AgClips
Recent AgClips
ASA: Trump’s $50 Billion Tariff announcement harsh reality for soybean growers
KMA Land | Posted onJune 20, 2018 in Agriculture NewsWeeks of speculation have ended with new anxiety for growers of America’s leading agricultural export: President Trump announced today he is indeed levying 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese products under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. This decision not only inflames trade tensions between the two countries, but also means U.S. soybean growers, who shipped roughly $14 billion in soybeans last year to China – their number one export market – stand to quickly feel the impact of retaliatory tariffs. The American Soybean Association (ASA), on behalf of all U.S.
As Rural Towns Lose Population, They Can Learn To 'Shrink Smart'
NPR | Posted onJune 20, 2018 in Rural NewsPopulation loss like Sheffield's is happening in small towns across the U.S. "The big picture for all rural communities that don't have a connection to a growing metro area is that they are going to get smaller over time," says Kimberly Zarecor, associate professor of architecture at Iowa State University. Zarecor argues that towns like Sheffield shouldn't spend money trying to lure new residents to shore up their population numbers. She says instead, they should focus on making life better for the residents they still have.
Michigan now has nation's toughest rules for lead in drinking water
Detroit Free Press | Posted onJune 20, 2018 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsMichigan began enforcing the nation's strictest rules for lead in drinking water, a plan that eventually will result in replacing all 500,000 lead service pipes statewide in the wake of the contamination of Flint's supply.The lead and copper rules will drop the "action level" for lead from 15 parts per billion, the federal limit, to 12 in 2025. Underground lead service lines connecting water mains to houses and other buildings will be replaced by 2040, unless a utility can show regulators it will take longer under a broader plan to repair and replace its water infrastructure.
Many Recommend Teaching Mental Health in Schools. Now Two States Will Require It.
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onJune 20, 2018 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsAmid sharply rising rates of teen suicide and adolescent mental illness, two states have enacted laws that for the first time require public schools to include mental health education in their basic curriculum.Most states require health education in all public schools, and state laws have been enacted in many states to require health teachers to include lessons on tobacco, drugs and alcohol, cancer detection and safe sex.Two states are going further: New York’s new law adds mental health instruction to the list in kindergarten through 12th grade; Virginia requires it in ninth and 10th grade
Ag Groups Tweet #TradeNotTariffs
DTN | Posted onJune 20, 2018 in Agriculture NewsFarm groups took to social media on Thursday as part of a last-ditch effort to get the Trump administration to back off trade tariffs the administration is expected to implement against China on Friday. The groups fear China could bounce right back with tariffs against U.S. agricultural commodities. The farm groups, led by the American Soybean Association, started tweeting out with other business groups under the hashtag #TradeNotTariffs.
Groups Press Pruitt
DTN | Posted onJune 20, 2018 in Agriculture NewsPruitt met with a coalition of Nebraska farm groups called Common Sense Nebraska as part of a trip this week through the Midwest that included stops in Kansas and South Dakota. Pruitt may have wanted to focus on waters of the U.S., but Pruitt spent most of the Nebraska meeting answering questions about the Renewable Fuels Standard, E15 and small refinery waivers. The themes were similar with the events in South Dakota and Kansas.
High-protein corn also resistant to parasitic weed
Science Daily | Posted onJune 20, 2018 in Agriculture NewsIn sub-Saharan Africa, 20 to 80% of corn yields may be lost because of a semi-parasitic plant, Striga. In areas infested with Striga, farmers may even lose their entire crops. In a new study, researchers from southern Africa identified several varieties of corn resistant or tolerant to Striga. Importantly, these varieties also have improved nutritional content, particularly protein.
Chief ag negotiator expects $20 billion in trade retaliation
KCRG | Posted onJune 20, 2018 in Federal NewsThe Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the United States Trade Representative Gregg Doud was also at the World Pork Expo, he says there will be consequences before a deal is struck. "There is, or will be, retaliation against U.S. agricultural exports because of what we're doing in other areas unrelated to agriculture. That retaliation is going to be somewhere in the neighborhood, depending on how you slice it and dice it, over $20 billion of our $140 billion in ag exports."
Engineered cotton uses weed-suppression chemical as nutrient
Science Daily | Posted onJune 20, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA newly developed fertilizer system will provide nutrition to engineered cotton crops worldwide and a deadly dose to weeds that are increasingly herbicide resistant, according to a new study. The new system applies phosphite to cotton crops engineered to express a certain gene -- a gene that makes cotton able to process the phosphite into nutrition while the same compound suppresses weeds that are unable to use it, researchers said.
Progress and Potential Hurdles for the 2018 Farm Bill
Farm Doc Daily | Posted onJune 20, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsThe odds for a farm bill in 2018 have improved considerably. On Wednesday the Senate Ag Committee moved its version of a farm bill with a strong bipartisan vote (20 to 1). House leadership is attempting to resolve the immigration issue that contributed to the House Ag Committee's farm bill defeat on the floor. This may pave the way for a House vote reconsidering the farm bill, but success remains uncertain.