AgClips
Recent AgClips
House Ag Committee advances farm bill with few farm changes, major SNAP dispute
The Progressive Farmer | Posted onApril 19, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsAfter hours of criticism by Democrats on changes to food programs, the House Agriculture Committee passed a farm bill out of committee Wednesday on a strictly partisan 26-20 vote as every Republican voted for the bill and every Democrat opposed it.
The renewable fuel standard works for rural America and our economy
The Hill | Posted onApril 19, 2018 in Energy NewsPolitical posturing from a small segment of the petroleum industry has the Trump administration considering damaging changes to our most successful American energy policies that we’ve seen in decades: the renewable fuel standard. The RFS was passed by a bipartisan Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush more than a decade ago, provides an avenue for domestic biofuels producers to gain access to the U.S. transportation fuels market, which has been monopolized by the petroleum industry for more than a century. The results of the program have been impressive.
The Facts About Food Stamp Fraud
Forbes | Posted onApril 19, 2018 in Federal NewsThere's too much misinformation about the U.S. government's food stamp scheme. So after some investigation, here are some facts about the benefit, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).The takeaway is that food stamp fraud ballooned during the four years through 2016 but that it still represents a tiny percentage of the program. How much did fraud grow? It jumped to $592.7 million in 2016, up a staggering 61% from $367.1 million in 2012, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Chinese scientist gets 10 years in U.S. prison over theft of GMO rice
Reuters | Posted onApril 19, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA Chinese scientist in Kansas was sentenced to more than 10 years in a federal prison for conspiring to steal samples of a variety of genetically engineered rice seeds from a U.S. research facility, the U.S. Justice Department said.
What role do immigrants play in U.S. labor force?
Marketplace | Posted onApril 19, 2018 in Rural NewsPresident Donald Trump and many congressional Republicans are pursuing policies to reduce legal immigration to the United States, with proposals to prioritize admission for highly skilled and well-educated immigrants over those with family ties to residents and by deporting undocumented immigrants currently living and working in the U.S.Meanwhile, the unemployment rate has fallen toward 4 percent, and employers increasingly say they're experiencing worker shortages.Economist Aparna Mathur at the American Enterprise Institute warns that reducing immigration to the United States over the comi
Melting of Arctic mountain glaciers unprecedented in the past 400 years
Science Daily | Posted onApril 19, 2018 in Rural NewsGlaciers in Alaska's Denali National Park are melting faster than at any time in the past four centuries because of rising summer temperatures, a new study finds.
Pennsylvania Launches Community Clean Water Toolbox to Expand Local Engagement in Reducing Pollution
Gant News | Posted onApril 19, 2018 in Agriculture NewsAbout 200 leaders from municipal governments, county conservation districts, agriculture, environmental groups, water companies, and other entities participated Tuesday in a meeting hosted by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), to expand local engagement in Phase 3 of the state plan for improving water quality in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
VSU ag center director named Virginia's new agriculture commissioner
The News & Advance | Posted onApril 19, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe executive director of Virginia State University’s Center for Agricultural Research, Engagement and Outreach has been appointed the state’s agriculture commissioner. Jewel Bronaugh was named to the post by Gov. Ralph Northam.
First Amendment: Skim Milk Labeling Leads Maryland Dairy to Sue FDA
Dairy Herd Management | Posted onApril 19, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsA Maryland dairy farm with its own milk bottling business is suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the labeling of skim milk and if it violates the First Amendment. A lawsuit was filed by the non-profit group the Institute for Justice with Randy and Karen Sowers, owners of South Mountain Creamery near Frederick, Maryland, on April 5 against the FDA. At issue is South Mountain Creamery’s labeling of skim milk. The dairy milks 550 cows and bottles milk on-farm selling to about 5,000 customers.
Trump to put biofuel reform push on ice, for now
Reuters | Posted onApril 19, 2018 in Agriculture, Energy NewsThe Trump administration will delay any moves to reform the nation’s biofuel policy for about three months, according to three sources briefed on the matter - a decision one of the sources said was meant to shield farmers worried about a potential trade war with China. The decision comes after President Donald Trump failed to broker a deal between Big Oil and Big Corn during meetings over months about the future of the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard - a law broadly supported in the U.S. heartland that requires oil refiners to add biofuels like ethanol to the nation’s gasoline.