AgClips
Recent AgClips
Bill in Ohio House would permanently subsidize 2 coal-fired power plants
Columbus Dispatch | Posted onMay 25, 2017 in Energy NewsA new proposal in the Ohio House would provide a perpetual subsidy for two coal-fired power plants owned jointly by American Electric Power and just about every other major electricity utility in the state. House Bill 239 calls for the owners of Ohio Valley Electric Corp. to receive a guarantee of income at times when the market price of electricity is less than the cost to operate the power plants.
Maine’s highest court rules ranked-choice voting is unconstitutional
Portland Press Herald | Posted onMay 25, 2017 in Rural NewsMaine’s highest court concluded Tuesday that the nation’s first statewide ranked-choice voting system violates the Maine Constitution even though it was approved by the state’s voters in a referendum in November. In a unanimous advisory opinion, the seven justices on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court acknowledged the validity of citizen-initiative ballot questions but noted that even citizen-enacted laws can be unconstitutional. The court opinion itself doesn’t negate ranked-choice voting, which was supported by 52 percent of Mainers who cast ballots last fall.
Critics claim liability bill would banish GMOs from Oregon
Capital Press | Posted onMay 25, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsA proposed bill imposing new financial liability on biotech patent holders in Oregon would effectively banish genetically engineered crops from the state, opponents claim.Under House Bill 2739, biotech patent holders would be liable for triple the economic damages caused by the unwanted presence of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.The bill is now before the House Rules Committee, which is considering an amendment clarifying when landowners can file lawsuits over GMOs on their property and the defenses available to patent holders, among other provisions.The amendment would also ensure
Alaska:New ‘cottage food’ rules could make it easier for people to get into the business
Alaska DIspatch Publishing | Posted onMay 25, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsMore jams, jellies and baked goods could end up in farmers markets if an ordinance to reduce permit fees for "cottage food" vendors passes the Anchorage Assembly.Those producers, who typically are small in scale and sell items like baked goods, jams, jellies and fermented food made in home kitchens, pay $310 under current municipal rules to operate.
Every $1 spent on SNAP generates $1.79 in GDP.
NBCnews.com | Posted onMay 25, 2017 in NewsPresident Donald Trump's plans to kick start the nation's productivity by, in part, gutting food stamps, could actually starve the economy. The proposed budget unveiled Tuesday assumes 3 percent economic growth, up from 1.9 percent, via a mix of tax and program cuts. That includes reducing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, by $192 billion over the next decade.This is despite the government's own research that shows food stamps don't just pay for themselves — they have a return on investment.
Monarch butterfles: The problem with herbicides
Michigan State University | Posted onMay 25, 2017 in Rural NewsMonarch butterfly populations are shrinking.
Overview of Iowa Biofuel Tax Credits and Ethanol Blends Sales
Agriculture Marketing and Resource Center | Posted onMay 25, 2017 in Energy NewsEthanol consumption has been promoted at the state level. In Iowa for instance, the Iowa General Assembly authorized House File 2754 in 2006. This legislation established the goal that 25% of all petroleum used in the formulation of gasoline in Iowa be replaced by biofuels by 2020. To support this goal, several refundable tax credits were enacted for biofuel retailers.
An Oregon rancher is charged for an elk slaughter.
High Country News | Posted onMay 25, 2017 in Rural NewsLarry Harshfield was arrested and charged with 12 counts of unlawful take of elk in a closed season, and 12 counts of waste of elk. In a press release, Pam Harshfield maintains that the couple had no choice. The harsh winter brought hordes of hungry elk to their haysheds. The elk ate hay intended for their cattle, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife wouldn’t help out, she said in a statement, leaving them out of options. The crime, investigation and impending trial have revealed tensions over Oregon’s elk management and over land management.
Large Dairy Farm Developers Turn to Wisconsin Supreme Court
US News and World Report | Posted onMay 25, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThe owners of a proposed large-scale dairy farm in Wood County have asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that blocked the project.Golden Sands Dairy maintains it has rights to use most of its 6,400 acres for growing crops and manure spreading because the land was zoned unrestricted when the dairy filed for building permits in 2012 and the applications referenced the land.The Town of Saratoga argues the dairy can't use the land that way because it was re-zoned for preservation four months after the applications were filed.A state appeals court blocked the project last month
Were farmers cheated by NIPSCO's 100-mile power line project?
South Bend Tribune | Posted onMay 25, 2017 in Energy NewsA for-profit utility company claims it tried to be a good neighbor to meet concerns of farmers affected by a 100-mile power line that is under construction and will cross several northern Indiana counties.But farmers who are dealing with the downsides — such as gravel roads through their crops and poles that need to be farmed around — say they feel cheated by the Northern Indiana Public Service Co."I think they're absolutely crooks," said Karl Faulstich, who runs a 330-acre farm with his father near Plymouth.The Faulstiches were among hundreds of landowners who had no choice but to sell rig