AgClips
Recent AgClips
Female Employees Allege Culture of Sexual Harassment at Humane Society
Politico | Posted onFebruary 1, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA couple of days later, she and five other women met with two human resources representatives, detailing a pattern of behavior they had witnessed over the preceding six years. The women said Shapiro, the vice president of Farm Animal Protection, asked them to have sex and told lewd jokes in the office, according to a POLITICO investigation based on new interviews with seven current and former employees, including four of the women who filed the complaint.
NH bill targets owners of trespassing chickens
Fosters | Posted onFebruary 1, 2018 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe New Hampshire Legislature is considering a bill that would make trespassing fowl a violation, not for the chicken, but for its owners.
Legal opinion: Gene editing exempt from Europe’s GMO rules
Capital Press | Posted onFebruary 1, 2018 in Agriculture NewsAn advisory ruling has found the European Union should exempt gene-edited crops from strict GMO regulations, which may influence global attitudes toward gene editing.The opinion by an “advocate general” of the European Court of Justice isn’t a binding legal decision, but it’s considered highly persuasive for the panel of judges who will issue a ruling on the matter this summer.Advocates of biotechnology see the opinion as an early step in the right direction regarding Europe’s gene editing policy, but critics say it’s unlikely to sway wary European consumers.
Oversupply of milk, low prices cause concern for area dairy farmers
Reedsburg Times Press | Posted onFebruary 1, 2018 in Agriculture NewsRecent milk production numbers from the United States Department of Agriculture’s website show the United States dairy industry will produce an estimated 218.8 billion pounds of milk this year. While it’s a 0.5 billion pound reduction than what was predicted at the end of 2017, prices continue to drop because the demand for US dairy products are low.One reason for the oversupply comes from the limited amount of exports currently available to ship dairy products as well as a decrease in domestic demand.
When It Comes To Farm Bill Politics, The Lines Blur
KUNC | Posted onFebruary 1, 2018 in Federal NewsPartisan politics may meet its match in the 2018 farm bill. The massive legislation, versions of which will be introduced this spring in the U.S. House and Senate, is shaping up to be less about political affiliations and more about finding common ground.Bonds also are being forged among interest groups and lobbyists, conservative, liberal and anything in between.
Potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on streams, downstream recreation, drinking water
Science Daily | Posted onFebruary 1, 2018 in Energy NewsConcerns over hydraulic fracturing, an oil and gas extraction method that injects millions of gallons of freshwater and chemicals into shale, have largely focused on potential impacts on water quality. But, as scientists now report, 'fracking' operations could have impacts on water quantity because they are withdrawing these large amounts of water from nearby streams, which house aquatic ecosystems and are used by people for drinking and recreation.
State of Infrastructure
DTN | Posted onFebruary 1, 2018 in Federal NewsKevin DeGood, director of infrastructure policy at the Center for American Progress, said the president's speech offered no new details."Creating a private equity bonanza for Wall Street will mean higher taxes, tolls, and user fees for working -- and middle-class -- Americans," DeGood said in a news release.The Trump plan calls for about $200 billion in federal dollars invested, to spark public/private partnerships to fund some $1.5 trillion in improvements.DeGood said the plan would lead to increases in state and local taxes and user fees, while shifting the cost burden to states and citie
After Post-Trump Decline, More Central American Children Arriving at U.S. Border
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onJanuary 31, 2018 in Rural NewsAfter a dramatic drop early last year, the number of Central American children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally has been rising sharply since April. Advocates say the increase is being driven by fears of gang violence at home — fears that outweigh heightened concerns about deportation under the Trump administration.“The reality is these children are not necessarily coming to the U.S., they’re just trying to get away from their home country,” said Catherine Hulme, project manager and attorney for unaccompanied children at the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland in Baltimore.
Drug firms shipped 20.8M pain pills to WV town with 2,900 people
Charleston Gazette Mail | Posted onJanuary 31, 2018 in Rural NewsOver the past decade, out-of-state drug companies shipped 20.8 million prescription painkillers to two pharmacies four blocks apart in a Southern West Virginia town with 2,900 people, according to a congressional committee investigating the opioid crisis.
New TPP deal puts U.S. wheat farmers at tariff disadvantage
Capital Press | Posted onJanuary 31, 2018 in Agriculture NewsA new Trans-Pacific Partnership deal would put U.S. wheat farmers at a $200 million disadvantage each year, according to the U.S. Wheat Associates and National Association of Wheat Growers, in a joint statement.Japan imports an average of 3.1 million metric tons of U.S. wheat every year, according to U.S. Wheat and the National Association of Wheat Growers. That was about 49 percent of Japan’s food wheat imports in 2016, according to the USDA.