AgClips
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George W. Bush: 'Immigration is a blessing and a strength'
CNN | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Rural NewsFormer President George W. Bush appeared at a naturalization ceremony Monday where he praised the nation's immigrant history and called on lawmakers to deliver comprehensive immigration reform."America's elected representatives have a duty to regulate who comes in and when," Bush said at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, where dozens took the oath of allegiance to become citizens. "In meeting this responsibility, it helps to remember that America's immigrant history made us who we are.
Supreme Court will take up immigration-related case next term
CNN | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Federal NewsThe Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a case next term concerning Kansas' prosecution of three undocumented immigrants for using stolen Social Security numbers in an effort to gain employment.Those convictions were overturned when the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the federal immigration law at issue preempts a state from prosecuting undocumented immigrants, when the basis of the claim comes from information that has been culled from federal immigration forms.The case raises the question about the extent to which federal immigration law preempts states from also trying to enforce imm
Trump sends US officials to investigate land expropriation in South Africa
Business Tech | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Federal NewsA number of US officials visited South Africa at the request of President Donald Trump as part of an investigation into the country’s land expropriation process. Trump raised eyebrows in 2018 after he tweeted that the South African government was ‘seizing land from white farmers’.Trump asked his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, to study the seizure and expropriation of land in South Africa, along with the killing of farmers.
Farm, biofuels groups upset by more refinery waivers on Ag Day
The Fence Post | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Energy NewsCorn and biofuels groups are upset that the Environmental Protection Agency chose March 14, which was National Agriculture Day, to grant five additional Renewable Fuel Standard Small Refinery Exemptions for the 2017 compliance year, waiving 366 million gallons of biofuels from RFS compliance. "EPA's decision today brings the total waivers from 2016 and 2017 RFS obligations to 53, amounting to 2.61 billion ethanol-equivalent gallons.
Governor Walz Signs Bill to Expand Recovery Loan Program for Farmers
KAAL TV | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsMinnesota Governor Tim Walz signed Chapter 4, S.F. 2225 into law. The bill amends the farm disaster recovery loan program to add “the weight of snow, sleet or ice” as conditions for which a farmer is eligible to participate in the program. It allows the Rural Finance Authority (RFA) to determine whether a weather event constitutes an emergency.
Colorado Lawmakers Introduce Blockchain Agriculture Bill
ETH News | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsOn Friday, March 15, lawmakers from the state of Colorado introduced a bipartisan bill calling for the study of how blockchain technology might be applied to the state's agricultural industry. House Bill 1247 is championed in the house by representatives Donald Valdez and Mark Catlin, with state senators Kerry Donovan and Don Coram also sponsoring.
Georgia legislators pass oyster farming bill
Savannah Now | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsGeorgia lawmakers on Monday passed legislation to create an oyster farming industry in the state despite opposition from fishermen and environmentalists who consider it too restrictive. With a vote of 35-19 in the senate, H.B. 501, which passed the house last week, now goes to the desk of Gov. Brian Kemp.
Wyoming Department of Agriculture begins work on industrial hemp program
The Fence Post | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe Wyoming Department of Agriculture is beginning the process of regulating industrial hemp in Wyoming following the passage of HB171/HEA No. 0110 and Gov. Mark Gordon's signature.
When it comes to monarchs, fall migration matters
Science Daily | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Rural NewsNew research shows that a critical piece of the butterfly's annual cycle was missing -- the fall migration.Scientists studying monarch butterflies have traditionally focused on two sources for their decline -- winter habitat loss in Mexico and fewer milkweed plants in the Midwest.New research conducted by Michigan State University and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, however, shows that a critical piece of the butterfly's annual cycle was missing -- the fall migration.
Snowmelt, Rain Wreak Havoc on US River Systems
DTN | Posted onMarch 20, 2019 in Agriculture NewsWhile the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) remains in winter hibernation, the rest of the river system is overflowing with excess water from snowmelt and recent rains. The flooding is preventing barges from moving grain and fertilizer for spring planting.