AgClips
Recent AgClips
Texas high court sides with landowners in surface rights case
Feedstuffs | Posted onJune 7, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of Coyote Lake Ranch LLC in its case against the city of Lubbock, Texas. The court ruled that the accommodation doctrine that applies to mineral estates shall also apply to surface estates — a decision praised by the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Assn. (TSCRA). “The Supreme Court’s decision is a major victory for landowners across Texas,” TSCRA president Richard Thorpe said. “This ruling clarifies surface owners have protections against those who may own an interest in not only the mineral estate but also the surface estate.”
U.S. cheese among world's best
Feedstuffs | Posted onJune 7, 2016 in Food NewsEarlier this spring, the U.S. won a large majority of the medals awarded at the 2016 World Championship Cheese Contest, proving that it can compete with the world’s best cheeses. Expert judges from 16 different countries critiqued 2,959 cheeses from 23 countries. Only 330 cheeses, or 11%, won medals, and three out of four medal winners were from the U.S. For the first time since 1988, the top award in the contest went to a U.S.
Chicken Council seeks mandatory labeling on frozen chicken products
Feedstuffs | Posted onJune 7, 2016 in Food NewsIn an effort to ensure safe eating experiences and address potential consumer confusion, the National Chicken Council (NCC) petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) for mandatory labeling of raw, stuffed chicken products that may appear cooked and ready to eat (RTE). These raw chicken products, typically sold frozen, include items such as breaded, pre-browned chicken cordon bleu, chicken Kiev and chicken stuffed with broccoli and cheese
USDA Expands Access to Capital for Rural Businesses
USDA | Posted onJune 7, 2016 in Federal NewsUSDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service Administrator Sam Rikkers today unveiled new rules to expand access to capital for rural businesses. "Access to capital is one of the most important needs for businesses," Rikkers said. "USDA is partnering with the Treasury Department and other agencies to ensure that rural businesses have the resources they need to prosper and grow.
Crowdfunding: the Future of Angel Investor Funding?
Govtech.com | Posted onJune 7, 2016 in Rural NewsCrowdfunding could allow mom-and-pop investors to function as angel investors. Angel investors are usually the first or early-stage investors - often friends and family - who put money into start-ups and expect returns after many years when the companies go public. Crowdfunding would allow mom-and-pop investors to function as angel investors, as well.
New Montana law puts a unique spin on crowdfunding
Billings Gazette | Posted onJune 7, 2016 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsCrowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising small financial contributions from a large number of people. The most well-known types of crowdfunding are internet-based and typically involve a donation instead of an investment. The Montana Legislature, however, enacted a unique kind of Montana-based crowdfunding law. Under the new law, the company must complete an application available on the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance website and pay a fee before soliciting investors. All investors in the crowdfunding project must be Montana residents.
Rural Disasters- Saving Lives and Livelihoods
Daily Yonder | Posted onJune 7, 2016 in Rural NewsRural disasters often mobilize two self-described groups: “The red-light team” from the official ranks of fire, emergency medicine and law enforcement systems. And “the Carhartt and cowboy-hat army,” including agriculture producers and their children, friends, and relatives serving officially and unofficially as emergency responders. Both groups bring critical knowledge and skills. An inter-agency effort that includes land-grant university Extension offices is helping these groups work together to achieve better results.
Goule - New NAWG CEO plans to help wheat industry gear up for Farm Bill discussions
Capital Press | Posted onJune 7, 2016 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe new CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers wants to make sure farmers have a strong voice in writing the 2018 Farm Bill. Chandler Goule will begin July 5 as the organization’s top executive in Washington, D.C. He is moving over from his previous job as senior vice president of programs at the National Farmers Union. Goule said both organizations are grassroots, farmer-driven organizations.
New cider institute aims to guide fast-growing industry
Capital Press | Posted onJune 7, 2016 in NewsA new organization plans to help Oregon State University and Cornell University train people to make hard apple cider, an industry that is growing rapidly in the Pacific Northwest and is attracting the same sort of connoisseurs who favor the region’s craft beer and fine wine. Formation of the Cider Institute of North America (CINA) was announced in late May. Making and drinking hard cider is particularly popular in the Pacific Northwest.
Ag Merger Mania
DTN | Posted onJune 7, 2016 in Agriculture NewsNeil Harl has been waiting for an uprising in the countryside that doesn't seem to be coming. A professor emeritus in ag economics at Iowa State University, Harl has been watching the consolidation of companies selling agricultural inputs his entire career. He recalls in the early 1980s there were more than 400 seed companies around the country. Consolidation in the seed industry intensified in the past three decades. Since 2010, two companies -- DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto -- have controlled 70% of corn hybrid sales, according to industry numbers.