AgClips
Recent AgClips
Trump team flags Canadian livestock and lumber as targets in NAFTA reset
The Globe and Mail | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Federal NewsCanada’s softwood lumber and livestock producers are being targeted by Donald Trump’s transition team, which is advising the president-elect to extract terms more favourable to the United States in these areas in a renegotiation of the North American free-trade agreement. The head of Canada’s largest business group says a transition team memo obtained by CNN suggests Washington is about to embark on an “aggressive, protectionist approach to trade both with Mexico and with Canada.” The memo says on the first day he takes office – Jan.
Ag credit stress runs hot and cold
DTN | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Agriculture NewsHarvest 2016 isn't officially over, but already predictions of a fourth and fifth consecutive year of grim commodity prices in 2017 and 2018 are putting a damper on agricultural lenders' attitudes. Those attending the American Banker Association conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, this week described attitudes anywhere from relative calm in parts of the Corn Belt to severe distress in cotton and cattle country.
Kansas Depart. of Transportation delays 24 road projects amid budget uncertainty
The Wichita Eagle | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in NewsThe Kansas Department of Transportation has indefinitely postponed 24 road projects in the face of the state’s budget shortfall. The department said Monday that 14 projects estimated to cost $32 million had been postponed. It said Tuesday that number was incorrect and should be 24. The overall cost is the same. KDOT had planned to put the projects up for bid in December but decided to postpone them after it was announced last week that the state faces a $350 million budget gap.
Paws off N.J. cat claws: Assembly panel approves declaw ban
NJ.com | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in NewsNew Jersey is on its way to becoming the first state in the country to ban veterinarians from declawing cats. A bill that cleared an Assembly committee on Monday would add onychetomy — the medical term for declawing — to the list of criminal animal cruelty offenses. There would be exceptions for medical purposes. Veterinarians caught declawing a cat and people who seek them out would face a fine of up to $1,000 or six months in jail. Violators would also face a civil penalty of $500 to $2,000, according to the bill (A3899).
How some rural hospitals thrive
Daily Yonder | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Rural NewsUnder myriad pressures, an increasing number of rural hospitals are either shutting their doors or joining up with large systems. Some, though, continue to do quite well as independents. Scores of rural hospitals around the country have closed in the last six years, but Southeastern Health’s 452-bed main facility and 30 primary care and specialty clinics remain open. That gives Langley the ability to focus on local care. The challenges to viability are many. According to the University of North Carolina’s Cecil G.
Red squirrels in the British Isles are infected with leprosy bacteria
Science Daily | Posted onNovember 16, 2016 in Rural NewsMicrobiologists have discovered that red squirrels in Britain and Ireland carry the two bacterial species that cause leprosy in humans.
Government Regs Limit Precision Plant Breeding
Seed World | Posted onNovember 16, 2016 in Federal NewsThe global ag industry’s ability to feed a ballooning population may hinge on whether or not crop varieties created through genome editing and other new plant breeding innovations will fall under domestic and international regulations put in place for GMOs.
Trump deportations would hit Idaho ag, where a fourth of all workers are undocumented
Idaho Statesman | Posted onNovember 16, 2016 in Federal NewsIdaho agriculture employs more than 40 percent of all of Idaho’s undocumented immigrants. Idaho’s dairy industry is eager to see immigration reform and “certainty” in U.S. policy, said Idaho Dairymen’s Association Executive Director Bob Naerebout.
Germany considers keeping poultry indoors after bird flu outbreaks
Metro | Posted onNovember 16, 2016 in Federal NewsGermany is considering ordering its poultry farmers to keep their flocks indoors following an outbreak of bird flu in the country, German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt said. Germany and Switzerland reported new outbreaks of a severe strain of bird flu on Saturday, the latest in a series of cases across Europe. The H5N8 virus has also been found in Austria, Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Croatia. Germany will consult with countries including the Netherlands, Poland and Denmark about possible action, Schmidt said ahead of a meeting in Brussels.
Betting the Farm and Losing: Banks Seek Collateral for Debts
Bloomberg | Posted onNovember 16, 2016 in Agriculture NewsBetting the farm on record crop, livestock and dairy prices has turned into a losing investment for an expanding share of America’s agricultural heartland. The level of debt to income is the highest in three decades, and growers are increasingly unable to make loan payments. Four years after record U.S. crop and farmland values boosted purchases of land and equipment, a global surplus has sent prices tumbling and farm income into the longest slump since 1977.