AgClips
Recent AgClips
Former Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns joins Alliant group as Chair of Ag
KTIC Radio | Posted onJuly 20, 2017 in Agriculture NewsAlliantgroup, a leading tax consultancy in the area of government-sponsored credits and incentives, is proud to announce the addition of former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns as the firm’s new Chairman of Agriculture. A former Governor and U.S. Senator representing the state of Nebraska, Johanns brings more than 30 years of experience at virtually every level of government and a strong background in both agriculture and economic development.
NC:Agriculture Bill With Anti-Union Language Signed by Cooper
US News and World Report | Posted onJuly 20, 2017 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsUnions in sparsely organized North Carolina are unhappy with Democratic Gov.
This will make you cringe: Wheat farmer faces millions in fines
Farm Futures | Posted onJuly 20, 2017 in Agriculture NewsIn June, 2016, I described a Clean Water Act (CWA) case involving a California wheat farmer. A U.S. District Court found John Duarte chisel plowed pasture lands which were considered to be vernal pools even though the pools seldom have water in them. The Court determined his vernal pools were wetlands or waters of the United States. See where this is going? After a year-long delay, the penalty phase of the case against Duarte starts on August 14th. For chisel plowing alleged wetlands, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S.
Bananas with boosted vitamin A developed in Queensland to save African lives
ABC.net.au | Posted onJuly 20, 2017 in Food NewsBananas genetically modified by Queensland researchers to be vitamin A-enriched are being grown in Uganda, in a breakthrough hoped to save the lives of thousands of east African children.
This Small New York Farm Is Dominating the Hemp-Food Trend
Grub Street | Posted onJuly 20, 2017 in NewsThere’s a farm in upstate New York that grows cannabis with Governor Cuomo’s blessing, but plot twist: The leaves won’t get you high. That’s because they’re hemp, which is like diet Cannabis sativa, and the 100 acres’ worth that JD Farms grows is used specifically for organic food products — a suddenly trendy industry that Cuomo himself predicts could bring billions to the state.
Solar plus storage can beat natural gas in Minnesota
MPR | Posted onJuly 20, 2017 in Energy NewsA new report from the University of Minnesota's Energy Transition Lab shows adding energy storage is becoming a cost effective way to meet electricity demand in the state. The report looked at several scenarios, including a common one in the summer: A hot day when electricity demand is much higher than usual because of air conditioning."What would be more cost effective: to build a conventional plant or to put in a big battery? Or, alternatively, to put in a big battery and a big solar array at the same time?
When cutting-edge research labs get old, they face a new kind of challenge
Politico | Posted onJuly 20, 2017 in Agriculture NewsPut expensive high-tech scientific equipment in a former citrus packing house more than 60 years old, throw in an overworked air conditioner, a corroding foundation, and the sticky Central Florida climate, and you’ve got problems. The University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center is doing cutting-edge work to find cures for new biological threats to the U.S. citrus crop, but its researchers and staff housed in some of the facility’s older buildings are also waging a more immediate fight against bugs, rodents and other fauna that thrive in the muggy summer heat.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on the Funding Awards to States for FDA FSMA Implementation
FDA | Posted onJuly 20, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal, Food NewsOur partnerships with states are especially critical when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables, which are covered under FSMA’s produce safety rule. States have a long history of successfully working with their farming communities. That’s why we leverage relationships with state-based partners to achieve many of our goals. Today we’re announcing an additional step in these efforts. The FDA is awarding $30.9 million in funding to support 43 states in their continued efforts to help implement the produce safety rule.
Microsoft Courts Rural America, And Politicians, With High-Speed Internet
NPR | Posted onJuly 19, 2017 in Rural NewsMicrosoft is announcing a new effort to connect more people to the Internet. Not people far away, in the so-called emerging markets — where other American tech giants have built Internet balloons and drones. Instead, Microsoft is focusing right here at home, on the 23.4 million people in rural America without broadband access. The largest companies in the U.S. — by market value — are the Internet giants. But these companies have a bad reputation when it comes to American workers.
Sheffield dairy farm rakes in the cheddar from selling power generated from cows' methane
The Berkshire Eagle | Posted onJuly 19, 2017 in Agriculture, Energy NewsThe Aragi family's dairy farm — the largest in the state — is special because it still exists and it isn't losing money.
Pine Island Farm is actually making money, not just by selling milk, but by selling power it generates from methane thrown off by cow manure. Nary a penny lands on the farm's electric bill, and the Aragis' sell the excess power to some local off-takers — like Ward's Nursery — at a discount through a state program called net metering.