AgClips
Recent AgClips
Egg industry challenges are a cautionary tale for the meat industry
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onMarch 30, 2018 in Food News“To end animal agriculture the movement has to drive down demand and raise the costs and people will stop purchasing so much meat, thus bringing an end to the industry.” One example of this tactic was the push in 2016 by several activist groups to pressure food companies to commit to only sourcing cage-free eggs within the next few years. A total of over 230 restaurants, retailers, hospitality companies, foodservice companies and food manufacturers ended up making such commitments. In order to meet that demand, 228 million laying hens (more than 75 percent of the U.S.
West Virginia bill requires food stamps recipients to work
Washington Examiner | Posted onMarch 30, 2018 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsRepublican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed a bill into law Tuesday that will require state residents to work or volunteer to receive food stamps. The requirement will begin Oct. 1 and will apply to people who use the program formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The program funds up to $192 for food a month, or $6.40 a day.To continue receiving SNAP benefits, West Virginia residents on the program between the ages of 18 to 49 will need to work or volunteer at least 20 hours a week.
A new Monsanto-backed company is on the verge of producing the first fruit made with CRISPR
Business Insider | Posted onMarch 30, 2018 in Agriculture, Food NewsIn a move aimed at securing its future, Monsanto has invested $125 million in a gene-editing startup called Pairwise. The alliance could tee up Monsanto, long known for its controversial dealings with farmers and its role in popularizing genetically modified organisms, to introduce some of the first produce made using the blockbuster gene-editing tool Crispr.In a call with Business Insider, the company hinted that strawberries or another type of fruit would be among the first Crispr produce to hit grocery-store shelves — a development it expects within five to 10 year
Blimp to bring broadband to rural areas
New Hampshire Union Leader | Posted onMarch 30, 2018 in Rural NewsIt’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a ... broadband blimp? A company founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has begun constructing a new research and development center in Fremont where it will test an industrial version of a blimp known as an aerostat that’s designed to provide wireless broadband coverage in rural and remote areas.Altaeros Energies of Somerville, Mass., has been given town approval to create the permanent test site near a gravel operation at 662 Main St. that will feature a concrete launch pad and a large hangar to house the aerostat.
Oklahoma governor inks tax hikes, teacher pay raise
News OK | Posted onMarch 30, 2018 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsOklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has signed into law the largest teacher pay raise in the state's history and a massive package of tax hikes to pay for the plan. Flanked by educators and GOP leaders, Fallin on Thursday signed a bill to give public school teachers raises of between 15 and 18 percent, an average boost of about $6,100 a year. She also signed a bill to increase taxes on cigarettes, motor fuel, lodging and oil and gas production that would raise an estimated $450 million for lawmakers to spend.
US per capita egg consumption still rising as protein craze continues, says egg board
Food Navigator | Posted onMarch 30, 2018 in Agriculture NewsWhile increasing numbers of food manufacturers are experimenting with alternatives to animal proteins, enthusiasm for all things plant based has not dampened the demand for eggs, with US per capita egg consumptionm rising again in 2017.
Lost Valley’s lender forcing sale of dairy’s herd
Capital Press | Posted onMarch 29, 2018 in Agriculture Newshe owner of Lost Valley Farm, a controversial Eastern Oregon dairy that has drawn the ire of environmental groups and run afoul of state regulators, may soon be forced to sell off its entire herd. Greg te Velde, of Tipton, Calif., began operating the dairy near Boardman, Ore. in 2017, which was permitted for up to 30,000 cows — making it the second-largest dairy in the state, behind neighboring Threemile Canyon Farms.
What Matters to Consumers - The Chicken or the Egg?
FFAR | Posted onMarch 29, 2018 in Food NewsIn November 2017, a series of two national surveys were conducted to evaluate market potential and consumer willingness-to-pay for poultry and eggs with various labels. The study, led by Jayson L. Lusk from Purdue University, gathered responses from more than 2,000 participants to determine if consumers are willing to pay more for particular product attributes in a retail environment.
Animals farmed: welcome to our series
The Guardian | Posted onMarch 29, 2018 in Agriculture NewsThere has been a revolution in the way we produce and consume meat and fish. Chicken, beef, pork or salmon were once rare Sunday-at-best luxuries. Now billions of people around the world can afford to eat fish and meat daily. Intensive farming has made this possible: the realisation that money could be saved – and prices driven down – by increasing the scale of production, and reducing exposure to what were once seen as essential components of farming, such as sunshine, quality of life for the animals, space and natural grazing.
Kansas Passes Controversial Poultry Bill
US News and World Report | Posted onMarch 29, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsGov. Jeff Colyer has signed into law a measure aimed at luring large-scale poultry processors to set up shop in Kansas.Colyer signed the bill on Tuesday.