AgClips
Recent AgClips
Trump’s BLM removes a hurdle for controversial Cadiz project
High Country News | Posted onOctober 25, 2017 in Federal NewsThe Trump administration on Friday removed a major obstacle that had long stalled a project designed to pump groundwater from the Mojave Desert to communities in Southern California. The planned 43-mile pipeline would follow an already existing railroad through public land; the Bureau of Land Management sent a letter last week to Cadiz Inc., the company behind the pipeline, stating that the company did not need federal permission to begin construction.
In Congress, an effort to curtail national monuments
High Country News | Posted onOctober 25, 2017 in Federal, Rural NewsOn Oct. 11, the House Natural Resources Committee approved a proposal from its chairman, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, to overhaul the Antiquities Act. Bishop’s “National Monument Creation and Protection Act” would severely constrain the power of the president to designate national monuments. It would limit the size of monuments a president could designate as well as the kinds of places protected. The 1906 Antiquities Act allows a president to act swiftly to protect federal lands facing imminent threats without legislation getting bogged down in Congress.
Report: U.S. should step up seafood import testing
Seafood Source | Posted onOctober 24, 2017 in NewsThe United States Food and Drug Administration should increase seafood import drug residue testing and other efforts to prevent contaminated shipments from entering the country, according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The FDA sampled only 0.1 percent of all seafood imports for the presence of banned antibiotics in fiscal year 2015, according to the GAO, which acts as the official auditor of the U.S. government.
More pushback against coal export terminals
High Country News | Posted onOctober 24, 2017 in Energy NewsIn the 2010s, U.S. companies, eager to meet Asia’s growing demand for coal with exports from Wyoming and Montana’s Powder River Basin, proposed six coal terminals in the Northwest. One in Longview, Washington, would ship about 44 million metric tons per year. Anti-fossil-fuel activists protested, and five of the proposals were dropped.
Inside an Immense Farm Operation in Kansas
Wall Street Journal | Posted onOctober 23, 2017 in Agriculture NewsLon Frahm's 30,600-acre farm in Colby, Kan., offers a look at the future of farming in the U.S.: in huge quantities, using the latest technology and fewer people
US manufacturing growth rate at a 13 year high
Global Manufacturing | Posted onOctober 23, 2017 in Rural NewsThe US manufacturing industry grew at the fastest pace in 13 years last month according to new statistics from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). 17 of 18 sectors within the manufacturing industry reported growth within the month of September, with only furniture makers showing a decline.
USDA Provides Support for Hurricane-Impacted Dairies in Puerto Rico
USDA | Posted onOctober 23, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal NewsIn the wake of the 2017 hurricanes, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing emergency assistance to dairy operators in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. USDA is preparing for signup to begin Oct. 21, 2017. “We’re dispatching additional USDA staff to the island, but we also continue to ramp up material assistance as well,” said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
Legislation compliance costs European egg sector dearly
Watt Ag Net | Posted onOctober 23, 2017 in Food NewsComplying with European Union legislation adds, on average, an extra 16 percent to the cost of egg production in Europe, a new study reveals. These additional costs of egg production at the farm level directly relate to European legislation on animal welfare, environmental protection and food safety, according to new research from the Economic Research Institute (LEI) of Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Most of the additional cost arises from the minimum 750 square centimeter space allowance per bird in enriched cages in the EU.
Bill banning use of performing elephants passes both houses of NY legislature
New York State Senate | Posted onOctober 23, 2017 in Agriculture, Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe bill was passed by the Senate on May 23rd by a unanimous vote of 62-0. The Assembly version of the bill, A464B, sponsored by Assemblywoman Paulin, was passed on June 6th by a vote of 56-6, and is now set to be delivered to Governor Cuomo.
Feds trying to seize raw camel milk suspected in interstate case
Food Safety News | Posted onOctober 23, 2017 in Federal, Food NewsFederal officials are attempting to seize more than $70,000 in raw camel milk products stored in a warehouse in Kansas City, KS, including some bearing labels from a Missouri dairy, because they were allegedly shipped in interstate commerce in violation of federal law. In an action filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, KS, the Department of Justice states that inspectors from the Food and Drug Administration estimate about 4,300 8- and 16-ounce bottles of frozen camel milk, colostrum and kefir are stored in the My Magic Kitchen Inc.