AgClips
Recent AgClips
Hedgehogs, hunting wear and a host of peculiar bills in the Maine Legislature
Portland Press Herald | Posted onJanuary 14, 2017 in Rural NewsSen. Eric Brakey wants to allow the unlicensed ownership of hedgehogs as pets. Rep. Mattie Daughtry is seeking legislation that would regulate rabbit production for local consumption. Rep.
Volunteer Firehouses Struggle to Find Recruits
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onJanuary 14, 2017 in Rural NewsThis all-volunteer fire station and the two others in Shippensburg, a factory and university town of about 5,500 people in a central Pennsylvania valley, are vestiges of the past. Firefighters sit around on weekdays playing rummy, and people gather for bingo Friday nights. Yet, the stations are much quieter than they were decades ago, when they felt like the center of the town. And as the community’s interests have shifted from the fire stations, the number of volunteers has fallen. “Everybody has other things occupying their time,” said Shippensburg Fire Chief Randy O’Donnell.
Slow groing birds increase water, feed, land and fuel use.
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onJanuary 14, 2017 in Food NewsThe idea of slower-growing broilers has caught on quickly in both food production and consumption circles as it appeals to consumers’ desire for “simpler,” old-fashioned means of food production.
Sterile screwworms to be released on Florida mainland in effort to prevent outbreak
Miami Herald | Posted onJanuary 14, 2017 in Rural NewsIn the coming weeks, swarms of sterile screwworm flies will blanket parts of the Middle Keys, an army of millions manufactured in Panama to combat an outbreak of the flesh-eating pest attacking the islands’ beloved Key deer. No screwworms have been detected on the mainland, but because so little is known about the dog — a German shepherd — or where it came from, officials want to act aggressively to prevent the spread of the grisly outbreak that has ravaged endangered Key deer. Since September, at least 135 deer, part of the last herd on the planet, have died in the Lower Keys.
SNAP Wars: Scott Walker, Tom Vilsack and Drug Testing of SNAP Beneficiaries
OFW Law | Posted onJanuary 14, 2017 in Food NewsFor more than 20 years, Federal law has expressly provided that states may test welfare recipients for use of controlled substances free from interference of federal agencies. 21 U.S.C. §862(b). Relying upon this Congressional enactment, Wisconsin passed Act 55 during 2015. Act 55 authorized new drug screening and testing requirements for certain SNAP beneficiaries in the Badger State. These new requirements teed up a conflict with a long-standing U.S.
Rare foot rot disease may be infecting Kansas deer population
The Topeka Capital Journal | Posted onJanuary 14, 2017 in Rural NewsAn unusual type of contagious foot disease may be affecting Kansas’ deer population at a higher than average rate, and the cause isn’t yet known. Tim Donges, president of the Quality Deer Management Association’s Bluestem branch, said reports of foot rot have been coming in at an alarming rate in recent weeks.
Ban on powdered gloves takes effect January 18
AVMA | Posted onJanuary 14, 2017 in Agriculture NewsPowdered gloves will no longer be permitted for use in veterinary medicine beginning January 18, under a rule issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For veterinarians who already use non-powdered gloves, the rule will have no impact. In fact, the FDA indicated that Global Industry Analysts projected the share of powdered disposable medical gloves sales to decrease to only 2 percent in 2015, so many medical providers likely won’t feel an effect from the rule.
New Financing Helps Iowa Farmers Pass the Torch
Public News Service | Posted onJanuary 14, 2017 in Agriculture NewsMore than one-third of farmland in Iowa is owned by people 75 and older, and increasing land prices can make it difficult to pass the torch to the next generation of farmers. A social impact company is working in Iowa to help make these transfers possible. Through financing from Iroquois Valley Farms, fourth-generation farmer Jim Peterson of Knoxville purchased 320 acres from elderly owners whose family had owned the land since 1903. Peterson says it will be used for organic grains, cattle and sheep production, perhaps for many years to come.
Web site details Interstate Animal Movement Requirements
Interstate Livestock | Posted onJanuary 14, 2017 in Agriculture NewsQuick, accurate access to state import requirements for livestock.
Giant puts item ratings on sustainability to a test
Food Dive | Posted onJanuary 14, 2017 in Food NewsHowGood ratings will soon be available at Giant Food stores around the country, according to an emailed company statement. Stores will support the HowGood program with in-store communication including signage, education at shelf, and a trained staff member to answer questions. HowGood researches and rates products based on sustainability, including aspects such as fair wages for employees, ethical animal treatment and environmental impact. Once HowGood has the data, ratings are included on grocery store shelves across the U.S.