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Metal Tariffs Still Dog USMCA
DTN | Posted onFebruary 25, 2019 in Agriculture NewsAgriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue talked about trade and the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts at the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum on Thursday. But a lingering problem remains over how and when the Trump administration would remove steel and aluminum tariffs against the country's closest trade partners. To protect domestic steel and aluminum manufacturers, President Donald Trump last March placed national security "Section 232" tariffs of 25% on imported steel and 10% on imported aluminum.
Arkansas panel approves rules for use of herbicide dicamba
Arkansas Democrat Gazette | Posted onFebruary 25, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsAn Arkansas panel has adopted a plan to allow restricted use of an herbicide banned in the wake of complaints that it drifted onto crops and caused damage. The Arkansas Plant Board voted after a 9½-hour public hearing to allow the use of dicamba through May 25. The new restrictions also would impose a half-mile buffer zone around research stations, organic crops, specialty crops, non-tolerant dicamba crops and other sensitive crops. The rules now go to lawmakers for approval.The state had previously banned dicamba's use from April 16 through Oct. 31.
Kansas Senate passes Farm Bureau health-plan bill, dodges Medicaid expansion
The Topeka Capital-Journal | Posted onFebruary 25, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsA bid to force debate on Gov. Laura Kelly’s plan for Medicaid expansion Wednesday was blocked on procedural grounds ahead of Kansas Senate votes advancing a bill granting Kansas Farm Bureau the exclusive opportunity to offer a basic health benefit plan not subject to standard medical insurance policies.
Oregon canola debate spills into Legislature
Capital Press | Posted onFebruary 25, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsNegotiations over canola restrictions in Oregon’s Willamette Valley have spilled into the legislative arena with the introduction of a bill limiting annual plantings to 500 acres.
Plant-based, animal protein demand shows no sign of letting up
Agri-Pulse | Posted onFebruary 25, 2019 in Food NewsFarmers, ranchers, fisherman and the rest of agribusiness will try to satisfy dietary protein demands as the global population soars in number toward the nine billion the United Nations projects by 2040. With that steady increase comes rising incomes and, especially in developing countries, demand for more and more protein-laden foods. How to meet the demand?
Trump tariffs mar US, Mexico, Canada unity message
Agri-Pulse | Posted onFebruary 21, 2019 in Federal NewsThe top U.S., Canadian and Mexican agriculture officials came together today to espouse the benefits of trilateral cooperation and a newly renegotiated North American trade pact, but the unity was marred by the Trump administration’s refusal to lift its steel and aluminum tariffs. U.S.
Legislation adds up costs of Idaho's new hemp program
Capital Press | Posted onFebruary 21, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsAn Idaho House bill that would legalize hemp as an agricultural commodity in accordance with a new federal law now includes estimates of how much it will cost. A fiscal note included with House Bill 122, discussed in a hearing Feb.
Defenders of raw milk focusing on liberty more than health
Edairy News | Posted onFebruary 21, 2019 in Food, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe Tennessee Senate Commerce and Labor Committee has yet to schedule a hearing on the Briggs bill, but what lawmakers are hearing is that Senate Bill (SB) 15 pits community health against civil liberties.Briggs, is a Republican, a cardiac surgeon and a retired U.S. Army Colonel. He represents Knoxville in the Tennessee Senate, told Ohio television station WTOL Channel 11 that the controversy his bill has caused is like “kicking a hornet’s nest.” Raw milk dairy farmers are fighting for their loophole, saying civil liberties are at stake for both producers and consumers of raw milk.
How much longer can the average dairy farmer endure their financial crisis?
Edairy News | Posted onFebruary 21, 2019 in Agriculture NewsPennsylvania dairy farmers are being short-changed at least $550 million dollars each year, and New York dairy farmers are facing a $650 million dollar shortfall, which should make everyone anxious to do something to correct these criminal prices that dairy farmers are facing everyday. Our figures indicate that the total underpayments to all the US dairy farmers each year are approximately $12 billion. But wait, it gets much worse. Using a multiplier of five, the total loss to our rural economy across the US is approximately $60 billion per year.
Examining Food Loss and Food Waste in the United States
Choices Magazine | Posted onFebruary 21, 2019 in Food NewsFood that is lost before it reaches the consumer, and food that is wasted by consumers, has been estimated to account for as much as 40% of the total food produced in the United States (Buzby, Wells, and Hyman, 2014; Hall et al., 2009). This represents losses of important resources—including water, chemical inputs, and labor—as well as unused nutrients for consumers. Stakeholders along the supply chain are increasingly interested in developing improved approaches to measuring food waste, understanding its determinants, and devising strategies to ultimately reduce it.