AgClips
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Colorado, Western states finalize landmark drought plan to voluntarily use less Colorado River water
Denver Post | Posted onMarch 27, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsFaced with reservoirs less than half full along the Colorado River, federal authorities and negotiators for Colorado and six other Western states finalized a landmark plan to share the burden of voluntarily using less water as growing cities and warming temperatures deplete the supply for 40 million people. This “drought contingency” plan completed by the seven Western states to meet an extended federal deadline is “meant to avoid a crisis on the river,” said U.S.
Lawmakers Look to Curb Foreign Influence in State Elections
Pew Trust | Posted onMarch 27, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsIn an effort to stymie foreign influence in elections, several states are considering bills that would limit how businesses with some foreign ownership participate in elections.A long-standing federal statute bars noncitizens and foreign companies from donating directly to candidates or political parties at the federal, state and local levels. Another law prohibits businesses from directly donating to federal-level candidates or political parties.But the U.S.
Political Candidates Don’t Always Tell the Truth (And You Can’t Make Them)
Pew Trust | Posted onMarch 27, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsSay you’re a politician running for office, and you want to call out your opponent’s votes against education or guns. If you’re in Montana, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has a new demand: Prove it. Legislators in Big Sky Country want candidates or political groups who attack a voting record to back up the charge with specifics.
What to do before, during and after an FDA inspection
Watt Ag Net (free registration required) | Posted onMarch 27, 2019 in Agriculture NewsAlways be prepared. The FDA has the authority to come in unannounced, as long as the facility is open for business. Be thoroughly familiar with the regulations, what you are required to do and what FDA can do.Decide who is the designated employee(s) to accompany the inspector.Be familiar with your company policies regarding what documents can be signed, what can be shown to an inspector, photography and document copying.
How co-ops are bringing solar power to rural America
Scientific American | Posted onMarch 26, 2019 in Energy NewsIt was aimed at what might be needed if the price of solar-powered electricity came down. NRECA began working with a small group of local and wholesale co-ops. It published training manuals like “The Communicator’s Toolkit,” which suggested ways to minimize the risk of using solar while capturing its benefits. That was timely because in 2015 the price of solar energy began to crash.
Farm income in Minnesota fell 8 percent last year, worst year since early 1980s
Minneapolis Star Tribune | Posted onMarch 26, 2019 in Agriculture NewsMedian farm income in 2018 was $26,055, down 8 percent from 2017, capping off a half-decade run of poor years for farming after the boom of the early 2010s, according to a new report from the University of Minnesota Extension.
Floods shut nearly a sixth of U.S. ethanol production
Reuters | Posted onMarch 26, 2019 in Energy NewsMassive flooding in the U.S. Midwest has knocked out roughly 13 percent of the country’s ethanol production capacity, as plants in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota have been forced to shut down or scale back production following the devastation.
Seven USDA programs that can help with flood recovery
Agri-Pulse | Posted onMarch 26, 2019 in Agriculture NewsEmergency Loan Program: These loans help producers who suffer qualifying farm related losses directly caused by the disaster in a county declared or designated as a primary disaster or quarantine area. For production losses, a 30-percent reduction in a primary crop in a designated or contiguous county is required. Losses to quality, such as receiving a reduced price for flood damaged crops, may be eligible for assistance, too.
High waters remain; rains later this week could exacerbate flooding
DTN | Posted onMarch 26, 2019 in Agriculture NewsFarmers who lost grain in their bins during historic floods won't see any kind of indemnity unless Congress includes it in a disaster package. Recovery efforts could be hindered, though, because of expected rainfall, according to DTN Senior Ag Meteorologist Bryce Anderson. "The weather pattern is looking pretty wet for the Midwest from Interstate 80 south over the next week. Rainfall from Thursday through Saturday will total over one inch, and locally heavier. "This kind of rain will keep soils wet and could lead to renewed flooding.
2018 FSMA inspections: Lessons learned
Watt Ag Net | Posted onMarch 26, 2019 in Agriculture, Federal NewsIn 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted 622 current good manufacturing practice inspections related to the Food Safety Modernization Act. Those inspections were conducted in 47 states, Puerto Rico and four foreign countries – Canada, India, Indonesia and Mexico – that do business in the U.S. and therefore must be in compliance with FSMA.