AgClips
Recent AgClips
Rural America and a tale of two columnists
Daily Yonder | Posted onMarch 26, 2019 in Rural NewsAmericans have a couple of ways they tend to think about rural America. On one side of the coin, we see it as a post-apocalyptic wasteland of dysfunction, intolerance, and economic ruin.On the other, we see a pastoral cornucopia of small-town charm, neighbor helping neighbor, and home-grown tomatoes.In other words, it’s all bad or all good.Last week the New York Times published columns by Paul Krugman and David Brooks that fit these all-or-nothing patterns to a T.
FDA starts on-farm inspections in Oregon
Capital Press | Posted onMarch 26, 2019 in Federal NewsFederal inspectors will soon venture onto Oregon farms to ensure compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act for the first time since it became law in 2011. This spring, FDA inspectors are beginning routine on-farm inspections of large operations — those earning more than $500,000 in annual revenue — that grow produce meant to be consumed raw. The agency’s goal is to “educate before and while we regulate” during this initial round of inspections, though officials would take action to stop an imminent threat to public health, said Kate Allen, an FDA investigator.
Recent Dept. of Commerce decision could negatively impact RGV agribusiness trade
Rio Grande Guardian | Posted onMarch 26, 2019 in Federal NewsNAFTA has been a boon for states like Texas, California and Arizona, where tens of thousands of jobs are directly linked to selling, distributing, warehousing, and transporting Mexican produce throughout the country.
MillerCoors sues Anheuser-Busch over controversial ad campaign
CNBC | Posted onMarch 26, 2019 in Food NewsMillerCoors is suing Anheuser-Busch InBev for its controversial Bud Light Super Bowl ad. The lawsuit is the latest retaliation from MillerCoors for the ad that shamed Miller Lite and Coors Light for using corn syrup during its brewing process.MillerCoors is seeking an immediate halt to the campaign, which it claims is false advertising.
Walmart and Costco become farmers
Agrinews | Posted onMarch 25, 2019 in Agriculture NewsIn mid-2018, Walmart, the Arkansas retailing giant, began bottling milk in a newly-built facility near Fort Wayne, Indiana, for its 500 stores in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. In doing so, this newcomer shoved an industry veteran, Dean Foods, its former bottler, out the door and with Dean went 100 or so dairy farmers in surrounding states who sold milk to it.
EPA may limit state restrictions on pesticide use, such as Dicamba
DTN | Posted onMarch 25, 2019 in Federal NewsAfter months of denials and vague language, EPA has confirmed it is considering limiting the ability of states to restrict pesticide use beyond the federal label. State regulators are expressing alarm at this development, particularly those dealing with widespread dicamba injury, which appears to be the catalyst for EPA's announcement.At issue is Section 24(c) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which allows states to grant "special local needs" (SLN) labels that supplement federal pesticide labels.
China corn purchase spurs optimism for future trade
Agri-Pulse | Posted onMarch 25, 2019 in Federal NewsThe USDA announced Friday that China is making a significant purchase of U.S. corn after years of deteriorating trade, spurring hope that the trade talks between the two countries are producing real progress that could have lasting effects. The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service announced Friday morning an export sale of 300,000 metric tons of U.S. corn to China and U.S. Grains Council President and CEO Tom Sleight says he hopes it’s a sign that the two countries are working out their biotech regulatory concerns.
US beef facing possible tariff hike in Japan, TPP members not affected
Beef Central | Posted onMarch 25, 2019 in Federal NewsThe United States is facing the prospect of potentially significant tariff increases on its beef exports to Japan in coming months, hikes its main competitors would be safeguarded from due to economic partnership agreements with the country.
The Unexpected Side Effects of Trump’s Trade War
The Atlantic | Posted onMarch 25, 2019 in Agriculture NewsFarm income is down, and equipment prices are sky-high. Like farmers around the country, Boyd is in the crosshairs of the trade war, caught between the 25 percent tariffs that the United States has imposed on imported raw materials such as steel and aluminum and the retaliatory tariffs that China and other countries have imposed on major American agricultural exports, especially soybeans.
Pesticides in food: Strawberries, spinach, kale have the most residue
USA Today | Posted onMarch 25, 2019 in Food NewsIf you're looking for another reason not to eat spinach or kale, you now have one. The leafy greens are ranked second and third, respectively, on Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen, a list of the fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide residue. At the top of the advocacy group's latest roster, released Wednesday, is strawberries; nectarines and apples round out the top five.