AgClips
Recent AgClips
Road to approval for US biotech crops in China beset with massive delays, costing industry billions
CNBC | Posted onApril 17, 2019 in NewsChina’s approval process for biotech crops is beset by regulatory hurdles and delays that have cost U.S. companies billions of dollars and added to challenges for American farmers. Industry groups and members of Congress have been urging the Trump administration to press China to make its regulatory process for approving agricultural biotech products more transparent and timely.High-level talks earlier this month in Washington between Chinese and U.S. negotiators touched on a variety of nontariff barrier issues.
Why Breed-specific Legislation Is not the Answer
AVMA | Posted onApril 16, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni Newsreed-specific legislation (BSL) targets specific breeds of dogs that are wrongly thought to all be dangerous – most frequently "pit bull types" – and places stricter regulations on these dogs or even makes ownership of them illegal.
Banned pesticides in Europe's rivers
Science Daily | Posted onApril 16, 2019 in Agriculture NewsTests of Europe's rivers and canals have revealed more than 100 pesticides -- including 24 that are not licensed for use in the EU.
As Weeds Outsmart The Latest Weedkillers, Farmers Are Running Out Of Easy Options
Wisconsin Public Radio | Posted onApril 16, 2019 in Agriculture NewsThere was a moment, about 20 years ago, when farmers thought that they'd finally defeated weeds forever. Biotech companies had given them a new weapon: genetically engineered crops that could tolerate doses of the herbicide glyphosate, also known by its trade name, Roundup.
Wisconsin Natural Resources Board Approves Hearings For Proposed Phosphorus Rule
Wisconsin Public Radio | Posted onApril 16, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe Wisconsin Natural Resources Board unanimously approved public hearings on a proposed rule that would create a process for setting site-specific phosphorus standards on the state's bodies of water. Wisconsin already has statewide water quality standards for phosphorus, but these vary depending on the water system. Phosphorus in the water can support the growth of algae and other plants, but too much can overwhelm the system.
Wisconsin's place in a bewildering milk pricing system
Edairy News | Posted onApril 16, 2019 in Agriculture NewsWhile the economic and human toll wrought by low milk prices have been documented, the factors that determine those prices can feel enigmatic or perhaps even baffling for people outside of the industry — and perhaps for those within as well.Indeed, a dairy processors trade organization referenced the complicated American milk pricing system in a “Milk Pricing 101” lesson for its members: “There is an old joke about a senior-level USDA person testifying to Congress on dairy policy and milk pricing. He said there are only three people that understood it and two of them are lying.”
Wisconsin lost 212 dairy farms in 1st 90 days of 2019
Edairy News | Posted onApril 16, 2019 in Agriculture News212 Wisconsin dairy farms went out of business between Jan. 1 and April 1. That means on average, more than two dairy farms sold out each day of the first 90 days of 2019. That’s on top of the 691 dairy farms we lost during 2018. In just 15 months, the Dairy State lost 903 dairy farms, or slightly fewer than two farms per day. That’s more than 10% of Wisconsin’s dairy farms going out of business in just 15 months. The numbers don’t lie — that is painful for the farm families who sold their dairy herds, the communities they live in and the businesses they supported.
Roundup, the World’s Best-Selling Weedkiller, Faces a Legal Reckoning
Wall Street Journal | Posted onApril 11, 2019 in Agriculture NewsFor years, scientists at Monsanto Co. worked closely with outside researchers on studies that concluded its Roundup weedkiller was safe. That collaboration is now one of the biggest liabilities for the world’s most widely used herbicide and its new owner, Bayer, which faces mounting lawsuits alleging a cancer link to Roundup.Plaintiffs’ attorneys are putting Monsanto’s ties to the scientific community at the center of a series of high-stakes suits against Bayer.
Canada rebooting tariff targets as 232 relief bid stalls
Politico | Posted onApril 11, 2019 in Federal NewsCanada is revamping its list of U.S. products facing retaliatory tariffs, its ambassador to the U.S. said Monday, in the latest sign the Trump administration isn’t moving to lift its steel and aluminum duties. Apples, pork, ethanol and wine could be on the updated list.
What is a rural community? The answer isn't always so simple.
Politico | Posted onApril 11, 2019 in Rural NewsThat experience underscores the complexity of defining what constitutes a rural community for the purposes of qualifying for rural-specific federal programs — a question that has plagued Congress, USDA officials and researchers for decades. Communities looking to qualify for rural development programs must first prove that they meet the government's definition of “rural” before they can be considered for assistance. But there’s no one-size-fits-all definition, and population thresholds vary from program to program.