protect Canada's dairy farmers. The system is called "supply management" and it sets production quotas for the country's dairy, poultry products and eggs.Murray Sherk, the owner of the family-run Pinehill Dairy in Plattsville, Ontario, says supply management helps keep prices stable, gives farmers a steady income and has succeeded in avoiding a milk surplus in Canada.
Why 'Orphan' Oil and Gas Wells Are a Growing Problem for States
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onJuly 9, 2018 in NewsWhen Bill West drives his weed sprayer over wheat and hay fields at his ranch northwest of Gillette, Wyoming, he bumps into the occasional debris from the more than a hundred defunct natural gas wells on his 10,000-acre property. The company that owned the wells went out of business four years ago, leaving behind fuse boxes, internet boxes and thousands of feet of underground pipe. “They just walked away and left everything sitting,” said West, 85.
Scott Pruitt gave “super polluting” trucks a gift on his last day at the EPA
Vox | Posted onJuly 9, 2018 in Federal NewsFormer Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt managed to fire a Parthian shot on his final day in office when he cemented a massive loophole for some of the dirtiest, most polluting trucks on the road, allowing manufacturers to build even more them.
Riparian buffers can make a difference in water quality
Farm and Dairy | Posted onJuly 9, 2018 in Agriculture NewsRiparian zones are a very important part of our everyday life. They serve many purposes along streams and rivers to support a biodiversity ecosystem. A riparian zone is an area of land on or adjacent to a river or stream, normally dominated by herbaceous cover that acts as a buffer from the upland. These areas are tolerant to flooding or saturated soils normally in the floodplain.
NM Land Commissioner Sues NM State Engineer Over Water Permits
Texas Agriculture Law Blog | Posted onJuly 9, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe Land Commissioner is charged with jurisdiction over state trust lands to generate support for public schools and other state institutions. In the Complaint, filed in the First Judicial District Court, the Commissioner asserts that he has “an interest in the appropriation of water on and off of state trust lands because the use of water in connection with activities on state trust lands often is essential to the lands’ highest and best use.” The State Engineer is vested with authority to manage the state’s water resources, including issuing permits for groundwater wells.
Current Indicators of Farm Sector Financial Health
USDA | Posted onJuly 9, 2018 in Agriculture NewsFollowing a steep decline in agricultural commodity prices, the past several years have seen a weaker market for farmland and an uptick in interest rates. At the same time, farm sector income has declined and farm interest expenses have increased. How vulnerable might the farm sector be to a further decline in commodity prices or a rise in interest rates? Inflation-adjusted net cash farm income for the sector is forecast in 2018 to be 38 percent lower than its peak in 2012 and 7 percent below its 1970-2016 average.
California’s Federal Order: Here's What it Means for Your Milk Price
Dairy Herd Management | Posted onJuly 9, 2018 in Agriculture NewsBecause California produces almost a fifth of the nation’s milk, the impact of the order will cause ripples in the surface of milk prices from Los Angeles to Minneapolis and from Boston to Miami. Whether those ripples grow into waves remains to be seen. California’s new Federal Order will be implemented at the same time world markets continue to churn and trade wars potentially disrupt U.S. exports. For starters, California processors will have to learn how to move milk around the state without the millions of dollars in transportation credits California’s state order provided.
Lancaster County farmers give state officials ideas to help struggling dairy industry
Lancaster Online | Posted onJuly 9, 2018 in Agriculture NewsLancaster County residents and farmers have taken state agriculture officials up on their appeal for ideas to address Pennsylvania’s dairy crisis. They offered strong advice and plenty of ideas, such as allowing whole milk back in public schools and eliminating the minimum retail price that milk can be sold for in stores. Multiple commenters expressed strong criticism of Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board policies and the practices of large dairy cooperatives.
Wisconsin dairy farmer says domestic concerns bigger than Canadian trade policy issues
WBAY | Posted onJuly 9, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA Wisconsin dairy farmer says domestic problems may be a bigger threat to his industry than Canadian trade policy. James Juedes, who owns a dairy farm that has been in his family for more than a century, said, “If we would’ve had the foresight to do what Canada did 10-15 years ago, to limit what we had for production, we wouldn’t be in this situation.” Instead of focusing on Canada, Juedes is more worried about the American dairy hurting itself by producing more milk than the U.S. can handle.