AgClips
Recent AgClips
Rural Counties add 150,000 jobs over last year
Daily Yonder | Posted onMarch 29, 2018 in Rural NewsLast year was the first of a new administration, but the job trends in 2017 were same-old, continuing the movement of jobs into the country’s major metropolitan areas. The number of jobs increased in both rural and urban areas of the country. But the increase was fastest in metropolitan areas of a million or more people. These giant urban regions increased their share of the nation’s job pool. Smaller cities and rural areas lost share.
‘Get A Second or Third Job’ Is Not Sound Farm Policy
Farm Policy Facts | Posted onMarch 29, 2018 in Agriculture News“Most U.S. farm households can’t solely rely on farm income, turning what was once a way of life into a part-time job,” the article explained, noting that 82% of U.S. farm household income is expected to come from off-farm work this year.That’s because current commodity prices are depressed and haven’t kept up with inflation over the long haul. Compounding the problem are climbing input costs, the Journal wrote. Chris Morrow was one of the farmers featured in the story. This 32-year-old Missourian “rises four mornings a week at 4:30 a.m.
Nestle launches a new chocolate bar using sugar-reduction technology
CNBC | Posted onMarch 29, 2018 in Food NewsNestle's structured sugar is claimed to help reduce sugar by up to 40% in confectionery. The sugar is said to dissolve faster in the mouth, the same as in cotton candy. The Swiss firm has released its first chocolate bar using the new technology.
Wild sheep, goats test positive for Mycoplasma Ovis in Alaska
Juneau Empire | Posted onMarch 29, 2018 in Rural NewsThe Alaska Department of Fish and Game has announced that several wild sheep and goats tested positive for a pathogen that has caused respiratory disease in Lower 48 herds. The implications of the pathogen, called M. ovi for short, aren’t quite clear yet, but Alaska’s sheep have stayed relatively clear of respiratory disease, officials said
Canadian dairies are booming
Bloomberg | Posted onMarch 28, 2018 in Agriculture NewsDavid Wiens thought the 2,500-gallon (9,470-liter) stainless steel milk tank he purchased 20 years ago would provide more than enough storage for his dairy farm in Manitoba. These days he’s producing so much he’s had to order a new tank that can hold almost three times as much. “We have to have everyday pickup now because we don’t have the capacity,” Wiens said from Skyline Dairy, a 240-head operation near the small town of Grunthal that he and his brother Charles have owned since 1989.As the U.S.
What happens on the edges of cities when farmland gives way to development
Harvest Public Media | Posted onMarch 28, 2018 in NewsBig cities in the Midwest are gaining ground on the rural communities that, for many decades, have thrived on the edges of urban development. Since 1980, the amount of land being farmed or grazed in the U.S. has dropped 13 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Much of it now is covered by housing subdivisions, big-box stores and computer-server farms.Outward growth from metropolitan areas can strain courts, schools and traffic.
How a food stamp fight could kill the farm bill
Politico | Posted onMarch 28, 2018 in Federal NewsThe Trump administration and House Republicans are pushing a crackdown on food stamps, but their effort to shrink a safety net program that boomed during the Obama era might come at a great cost — derailing a massive farm bill that’s heavily supported in Trump country. Talks between House Democrats and Republicans on the farm bill broke down two weeks ago over proposed changes to the nutrition program that Democrats say would cut off an estimated 1 million participants — a bad sign for the historically bipartisan legislation.
Secretary Perdue Issues USDA Statement on Plant Breeding Innovation
USDA | Posted onMarch 28, 2018 in Federal NewsU.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today issued a statement providing clarification on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) oversight of plants produced through innovative new breeding techniques which include techniques called genome editing. Under its biotechnology regulations, USDA does not regulate or have any plans to regulate plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques as long as they are not plant pests or developed using plant pests.
Utah passes 'free-range parenting' law, allowing kids to do some things without parental supervision
ABC News | Posted onMarch 28, 2018 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsA new law legalizing free-range parenting will soon take effect in Utah allowing children to do things alone like travelling to school. The bill redefines "neglect" in Utah law so that kids can participate in some unsupervised activities without their parents being charged. “Kids need to wonder about the world, explore and play in it, and by doing so learn the skills of self-reliance and problem-solving they’ll need as adults," Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, a sponsor of the bill, said in a statement to ABC News.
Where Small Town America is Thriving – Conclusion
The Agurban | Posted onMarch 28, 2018 in Rural NewsIt is widely assumed that high-tech employment, for the most part, will cluster either in big cities or their suburbs. But some venture funders, including some from Silicon Valley, are taking a look at smaller cities, notably in the Midwest. Several smaller cities have achieved growth in STEM jobs (science, technology, engineering and math-related) that are far above the national average over the past decade. Much of this has to do with the location of federal labs or universities.