AgClips
Recent AgClips
USDA’s Farmers.gov Receives $10 Million in Funding for Development
USDA | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Federal Newsthe Technology Modernization Fund Board (Board) awarded funding to support the development of USDA’s Farmers.gov customer experience portal, which helps better connect America’s farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and private foresters with vital USDA resources and programs.
Federal judge dismisses meat country-of-origin lawsuit
Capital Press | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA federal judge in Washington state has dismissed a lawsuit to reinstate country-of-origin labeling on beef and pork products from other countries. U.S. District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson of Spokane agreed with ranchers in her Tuesday dismissal that the government’s decision has caused them financial harm. But she ultimately sided with the government, saying the legal clock had run out for the producers to challenge the underlying 1989 federal law, and that Congress had clearly intended to have the labeling end.
AVMA State Legislative Update May 2018
AVMA | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsAbuse Reporting / Civil Liability:The Illinois state house of representatives passed HB 4191, to amend the Humane Care for Animals Act. The bill would give a person immunity, from civil and criminal liability, when he/she forcibly removes an animal from a locked vehicle. The legislation awaits action by the Illinois state senate. Scope of Practice: Feline onychectomy, or declawing, would have been criminalized in California had SB 1441 not been defeated.
Ohio's scoring process for medical weed growers faulted in review
Cincinnati Enquirer | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in NewsOhio regulators did not collect and review applications for medical marijuana growers in a controlled environment, limiting the ability to perform a reliable audit. That was the conclusion of accounting firm Ernst & Young, which performed an analysis for the state of the scoring process for applications to grow weed under Ohio's new Medical Marijuana Control Program. The state's licensing process for growers has been called into question in lawsuits and administrative appeals brought by a number of unsuccessful applicants.
Technology used to track premium Wyoming beef on blockchain
Medium | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe goal of the pilot made by Wyoming Certified Beef, LLC and Germany-based traceability solution provider TE-FOOD International is to showcase the premium living conditions of the cattle (grass-fed on an open range throughout their entire lives) thereby producing much higher quality cuts of beef to lucrative foreign markets. The verified ranch-to-table traceability of the cattle through RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) ear tags and anchored by blockchain technology has never been done before.
It’s Wildfire Season in California, and Utilities Want to Tamp Down Their Liability
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Rural NewsCalifornia utilities might have to pay billions of dollars in damage if state investigators find their power lines sparked last year’s devastating wildfires. And they’ll face similar bills in the future, whenever a tree falls across a power line and sparks a fire that reduces homes, hotels and schools to ashes.
Three big wins for solar energy in Illinois
Environmental Law & Poliocy Center | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Energy, SARL Members and Alumni NewsAll three bills passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly and now await the Governor’s signature. Each bill, in its own unique way, is important to successful solar energy development in Illinois. SB 3214 (Solar Pollinators) – ELPC drafted this legislation after reviewing similar efforts in Minnesota and Maryland. SB 3214 will lead to increased pollinator-friendly habitat on solar energy project sites in Illinois.
Des Moines DREAMer dies within weeks after being sent back to Mexico’s violence
Des Moines Register | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsManuel Antonio Cano Pacheco should have graduated from high school in Des Moines last month. The oldest of four siblings should have walked across a stage in a cap and gown to become a proud symbol to his sister and brothers of the rewards of hard work and education. Instead, Manuel died a brutal death alone in a foreign land, a symbol of gang supremacy in a country plagued by violent drug cartels. It happened three weeks after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement returned him to Mexico, a country he had left at age 3 when his parents brought him here without a visa.
Senate Ag Leaders Announce No-Drama Farm Bill
Agriculture.com | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Federal NewsThe Senate Agriculture Committee will vote next week on a bipartisan farm bill that makes few changes to food stamps, farm supports, and crop insurance, a marked contrast to the decision by House Republicans to pursue welfare reform in their farm bill. The biggest argument at the Senate “mark up” was expected to be over tougher limits on subsidies.
Washington Ecology defends dairy rules as hearing ends
Capital Press | Posted onJune 8, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsAn eight-day hearing on the Washington Department of Ecology’s new manure-management rules ended Thursday with the agency defending itself against varied attacks by the dairy industry and environmental groups. Ecology’s attorney, Phyllis Barney, asked the Pollution Control Hearings Board to uphold rules that will require dairies with more than 200 cows to obtain pollution-control permits from Ecology. The Washington State Dairy Federation and Washington Farm Bureau, and a coalition of environmental groups are appealing aspects of Ecology’s rules.