AgClips
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Elegy for a Family Farm
Wisconsin Academy | Posted onFebruary 12, 2018 in Agriculture NewsThis is the farm that was started in 1868 by my great-grandparents and farmed by the generations that followed. My father died in 1969, and my brother Ralph and I inherited the farm when our mother passed away in 1999. We tried to keep it going as a working farm, even as we moved to other places and pursued other ways of living. Ralph once told me that, in the 1960s, he and my father talked about his staying on the farm and concluded that a small farm could not support a growing family. Ralph continued his education, eventually becoming a banker in a town two hours to the north.
Redesigned site, newsletter offer access to water resources
Institute of Nebraska | Posted onFebruary 12, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsA newly redesigned water website from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln offers quick access to information from the university’s water experts. The site was redesigned to better meet the needs of the public and their use of mobile devices. Water experts plan to add information to the website regularly on agricultural water, manure management, residential water and water resources. At the conclusion of each month, a water newsletter will be published, delivering the latest articles directly into the email inboxes of its subscribers.
What’s Hidden in the Senate Spending Bill?
The New York Times | Posted onFebruary 12, 2018 in Federal NewsTucked into the Senate budget bill are a host of provisions that help a broad array of industries and sectors, including energy, health care and education, through increased spending and tax credits. The Senate deal would raise strict spending caps on domestic and military spending in this fiscal year and the next by about $300 billion.
How Stonyfield Could Have Gotten It Right on GMOs
Biotech-now | Posted onFebruary 12, 2018 in Food NewsThe uproar following yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm’s recent Facebook video ad featuring elementary school-aged girls perpetuating GMO myths was widespread. Within hours, hundreds of consumers, farmers and scientists condemned the brand for spreading misinformation and fearmongering. Here’s what a company SHOULD do:Lead with science & facts.Don’t exploit consumer knowledge gaps.
DowDuPont opens ag biotech innovation center
Feedstufs | Posted onFebruary 12, 2018 in Agriculture NewsThe Agriculture Division of DowDuPont announced the grand opening of the Bay Area Innovation Center (BAIC) in California, a newly expanded, state-of-the-art research and development (R&D) facility focused on agricultural biotechnology discovery, enabling technology development and leading-edge informatics. Consisting of 60,000 sq. ft. of laboratories, 13,000 sq. ft. of greenhouses and 25,000 sq. ft. of office space, the BAIC will be home to more than 100 highly skilled scientists dedicated to furthering innovation in agriculture.
Is Organic Really Better? 4 Food Myths Debunked By Science
Futurism | Posted onFebruary 12, 2018 in Food NewsFor some consumers, the mere act of shopping at the supermarket can be full of overwhelming decisions. After extended debate in the grocery aisle, after attempts to parse through the misleading packaging, you might end up choosing the organic tomatoes over the conventional ones. They’re twice the price, so they’ve got to be better, right? But it’s not so simple. Celebrities, anti-GMO groups, and food trends have spread misleading information and myths about the food we chose to eat every day. Do foods labeled “organic” actually make us healthier? Are they free of pesticides?
Virginia farm's 'Resist White Supremacy' sign goes viral
Fox News | Posted onFebruary 12, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA sign outside a Centreville, Va. farm has gone viral, after the family-owned business posted a photo of the message board, which reads "Resist White Supremacy." Cox Farms on Braddock Road normally uses their sign to featured produce advertisements, as well as witty words and aphorisms to visitors and passersby.In the continuing conversation on KKK and white supremacy, the farm owners say that the message is not political, but one as "concerned citizens of this country."
Cruz scapegoating the renewable fuels standard
My San Antonio | Posted onFebruary 12, 2018 in Energy, Federal NewsTexas Sen. Ted Cruz recently took to the Senate floor to object to a unanimous consent agreement that would have allowed a confirmation vote on President Donald Trump’s choice to be USDA’s undersecretary for farm production and conservation, a critical post as Congress begins deliberations on the farm bill’s reauthorization.
Health insurance is a make-or-break issue for farmers
Politico | Posted onFebruary 12, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsAlmost two thirds of commercial farmers say the cost of health insurance poses the biggest threat to their livelihoods — bigger even than land costs or market pressures, according to a new study. Most farmers viewed insurance as a must-have in a dangerous occupation where a single accident could be catastrophic.
Congress outlines details of dairy, cotton provisions in budget deal
Politico | Posted onFebruary 12, 2018 in Agriculture, Federal NewsThe budget deal unveiled by congressional leaders late Wednesday would authorize more than $1 billion in spending on farm bill programs for dairy farmers and $3 billion for cotton growers over the next decade. The cost of making seed cotton eligible for commodity supports, including Price Loss Coverage, would mostly be offset by eliminating other programs in the farm bill that specifically benefit cotton. The dairy provisions, which would make changes to the Margin Protection Program — such as lowering premiums for small- and medium-sized producers — would not be offset, however.