AgClips
Recent AgClips
Trump's Harvest Box could leave farmers with empty plates
Des Moines Register | Posted onFebruary 20, 2018 in Federal, Food NewsSo why is it such a horrible idea to replace part of the SNAP federal food assistance program, formerly called food stamps, with a box of American-grown food?
Despite tweaks, dairy insurance program not saving Wisconsin farmers
LaCrosse Tribune | Posted onFebruary 20, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsWestern Wisconsin dairy farmers praised tweaks to a price insurance program Monday but told U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin they face much larger problems, primarily too much milk. Baldwin, D-Wis., met with farmers to talk about legislative tweaks to the program, which was introduced in the 2014 Farm Bill.Known as the Margin Protection Program for Dairy, the MPP allows farmers to purchase insurance that pays out when the cost to produce milk gets too close to their selling price.
Arkansas judge tosses out Monsanto dicamba suit
Politico | Posted onFebruary 20, 2018 in Agriculture NewsAn Arkansas judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Monsanto seeking to block the state's plan to ban the warm-weather use of the herbicide dicamba. Monsanto and the Arkansas Plant Board have been engaged in a monthslong fight over the use of the herbicide in the state. The plant board — which is made up of farmers, agricultural business representatives, pesticide officials and weed scientists — voted last year to prohibit the use of the herbicide from April 16 through Oct.
VA:Medicaid expansion is key to rural economic development
The Roanoke Times | Posted onFebruary 20, 2018 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsFortunately, there are things we can do to improve opportunity in rural Virginia. We can invest in workforce development training. We can expand Medicaid and improve access to broadband internet; improve the quality of our schools and ensure Virginia kids can access our best universities; make Virginia a place people want to build businesses; upgrade our infrastructure, like our roads and bridges; and address the opioid epidemic head on.Building out our rural broadband infrastructure is critical. Broadband is the new electricity, an essential connection for rural communities.
Florida legislators eye rural development
Panama City News Herald | Posted onFebruary 20, 2018 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsSenate Bill 1496 would increase the maximum state grants for rural economic development in a “rural area of opportunity” from $150,000 to $250,000.
MD:Lawmakers propose study to begin tracking air pollution from Maryland chicken farms
Baltimore Sun | Posted onFebruary 20, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsMaryland lawmakers are weighing a study of whether huge chicken farms are polluting the air around them — a new front in an ongoing debate over how the state’s expansive poultry industry affects the environment. The proposal is stirring conflicts pitting economic development against public health, and scientific research versus political activism. The poultry industry dominates state agriculture, and its representatives say farms have had to grow in response to the rising costs of complying with environmental regulation and animal welfare concerns.
USDA declares war on spotted lanternfly, will spend $17.5M
The Morning Call | Posted onFebruary 20, 2018 in Federal NewsThe federal government plans to spend millions of dollars on a massive offensive to fight a foreign invader already in Pennsylvania’s midst. The invader: the inch-long, black-dotted, red-winged spotted lanternfly. Its target: the state’s valuable agricultural commodities, including fruit and hardwoods.The battle plan: surveillance, control and action to halt the invasive bug from Asia.
USCA petitions USDA to label alternative ‘beef’ products
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onFebruary 20, 2018 in Food NewsThe United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) on Friday submitted a petition to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) asking the agency for rulemaking on beef labeling to clarify for consumers what is beef derived from cattle and “beef” products created in a laboratory.
Rhode Island Awards $3.75 Million to Protect Green Space
US News and World Report | Posted onFebruary 20, 2018 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsMore than $3.75 million is being awarded to help Rhode Island communities and local organizations protect green space throughout the state.The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management announced Friday that 17 projects will receive matching grants to protect 889 acres of open space and farmland.
Where People Live Shapes How They Talk About Food, Study Shows
University of Texas | Posted onFebruary 15, 2018 in Rural NewsFood has been a topic of conversation for centuries, and now new research from The University of Texas at Austin shows that how we specifically talk about food plays a role in our health. Scientists have found that people in healthier cities talk differently about food — that healthy cities (e.g. Austin, San Diego, Boston) referenced locations, such as grocery stores or farmers’ markets, and used more complex language to describe a variety of cuisines more so than people in unhealthy cities (e.g. Houston, San Antonio, Columbus).