AgClips
Recent AgClips
Rate of insured improves, expecially in rural areas
Daily Yonder | Posted onJune 30, 2016 in Rural NewsStates that expanded Medicaid saw a significant increase in the percentage of residents who have health insurance, according to a new report from Health and Human Resources. The growth was especially strong in rural areas. States that did not expand Medicaid also saw an increase in the percentage of residents with insurance, but the gains were not as large.
Arkansas: New study to require drilling at hog farm
Arkansas online | Posted onJune 30, 2016 in Agriculture NewsState-hired scientists continued to state that research shows no evidence that C&H Hog Farms is polluting its surrounding environment in the Buffalo River watershed, and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality announced it would commission a study of the facility as requested by opponents of the hog farm.
US poultry faces ‘Trump factor,’ anti-trade sentiment
Watt Ag Net | Posted onJune 30, 2016 in Federal NewsAnti-trade sentiment among U.S. voters – fanned by rhetoric in the 2016 presidential campaign – could work to disrupt U.S. efforts to restore trade with China in chicken leg quarters and paws, according to Jim Sumner, president, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council. Pew polling earlier in 2016 showed most Democrats supporting trade (60 percent), but anti-trade sentiments surging among Republicans (with 40 percent calling free trade a good thing vs. 52 percent seeing it as a bad thing).
In Nashville, what should rural look like?
Tennessean.com | Posted onJune 30, 2016 in Rural NewsIs the best representation of rural character to mandate fields remain fields as outlined in Nashville Next, or should we foster development that reflects the intent of preserving a rural look and feel? The owners of Fontanel are challenging a decision by the Metro Planning Commission that prevents them from building a conference hotel on 30 acres next to their existing property.
EPA: Maryland on track to meet 2017 Bay pollution goals
The Star | Posted onJune 30, 2016 in Federal NewsThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently released its evaluations of Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions’ restoration efforts, and Maryland is on track to meet all its 2017 target goals. The EPA evaluated restoration efforts of the six Bay states — Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia — and the District of Columbia from 2014 to 2015 to determine whether the jurisdictions will meet their midpoint 2017 goals.
Food at farmers' markets competitively priced with retail stores
Greenfield Reporter | Posted onJune 30, 2016 in Food NewsA Vermont Agency of Agriculture study has found that many foods sold at farmers' markets are competitively priced with those same products sold at retail stores. Among the findings:— 92 percent of certified organic produce at farmers' markets is competitively priced, defined as within a 10% price range, with the same produce in retail stores. — Local meats and proteins sold at farmers' markets also are competitively priced with retail stores more than 57% of the time.
Most top fast food chains have policies on antibiotics
Watt Ag Net | Posted onJune 30, 2016 in Food NewsPerhaps now more than ever, restaurant chains are having more of an influence on how U.S. farmers raise poultry and livestock. A recently released report revealed that for the first time ever, Americans are spending more money eating out than on groceries. With that in mind, it’s worth watching which restaurant chains are hot and which are not, as well as which ones are responding to pressures to adopt stricter policies on antibiotic use. Among the largest QSR chains in the U.S., Chick-fil-A ranked highest with an 87 percent satisfaction rate.
Farmer to challenge Clean Water Act tillage ruling
Capital Press | Posted onJune 30, 2016 in Federal NewsA California farmer plans to challenge a recent court ruling that he violated the Clean Water Act by tilling through wetlands in his field. A federal judge has ruled John Duarte of Tehama County, Calif., should have obtained a Clean Water Act permit to run shanks through the wetlands at a depth of four to six inches, creating furrows prior to planting wheat in a 450-acre pasture.
Genetic pesticide: Monsanto, startups seek alternatives to manage bugs and weeds
St Louis Post Dispatch | Posted onJune 30, 2016 in Agriculture NewsIf not treated, the invasive varroa mite will almost certainly show up in a honeybee hive, latching on to the pollinators, feeding off their internal fluids and threatening to weaken the colony to the point of collapse. Western bees never evolved defenses to the Asian parasite, brought to North America about 30 years ago. Many of the existing treatments are mite-targeting pesticides that can damage the bees or their honey.
Farmers are People too
Medium.com | Posted onJune 30, 2016 in Agriculture NewsIt’s a foregone conclusion amongst food and ag writers that there is something wrong with the way we grow food in America. Paging through the best-selling volumes by Michael Pollan, Mark Bittman, Dan Barber, and others will lead you to one conclusion; there’s a better way to farm out there, and they’ve found it. After you close the book/put down your NYTimes, you’re inevitably left to wonder, if these journalists and chefs found these solutions, farmers must be willfully ignoring them.