AgClips
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Farm bill targets food stamps — but not the well-off farmers who have been on the dole for decades
The Los Angeles Times | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in Federal NewsAs more than a million Americans face losing food stamps under President Trump’s vision for reauthorizing the farm bill, his vow to wean families off dependence doesn’t apply to thousands of others who have been relying much of their adult lives on payments from the government’s sprawling agriculture program.And many of those farmers have been getting aid for far longer than the average 10 months that a food stamp recipient gets help. In fact, 27,930 farmers have been collecting for 32 years, a report shows.
Dog Germs Diversify, May Threaten Humans with Flu Pandemics
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in Rural NewsIf you lie with dogs, you might get fleas—or worse, an influenza virus that is completely unfamiliar to your immune defenses. The risk appears to be rising, says an international team of scientists that has been studying how influenza viruses jump from species to species. In a new study, these scientists present evidence that influenza virus can jump from pigs into canines, and that influenza is becoming increasingly diverse in canines.
If it doesn't come from a hoofed animal, you can't call it 'milk,' NC bill says
The Sacamento Bee | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsIf a drink doesn't come from an animal with hooves, North Carolina legislators don't want you to call it "milk." Part of the General Assembly's 2018 Farm Billwould ban the marketing of milks made from plants, including almond, coconut and soy, from being labeled "milk" in North Carolina after Jan. 1. The products could still be sold, they just couldn't legally be labeled "milk" under the proposed law. That distinction would be reserved for dairy products like milk from animals, including cows and goats.
Stung by critics, amendments made to proposed NYS beekeeping bill
Syracuse.com | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsFollowing criticism from commercial and recreational beekeepers in upstate New York, the New York Senate Agriculture Committee plans to amend a proposed beekeeper registry bill. After the committee voted 11-0 earlier this week in favor of mandatory state registration of beekeepers and their hives, industry members criticized the bill, citing a lack of public awareness of the proposal prior to the vote. On Thursday, Sen.
Rich buyers are pushing rural hospitals to a controversial practice
The Atlantic | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in Rural NewsBeau Gertz faced a crowd of worried locals at the town senior center, hoping to sell them on his vision for their long-beloved—but now bankrupt—hospital. In worn blue jeans and an untucked shirt, the bearded entrepreneur from Denver pledged at a town-hall meeting in March to revive the Surprise Valley Community Hospital—a place many in the audience counted on to set their broken bones, stitch up cattle-tagging cuts, and tend to aging loved ones. Gertz said that if they voted on Tuesday to let him buy their tiny public hospital, he would retain such vital services.
Solar farms produce power - and food
Scientific American | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in NewsNative plants have replaced turfgrass and gravel as the go-to bedding for solar gardens in Minnesota, a result of a 2016 state standard that outlines how developers can create pollinator-friendly environments. More than half of the 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) of solar farms built in 2016 and 2017 feature native plants that not only benefit pollinators but also beautify the site. Although Minnesota may be in the vanguard of encouraging solar farm developers to grow native plants, it is far from the only place studying how solar farms can harvest more than just energy.
Trump seeks to reorganize the federal government
Politico | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in Federal NewsThe Trump administration is preparing to release a sweeping plan for reorganizing the federal government that includes a major consolidation of welfare programs — and a renaming of the Health and Human Services Department. The report, set to be released in the coming weeks by the White House Office of Management and Budget, seeks to move safety-net programs, including food stamps, into HHS. The plan would also propose changing the name of the sprawling department, while separately seeking cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department.
The problem with betting American agriculture on exports
The Hill | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in NewsCongress should check its assumptions and not simply accept financial hardship for farmers as a given. Reforms in trade policy to protect the integrity of emerging markets, combined with a strong competition policy, could further aid more profitable domestic market development. For our farmers and rural communities, new thinking on how we can better support profitability and locally-owned development — rather than repeating past mistakes — is urgently needed.
Trump aims to split up NAFTA negotiations, deal with Canada and Mexico separately
The Washington Post | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsPresident Trump wants to end the three-party talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, aiming instead to deal separately with Canada and Mexico to restructure the trade accord, a senior adviser said Tuesday. Trump does not intend to withdraw from NAFTA, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said on “Fox & Friends.” But after more than one year of multilateral discussions, he feels the current approach hasn’t been fruitful and a new one is needed, Kudlow said.
America's largest private company - Cargill- reboots a 153-year-old strategy
Bloomberg | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in Agriculture NewsWilliam Wallace Cargill pioneered the modern agricultural trading industry in 1865 when he established a string of grain warehouses across the American Midwest. Having a deep-pocketed buyer that could take delivery locally gave farmers an easy way to quickly get cash for their crops, lest they rot in the field waiting on a sale or transport to a faraway market. The ability to store huge amounts of grain also gave Cargill the flexibility to time his own sales to maximize the spread between what he paid farmers and what he could get from distant food processors or exporters.