AgClips
Recent AgClips
UW Study Points to RFS Carbon Emissions from Land use Change
DTN | Posted onNovember 22, 2017 in Energy NewsA new University of Wisconsin-Madison study says cropland expansion in the United States as a result of the Renewable Fuel Standard, led to expanded carbon emissions from 2008 to 2012, resulting in about 115 million tons of releases. The study points the finger at the expansion of biofuels production leading to an expansion of cropland between 2008 and 2012, as the driver behind those emissions."Consequently, emissions from clearing land to accommodate biofuel production could significantly undermine the carbon savings that biofuels seek to attain
USDA Awards Funds to Support Rural Veterinary Services
USDA | Posted onNovember 22, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal NewsThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced 13 grants to support rural veterinary services and relieve veterinarian shortages in parts of the U.S. and its insular areas. The funding from NIFA’s Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. “Rural veterinary practitioners address a variety of unique challenges related to the health and welfare of agricultural animals, public health concerns, and managing their practices,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy.
States Face Children’s Health Coverage Uncertainty
Roll Call | Posted onNovember 22, 2017 in Federal, Rural NewsAbout two months after federal funding lapsed for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, state officials still don’t know exactly when they’ll run out of money or when Congress will renew funding — leaving families that depend on the program increasingly anxious about their benefits. At least a few states say that they could exhaust funds as soon as next month. States are growing more concerned about the program with just a few days left on the congressional calendar until December and no signs that lawmakers plan in the immediate future to renew funding.
Opioids and their impact on our rural counties
Farm and Dairy | Posted onNovember 22, 2017 in Rural NewsOur series shares stories from three rural counties with high rates of drug overdose deaths. But they are just an illustration of the opioid epidemic that’s hitting your county, too. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to solving the opioid epidemic, but these solutions are from Ohio and around the country. Some are personal action items, some can be accomplished by organizations and others require local, state or federal governments to act. Which ones are at work in your community, and which ones can you work to put in place?
Improved datasets show that Arctic warmed six times faster than the global average during 'global warming hiatus'
Science Daily | Posted onNovember 22, 2017 in Agriculture NewsMissing Arctic temperature data, not Mother Nature, created the seeming slowdown of global warming from 1998 to 2012, according to a new study.
The Importance of NAFTA for the Agricultural Sector
Iowa State University | Posted onNovember 22, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal NewsTrade flows of agricultural commodities between the United States, Canada, and Mexico are very large. In 2016, US agricultural imports from Canada totaled $24.9 billion while US exports amounted to $25.3 billion. In the same year, US imports of agricultural products from Mexico reached $24.66 billion and US exports to Mexico were $17.68 billion. Generally, NAFTA has been operating very well except for a few irritants. Trade talks are notoriously slow and agriculture is typically a major point of contention. However, agriculture may not be a major obstacle in the current NAFTA negotiations.
How Do Swine Producers and Veterinarians Expect the VFD to Affect Their Business?
Iowa State University | Posted onNovember 22, 2017 in Agriculture NewsMany interviewed veterinarians indicated that their current recordkeeping practices will suffice for the new requirements and, therefore, they will not need to make any major adjustments. It is likely that veterinarians would have improved their capacity for electronic recordkeeping of VFDs and related documents since the final rule was published in June 2015. Veterinarians did express concern with the time commitment required for recordkeeping, saying that it will take time away from working with the producers and livestock.
China’s New Nationwide E10 Ethanol Mandate and Its Global Implications
Iowa State University | Posted onNovember 22, 2017 in Energy NewsIn September 2017, the Chinese government announced a new nationwide ethanol mandate (NEA 2017) that expands the mandatory use of E10 fuel (gasoline containing 10 percent ethanol) from 11 trial provinces to the entire country by 2020. This measure would require ethanol consumption in China, the largest motor vehicle market in the world, to at least quadruple within the next three years. For US producers, this recent development fuels interest in whether China is going to import ethanol and/or corn (the main feedstock for ethanol production in China) to meet the mandate.
Efficient Environmental Regulation in the Unconventional Oil Industry
Iowa State University | Posted onNovember 22, 2017 in Energy NewsUS oil production has skyrocketed since 2007. Technological advances in oil and gas drilling (commonly referred to as ‘fracking’) have allowed producers to access vast petroleum reserves that were previously too costly to recover. The growth in oil and gas production from unconventional sources has been tremendous, so that unconventional sources now make up more than 50 percent of total US petroleum production (EIA 2015). While this represents a boost to job growth and the broader economy, growth in the oil industry comes with its fair share of problems.
Re-imagining the future of poultry through innovation
Alltech | Posted onNovember 22, 2017 in Agriculture NewsGrowth in poultry farming has been relentless. In fact, despite the continued preference for pork in Asia, current growth means that global chicken meat consumption will exceed that of pork by 2022, making it the number one meat globally. Egg consumption continues to grow as well because eggs are inexpensive, mild-tasting and are easy to process and include in other foods. Universal acceptance by almost all cultures and all religions ensures that poultry will continue to prosper.