AgClips
Recent AgClips
The tourism economy in South West Virginia
Daily Yonder | Posted onMay 31, 2018 in Rural NewsSouthwest Virginia turned an unused railroad right of way into a critical part of a regional tourism powerhouse. Jacob Stump, a native of the region, begins a series on how those changes have affected the economy and culture of this Central Appalachian area. The Virginia Tourism Corporation’s 2014 Economic Impact Report showed that Southwest Virginia generated nearly $971 million in tourism expenditures.
Brain Gain: professionals find niche in rural upper midwest
Daily Yonder | Posted onMay 31, 2018 in Rural NewsCory Ritterbusch and Emily Lubcke sought out Shullsburg, Wisconsin (population 1,209), for the quality of life it offered them and their children. The young couple aren’t the only ones going to (or returning to) small towns. “People don’t move to your town for pity,” Winchester said.
An Overview of Crop Insurance
Illinois Farm Policy News | Posted onMay 31, 2018 in Agriculture NewsThe CRS report explained that, “From 2007 to 2016, the federal crop insurance title had the second-largest outlays in the farm bill after nutrition. The total net cost of the program during those years was about $72 billion. For FY2018 through FY2027, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that crop insurance will continue to be the second-largest farm bill outlay after nutrition, averaging about $7.7 billion a year, assuming current law remains in effect.
Wisconsin's agriculture agent shortage heralds the end of an era for rural America
MikeCallicrate.com | Posted onMay 31, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension has reduced its fleet, bought out ranks of rural agents, and cut the number of positions across the state. Now farmers stand to lose access to 100 years of knowledge at a time when they need it most. “Land rent is a very big topic right now,” says Lori Berget, a youth educator in Lafayette County’s cooperative extension office.
Dozens of animal welfare activists arrested after large protest at Petaluma chicken farm
The Press Democrat | Posted onMay 31, 2018 in Agriculture NewsOne of the largest animal welfare demonstrations ever held at a Sonoma County farm ended Tuesday with the peaceful arrests of 40 activists on suspicion of trespassing at an egg production facility northwest of Petaluma. An estimated 500 demonstrators rallied for more than three hours across the street from a farm on Liberty Road north of Rainsville Road.
Ag-Blockchain Nexus Growing
DTN | Posted onMay 31, 2018 in Agriculture, Food NewsInvestigators at the Food and Drug Administration spent the past two months trying to track the source of romaine lettuce linked to 172 confirmed illnesses, 75 hospitalizations and at least one death. The FDA found at least one Arizona farm involved but agency investigators can't confirm if all of the illnesses came from one grower, harvester, processor or distributor. They are still looking.
How chicken feet became a crucial item in the U.S.-China trade talks
Observer | Posted onMay 30, 2018 in Agriculture, Food NewsEvery year, Americans eat over nine billion chickens. That means about 18 billion chicken feet, as well as tons of heads and chicken giblets, end up in trash bins every year. For years, that waste has been partly offset by a huge demand for chicken parts in China, where chicken feet are a popular ingredient in various dishes and snacks.To get a sense of the significance of the matter, chicken feet are now playing a critical role in the difficult trade talks between the two countries. When U.S.
Donald Trump’s tariff threats complicate US-China trade talks
Financial Times | Posted onMay 30, 2018 in NewsDonald Trump’s renewed tariff threats against Chinese exports have complicated efforts by US negotiators to finalise agricultural and energy deals ahead of a third round of high-level trade talks scheduled for Saturday, according to three people briefed on the negotiations. They added that if the preparatory talks did not go well, weekend talks in Beijing between US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross and vice-premier Liu He could be cancelled.
Ethanol, farm groups sue EPA over refineries' biofuels exemptions
Reuters | Posted onMay 30, 2018 in Agriculture, Energy NewsA coalition of ethanol and farm groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday, challenging its decision to free three refineries, including one owned by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, from annual biofuels requirements. The groups, including the Renewable Fuels Association and the National Corn Growers Association, filed the challenge in a U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver, according to a statement from the coalition.
Hurricane Maria killed more than 4,600 people in Puerto Rico
USA Today | Posted onMay 30, 2018 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsHurricane Maria likely killed thousands of people across Puerto Rico last year, more than 70 times the official estimate, a Harvard study released Tuesday says. Authorities in Puerto Rico placed the death toll at 64 after Maria roared through the island Sept. 20, destroying buildings and knocking out power to virtually the entire U.S. territory of more than 3 million people.Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, however, surveyed more than 3,000 households on the battered island.