AgClips
Recent AgClips
Trade uncertainty drives Iowa farmland values down 3 percent over past year, report says
Des Moines Register | Posted onMarch 14, 2019 in Agriculture NewsIowa farmland values fell close to 3 percent over the past year, with the largest decline coming from central Iowa, a new report shows. The federal government's trade bailout program, limited land and higher yields in some parts of Iowa last fall helped support farmland values, according to the Realtors Land Institute-Iowa Chapter, a group of farmland managers, brokers, appraisers and other professionals.Farmland values dropped 2.7 percent in March compared to a year earlier, the group's report says. The statewide average was $6,794 an acre.
How Can We Use Emerging Technology To Improve Community Nutrition?
Forbes | Posted onMarch 14, 2019 in Food NewsTechnology is bringing to life the ability to accomplish feats that would have seemed science fiction when many of us were children -- like driverless cars and virtual reality. We likely have conversations with bots without even realizing we aren’t chatting with an actual person.
New Mexico is the third state to legally require 100% carbon-free electricity
Quartz | Posted onMarch 14, 2019 in Energy NewsAs Congressional leaders in Washington, DC remain stalled out on climate-related legislation, states are moving forward, even in conservative parts of the country. New Mexico is the latest. The southwestern state is the latest to embrace carbon-free electricity, passing a bill that will require all electricity from public utilities to come from carbon-free sources. The bill, which passed 43-22 in New Mexico’s increasingly Democratic legislature, requires the state (now one of the country’s top oil, gas, and coal producers) to get 50% of its energy from renewables by 2030 and 80% by 2040.
Connecticut’s solar panel industry presses for change in state law it sees as threat to its existence
Hartford Courant | Posted onMarch 14, 2019 in Energy NewsConnecticut’s solar industry and environmental advocates are fiercely lobbying state lawmakers to reverse or at least delay action they took last year changing how consumers are compensated for solar energy generated from rooftop panels.About three dozen workers in the industry that installs solar panels gathered Wednesday at the Capitol, urging legislation they say will save industry jobs in Connecticut, estimated at more than 2,000. The legislature’s clean energy caucus said the state’s solar industry faces an "existential crisis.”
Rainfall changes for key crops predicted even with reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Science Daily | Posted onMarch 14, 2019 in Energy NewsBy 2040, rainfall on wheat, soybean, rice and maize will have changed, even if Paris Agreement emissions targets are met; projections show parts of Europe, Africa, the Americas and Australia will be drier, while the tropics and north will be wetter.
Review of noise impacts on marine mammals yields new policy recommendations
Science Daily | Posted onMarch 14, 2019 in Rural NewsMarine mammals are particularly sensitive to noise pollution because they rely on sound for so many essential functions, including communication, navigation, finding food, and avoiding predators. An expert panel has now published a comprehensive assessment of the available science on how noise exposure affects hearing in marine mammals, providing scientific recommendations for noise exposure criteria that could have far-reaching regulatory implications.
On-farm brewery bill approved by Oregon Senate
Capital Press | Posted onMarch 14, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsAgritourism activities currently allowed on Oregon wineries and cideries would be extended to on-farm breweries under a bill approved unanimously by the Senate. Senate Bill 287, which would permit on-farm breweries to make beer, have tasting rooms, serve brewer’s lunches and dinners and hold special events, among other provisions, will now be considered by the House.Sen. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay, cast the bill was a tool for bridging the urban-rural divide in Oregon.
South Dakota pushes bills to prosecute ‘riot-boosting’ ahead of pipeline construction
High Country News | Posted onMarch 14, 2019 in Energy NewsTwo bills allowing the state of South Dakota to prosecute pipeline demonstrators and their funders — and use money from damages to fund law enforcement and pipeline costs — moved to the Senate floor on Wednesday. Introduced by South Dakota Gov.
Ban on single-use plastic bags passes Washington state Senate
The Seattle Times | Posted onMarch 14, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsA ban on single-use plastic bags passed the state Senate Tuesday, progress for an idea proposed in the Legislature as early as 2013. The bill would ban stores from giving out single-use plastic carryout bags, giving them until 2020 to use up existing stocks, and require an 8-cent charge for other bags handed out.
New Mexico bill would create first state-run pot shops in US
AP News | Posted onMarch 14, 2019 in Agriculture NewsNew Mexico would become the first U.S. state to set up its own government-operated marijuana stores and subsidize medical cannabis for the poor under a bill brokered between Republicans and Democrats, as a new wave of states weighs legislation that would legalize recreational sales and consumption.