AgClips
Recent AgClips
Rural hospitals brace for Obamacre repeal
CNN | Posted onJanuary 19, 2017 in NewsThe health care law expanded Medicaid to tens of thousands of previously uninsured patients, providing new revenue streams for rural hospitals, which often serve a poorer, sicker patient population. The law also created a program that allowed some of these facilities to buy prescription drugs at a discount, though Highlands qualified for that program independently of Obamacare. "All these rural hospitals are operating on thin margins.
What An Obamacare Repeal Would Mean For Rural Hospitals
NPR | Posted onJanuary 19, 2017 in Rural NewsThe way some of the regulations were implemented are actually harming rural America and not fulfilling the ultimate goals of the ACA. And what I mean by that is half of those 37 million - the goal was to expand Medicaid and get those folks into a Medicaid program. We know that a lot of states have taken the Supreme Court up on its option of opting out of Medicaid. That has predominantly hurt rural America. In fact, if you're a rural state, if you're a poor state, more likely than not, you have not expanded Medicaid. So we're seeing millions of folks left behind at that.
As Pot Prices Plunge, Growers Scramble to Cut Their Costs
Bloomberg | Posted onJanuary 19, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThe increasing supply of legal marijuana is turning into a major buzz kill for growers as prices plunge -- and an opportunity for companies that can help cut production costs. Prices are tumbling as formerly illicit cultivators emerge from the shadows to invest millions of dollars in massive pot factories. In Colorado, the average price sought by wholesalers has fallen 48 percent to about $1,300 a pound since legal sales to all adults started in January 2014, according to Cannabase, operator of the state’s largest market.
ASPCA, Vermont Law School release animal welfare certification guide
Feedstuffs | Posted onJanuary 19, 2017 in NewsAnimal rights group The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and Vermont Law School's Center for Agriculture & Food Systems (CAFS) released this week what they call “a comprehensive guide for farmers seeking to better understand or obtain animal welfare certification.” “The demand for higher animal welfare and transparency in the food system is on the rise as consumers become more concerned about inhumane factory farming practices,” they said.
COOL provisions changed to add venison meat
Feedstuffs | Posted onJanuary 19, 2017 in Federal NewsOnce finalized, retailers and suppliers would be required to keep records and provide their customers with notification of the country of origin of muscle cuts and ground venison they sell. The Agricultural Act of 2014 (farm bill) directed AMS to add muscle cuts of venison and ground venison to the list of covered commodities subject to mandatory COOL requirements. Once finalized, retailers and suppliers would be required to keep records and provide their customers with notification of the country of origin of muscle cuts and ground venison they sell.
Mink Fur Crime: Nicole Kissane Lands In Prison For Freeing Animals From Farms
International Business Times | Posted onJanuary 19, 2017 in Agriculture News
Growing Pains for Illinois Cannabis Farm
Successful Farming | Posted onJanuary 17, 2017 in Agriculture NewsNews alert to farm entrepreneurs: There are no get-rich-quick schemes. Case in point is cannabis farming. Marijuana, that is. Successful Farming magazine reported a year ago on one of the first cannabis farms in Illinois, where it’s legal to grow the crop for medicinal reasons. The Revolution Enterprises cannabis farm near Delavan had plans to produce 7,000 pounds of medical cannabis every year, worth $20 million or more. Dispensaries in Illinois would sell it to muscular dystrophy, cancer, autism, and other patients for pain, seizure, or depressive disorders.
Trump's Last Vacant Cabinet Post
The Atlantic | Posted onJanuary 17, 2017 in Federal NewsThree days before Donald Trump is to be inaugurated as America’s new president, just one Cabinet agency lacks a nominee to lead it: the Department of Agriculture.
The pick has become mired in politics and drama, unsettling the agriculture industry and potentially imperiling Trump’s standing with some of his most ardent supporters—the residents of rural America. In the process, it has become a case study in the difficulty Trump will face as he begins to govern, as his sweeping promises and catchy slogans run up against competing interests.
New study reveals negative implications of raising slow growing chickens
Feedstuffs | Posted onJanuary 17, 2017 in Agriculture NewsIn assessing a transition to a slower-growing breed, the environmental impact is an important component often left out of the equation, NCC said. If only one-third of broiler chicken producers switched to a slower-growing breed, nearly 1.5 billion more birds would be needed annually to produce the same amount of meat currently produced — requiring a tremendous increase in water, land and fuel consumption. This would amount to: Additional feed — It will take enough feed to fill 670,000 more tractor trailers on the road per year, using millions more gallons of fuel annually.
U.S. dairy groups urge Trump to set his sights on Canadian dairy policies
cbc.ca | Posted onJanuary 17, 2017 in Federal NewsU.S. dairy groups are calling on Donald Trump to set his sights on Canada's "protectionist" dairy practices as he seeks to safeguard American jobs. The International Dairy Foods Association, National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council, along with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture say a planned national Canadian ingredients strategy will block U.S. exports in violation of NAFTA and the World Trade Organization. Ontario milk pricing policies adopted last April are hurting U.S.