AgClips
Recent AgClips
As Trump touts coal while ditching the Paris accord, three more coal-fired plants shut
The Los Angeles Times | Posted onJune 5, 2017 in Energy NewsOn the same day that President Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, environmentalists took consolation in the closure of three large coal-fired power plants — the kind often blamed as big contributors to climate change.
Former North Nashville landfill to transform into city's first solar program
Fox 17 | Posted onJune 5, 2017 in Energy NewsA former North Nashville landfill will now be the site of the city's first solar program. The Nashville Electric Service (NES) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) are partnering with the city and Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to launch the project dubbed Music City Solar.The two megawatt solar array will consist of 5,966 panels on 10 acres along I-65 on Old Due West Avenue.The project is expected to generate 2.8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, the equivalent of the yearly energy needs for 210 homes.
FDA’s tough new task: Explain biotech’s safety, benefits
Agri-Pulse | Posted onJune 5, 2017 in Federal, Food NewsThe Food and Drug Administration has a tough job ahead of it, a job that the food and agriculture sectors have struggled to accomplish: Convince the public that biotech crops are safe to eat and can offer a variety of benefits to the public and the environment. The fiscal 2017 spending bill enacted at the end of April includes $3 million earmarked for FDA to coordinate with the Agriculture Department on a consumer outreach and education effort.
Minnesota tax credit provides relief to farmers, greater chance for rural schools to build
Stateline Midwest | Posted onJune 5, 2017 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsIn Minnesota, the chances of a local school district getting the money it wants to build a new facility or improve existing buildings can depend greatly on where it is located: In metropolitan areas, most school construction projects get approved by local voters; in rural districts, these proposed tax increases tend to fail. This discrepancy led to legislative action this year.
Supreme Court declines to hear Proposition 2 challenge
| Posted onJune 5, 2017 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe United States Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to California's Proposition 2 law that was filed by six other states.
Trump on Paris accord: 'We're getting out'
CNN | Posted onJune 1, 2017 in Energy, Federal NewsThe decision amounts to a rebuttal of the worldwide effort to pressure Trump to remain a part of the agreement, which 195 nations signed onto. Foreign leaders, business executives and Trump's own daughter lobbied heavily for him to remain a part of the deal, but ultimately lost out to conservatives who claim the plan is bad for the United States."We're getting out. And we will start to renegotiate and we'll see if there's a better deal. If we can, great.
National Rural Housing Coalition letter opposing Trump rural development budget cuts
National Rural Housing Coalition | Posted onJune 1, 2017 in Federal, Rural NewsWe write to express our opposition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget for Rural Development. This budget if enacted, along with the ill-advised recommendation to eliminate the position of Under Secretary for Rural Development, will substantially diminished resources dedicated to improving rural communities and the lives of rural people. We believe a better choice for rural America is to continue USDA Rural Development programs at no less than the FY 2017 levels included in Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (115-31).
Here’s Why Organic Food Might Not Be Worth the Price
The Daily Meal | Posted onJune 1, 2017 in Food NewsAccording to a video narrated by Bjørn Lomborg, president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, a U.S.-based economics think tank, and published by PragerU, a conservative website co-founded by radio host Dennis Prager, almost everything we think we know about organic food is a lie.
World Milk Day - 10 Amazing things you didn't know about milk
Dairy Good | Posted onJune 1, 2017 in Agriculture, Food News1. A Trendsetter: Milk really is a trendsetter – it’s one of humanity’s first foods. People drank cow’s milk even before they started practicing agriculture – more than 10,000 years ago.
2. “Food of the Gods”: Throughout history, different cultures have embraced milk as a staple. From Greeks and Romans to Egyptians and Sumerians, ancient mythology valued milk as the “food of the gods.”
3. A Family Affair: Did you know that 97 percent of dairy farms are family owned and operated – often by multiple generations.
Heritage Foundation claims agricultural subsidies are harmful
Farm Futures | Posted onJune 1, 2017 in Federal NewsLast week I provided a summary of the Heritage Foundation's report on how to change the upcoming farm bill. This week I am addressing Heritage's view on subsidies. It claims "Government intervention creates numerous problems and makes the status quo of agricultural subsidies an untenable situation.