AgClips
Recent AgClips
Delaware Senate approves raising age to buy tobacco products
Delaware on line | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe state Senate has approved a bill raising the legal age to buy tobacco products in Delaware from 18 to 21. A bill was approved on a 14-6 vote Tuesday and now goes to the House.The legislation would apply to all tobacco products and tobacco substitutes, including e-cigarettes and vaping devices.
Background check on all gun sales in NH means dealers must broker private transactions;
Union Leader | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe New Hampshire House on Tuesday passed two gun control bills, one requiring background checks for all firearms sales and another imposing a waiting period between the purchase and delivery of a gun.The Democratic majority in the House also defeated a Republican sponsored bill that would have expanded the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law to allow the use of deadly force in defending a third party or “other” against any felony offense.HB 109, requiring universal background checks, passed 203-148, along mostly partisan lines.
Hawaii bills push 1st state ban on plastics in restaurants
AP News | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsHawaii would be the first state in the U.S. to ban most plastics at restaurants under legislation that aims to cut down on waste that pollutes the ocean. Dozens of cities nationwide have banned plastic foam containers, but Hawaii’s measure targeting fast-food and full-service restaurants would make it the first state to do so. The liberal state has a history of prioritizing the environment — it’s mandated renewable energy use and prohibited sunscreen ingredients that harm coral.
American pigs and cattle are ‘vulnerable’ to deadly foot-and-mouth disease, federal government agency warns
CNBC | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Agriculture NewsAmerica’s swine and cattle populations are vulnerable to the deadly and highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease, and “efforts to prepare for a potential outbreak could be strengthened,” according to a U.S. government watchdog.The Government Accountability Office suggested that “efforts to prepare for a potential outbreak could be strengthened.”The agency warned an outbreak in the U.S. could lead to “serious economic impacts,” including putting at risk some $19 billion in exports of meats and dairy products.
FDA issues update on possible tie between grain-free diets and heart disease
Veterinary 360 | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Food NewsThe FDA has issued an update to its investigation into reports of dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) while eating certain pet foods, according to a release from the agency. Since first announcing it would investigate the issue in July 2018, the agency has analyzed reports it has received from January 1, 2014, through November 30, 2018.
Brazil move opens door to U.S. wheat imports
Capital Press | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Federal NewsA new agreement between the U.S. and Brazil means U.S. wheat farmers will compete on a level playing field to sell their crop to that South American nation. U.S. Wheat Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers welcomed the news that Brazil has agreed to a duty-free tariff rate quota for wheat, a longstanding obligation under that nation’s World Trade Organization commitments.The agreement opens an annual opportunity for U.S.
Resources for Animal Food Producers in Flooded Central & Southern Plains of U.S.
FDA | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Agriculture NewsAs the Central and Southern Plains of the United States continue to experience extreme weather and flooding, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine reminds animal food producers who may be mixing, storing or distributing grains and other foods for animals about information resources available. While there are few, if any, crops growing right now, previously harvested crops or siloed feed materials could become contaminated and no longer suitable for feeding.
Oregon House approves 10-year ban on ‘fracking’
AP News | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Energy NewsThe Oregon House approved a 10-year ban on fracking to explore for oil and natural gas. Lawmakers voted 42-12 on Monday to prohibit the process, which injects high-pressure liquids into underground rock to extract oil and gas. The measure now goes to the Senate for consideration.There are currently no fracking operations in Oregon. But developers say there’s potential for coalbed methane extraction in the Willamette Valley, which this bill would also block.
As Home-Cooked Cottage-Food Industry Grows, States Work to Keep Up
Pew Trust | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Food, SARL Members and Alumni NewsAs more consumers shop at farmers markets and “eat local,” U.S. local food sales, including cottage-food sales, have soared from $5 billion annually in 2008 to a projected $20 billion this year.
The curious case of tainted milk from a Maine dairy farm
Reuters | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Food NewsFor Maine dairy farmer Fred Stone, the discovery in 2016 that his cows were producing tainted milk has since brought financial ruin and threatened to shut down a century-old family business. Now state regulators and health experts are investigating whether the contamination could reflect a much broader problem for farms that used similar methods to fertilize their land.The chemicals on Stone’s farm likely came from biosolids, or nutrient-rich sewage from municipal utilities, that he spread across his fields, according to a report last year by Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection