AgClips
Recent AgClips
New tax law changes how farm losses treated
DTN | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in Agriculture NewsThe ag economy isn't great and many producers are struggling to break even. In the past, farmers accepted losses and even looked at them as opportunities. Having good and bad years is just part of the rollercoaster called farming. However, the new tax law changed how we look at farm losses. Under the old tax law and the 2014 Farm Bill, taxpayers who received a Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) loan were restricted in the deductibility of a farm loss (this rule didn't apply to C corporations).
From distillers to farmers, trade war would cause casualties
Associated Press | Posted onJune 9, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsIf a trade war is coming, the cheesemakers of Wisconsin are standing in the line of fire. So are the farmers of the Great Plains and the distillers of Kentucky. And the employees of iconic American brands like Harley-Davidson and Levi Strauss. The likelihood of a trade conflagration leapt closer to reality this week after the United States imposed tariff on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Infuriated, the jilted U.S. allies vowed to retaliate with tariffs of their own. And in a separate dispute, China is poised to penalize $50 billion in U.S.
Replacing Petrochemicals with Biochemicals made from Corn
Illinois NPR | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Agriculture NewsThe Corn Utilization and Technology Conference is organized by NCGA or the National Corn Growers Association. It happens every two years and is dedicated to exploring future uses of corn. Vijay Singh is a regular. He works for the agricultural college at the University of Illinois and specializes in engineering ethanol processing plants. Singh sees them expanding to include biochemical production in the near future, “That’s the big thing right now and for that, we need large amounts of sugar. The U.S.
Pork Secure Supply Plan detailed
Pork Business | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Food NewsThe National Pork Board and USDA are working to create a Secure Pork Supply plan to help lower the disruption to producers and the marketplace if a foreign animal disease (FAD) event occurs. The plan is intended to help pig farmers prepare and quickly respond if an FAD occurs, and is similar to plans in development for other livestock and poultry producers. The plan enhances communication and coordination of all pork chain segments to help producers keep their farms operating and all related business activities functioning.
Decapitated Snake Head Nearly Kills Man
National Geographic | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Rural NewsA Texas man was doing yard work when he spotted a four-foot rattlesnake. He beheaded the snake with a shovel—but when he went to dispose of it, the severed head bit him. The man received a massive dose of the snake’s venom. He became seriously ill and had to be air-lifted to a hospital, where he required a large number of doses of antivenom. A week later he remains in stable condition. The snake was reported to be a Western diamondback rattlesnake.This story is perhaps not as uncommon as it may seem, because snakes—like many other reptiles—retain their reflexes even hours after death.
We need to fix up roads and bridges — not mines
High Country News | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Rural NewsFederal officials are considering a proposal to add mining to the list of sectors covered by federal legislation that grants funds and speeds up infrastructure projects. The law is called Fixing America’s Surface Transportation, aka FAST-41, passed in 2015.
U.S. Immigration Officials Can Now Deport Hosts of Migrant Children
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Federal NewsA new federal policy will allow federal agents to investigate, and possibly arrest and deport, families who step up to host children found at the border. It’s the latest in a series of enforcement actions by the Trump administration intended to discourage a new surge in unauthorized immigrants. The new policy was welcomed by some who see it as an important check on smugglers posing as helpers, but immigration advocates accuse the administration of using the detained children as “bait” for attracting, investigating and deporting immigrants living in the United States without authorization.
Critics of Farm Bill are back
Farm Policy Facts | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Federal NewsThe Environmental Working Group came roaring back this week with a new “study” that – true to form – breaks no new ground and is largely a recycling of old irrelevant data. EWG essentially re-released their “farm subsidy database,” which is designed to publicly shame farmers for using farm policy to manage the unique risks they face. And EWG’s big conclusion is that farmers receive aid from the USDA, and some have seen farm policy benefits for 32 years.That’s not news. It's the law, and it has been the law since the 1860s when USDA came into existence. And as a result, the U.S.
Mexico sets pace for record pork exports in April
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Food NewsMexico was the pacesetter for pork exports in April, with volume up 34 percent from a year ago to 79,019 metric tons, according to data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
Accurate labels act introduced in Congress
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Federal, Food NewsU.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and U.S. Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) on Thursday introduced the Accurate Labels Act, bipartisan legislation to provide consumers with clear nutrition information and prevent the issuance of inaccurate, misleading labels.