AgClips
Recent AgClips
USDA green lights California’s new federal milk marketing system
Capital Press | Posted onJune 12, 2018 in Agriculture NewsCalifornia’s dairy industry will begin operating under the federal milk marketing order system on Nov. 1.
Challenge to N.C. ‘ag-gag’ law can proceed
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onJune 12, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsA federal appeals court has ruled that a lawsuit by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and other groups challenging North Carolina’s “ag-gag” law can proceed. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reverses a district court judgment that had dismissed the lawsuit. PETA, the Center for Food Safety, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Farm Sanctuary, Food & Water Watch, and the Government Accountability Project are suing to overturn the state law criminalizing undercover investigations at agricultural facilities.
Why not genetically engineered organic foods?
Washington Examiner | Posted onJune 12, 2018 in Agriculture NewsUSDA’s arbitrary rules about what is permitted for the “organic” designation prohibit important advances in agriculture and food production, and they unnecessarily restrict consumer choice. That could be remedied by expanding what is permitted under the federal National Organic Standards, and this would be an opportune time. The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990required USDA to develop national standards for the production of "organic foods" because of consumer demand for food that was supposedly more healthful and produced with more sustainable farming methods than traditional farming.
Tests show toxic heavy metals near Wisconsin sand mine spill
ABC News | Posted onJune 12, 2018 in Energy NewsWisconsin officials found elevated levels of toxic heavy metals near a frack sand mine spill that sent millions of gallons of sludge into a tributary, carrying it downstream into the Mississippi River.
Farmers already at higher risk of suicide face pressure from tariffs
MPR news | Posted onJune 12, 2018 in Agriculture NewsAfter several tough years of prices near or below break even, the economics of the farm sector may soon get worse because of international tariffs. China, the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans, and Mexico, the largest importer of U.S. pork, are threatening tariffs that would likely choke off demand for those farm products and drop prices further. Worth said it's another unknown farmers face, and another stressor. "We got people who are fifth- or sixth-generation farmers who may lose the farm. They are thinking they let their ancestors down," he said.
Recent Right to Farm Decisions Around the US
Texas Agriculture Law Blog | Posted onJune 12, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThere have been several court decisions lately across the country related to states’ Right to Farm statutes. These cases provide good examples of the types of claims that can arise against a farm operation and also illustrate the differences between each state’s Right to Farm Act.
Solar Has Overtaken Gas and Wind as Biggest Source of New U.S. Power
Bloomberg | Posted onJune 12, 2018 in Energy NewsDespite tariffs that President Trump imposed on imported panels, the U.S. installed more solar energy than any other source of electricity in the first quarter. Developers installed 2.5 gigawatts of solar in the first quarter, up 13 percent from a year earlier, according to a report Tuesday from the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research. That accounted for 55 percent of all new generation, with solar panels beating new wind and natural gas turbines for a second straight quarter.
As biomass energy gains traction, southern US forests feel the burn
Mongabay | Posted onJune 12, 2018 in Rural NewsAn estimated 50 to 80 percent of southern wetland forest is now gone, and that which remains provides ecosystem services totaling $500 billion as well as important wildlife habitat. Logging is considered one of the biggest threats to the 35 million acres of remaining wetland forest in the southern U.S., and conservation organizations are saying this threat is coming largely from the wood pellet biomass industry.
Germany's Bayer closes $63 billion Monsanto takeover, plans to drop US company's name
CNN | Posted onJune 12, 2018 in Agriculture NewsGerman conglomerate Bayer on closed its $63 billion merger with St. Louis-based agribusiness giant Monsanto. The closing sets the stage for the 117-year-old agribusiness brand name "Monsanto" to be dropped by Bayer.
Rural America has too few dentists — and too few patients who can pay
The Washington Post | Posted onJune 12, 2018 in Rural NewsAbout 43 percent of rural Americans lack access to dental care, according to the National Rural Health Association, and West Virginia, among the poorest and most rural states, is at the center of the crisis. All but six of the state’s 55 counties include federally designated “Health Professional Shortage Areas,” “Medically Underserved Areas” or both.