AgClips
Recent AgClips
Without energy, West Virginia's economy is flat, and that's a problem
West Virginia Public Broadcasting | Posted onMay 10, 2016 in Energy NewsIt's possible West Virginia's coal mines might never come back. It's something both presumptive presidential nominees have been reckoning with as they campaign in the state ahead of Tuesday's primary.
Bill introduced in Ohio Senate would extend freeze on renewable-energy standards
Cleveland.com | Posted onMay 10, 2016 in Energy NewsOhio Sen. Bill Seitz, a Republican from Cincinnati, introduced a bill on Monday that would extend a freeze on the state's renewable energy standards for another three years.
After lifting the freeze in 2019, Senate Bill 320 would phase in renewable energy goals in three-year increments through 2028. Utilities would be required to obtain 5.5 percent of their energy from renewable sources in 2022, 8.5 percent in 2025 and 11.5 percent in 2028. Starting in 2029, the goal would be 12.5 percent.
PJM Study Defends Markets, Warns State Policies can Harm Competition
RTO Insider | Posted onMay 10, 2016 in Energy NewsA PJM Energy Market analysis released concludes that the RTO’s markets are efficiently managing the entry and exit of capacity resources but warns their efforts could be hamstrung by policies to protect social, economic or political interests.“Policymakers must weigh these trade-offs, but understand that pursuing individual actions that ‘defeat’ efficient market outcomes will aggregate to a point they will altogether thwart effective operation of the market to the point it can no longer be relied upon to govern resource exit and entry and attract capital investment when needed,” it said.
Hawaii plan would offset cost of organic farm certification
Seattle Times | Posted onMay 10, 2016 in Agriculture NewsA bill passed by the Hawaii Legislature sets up tax breaks for Hawaii farmers to offset the cost of becoming certified as organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hawaii is the first state to pass such a law.
Under the Hawaii bill farmers could get up to $50,000 in tax credits for qualifying expenses, which include application fees, inspection costs and equipment or supplies needed to produce organic products. The state would be capped at giving out $2 million in tax breaks per year.
Mechanical Onion Harvesting a Game Changer
WTOC.com | Posted onMay 10, 2016 in Agriculture NewsRide through rural South Georgia this time of year and you'll see teams of migrant workers picking sweet onions from the field. Farmers have struggled for decades to use a federal program to get documented workers. At one Tattnall County farm, a labor crisis may have helped find a solution.
Gary Ray looked behind him as a machine replaced dozens of workers harvesting onions from his field. For years, his family has endured the red tape to get legal migrant workers through a federal program. He says this year, the workers didn't show.
Opponents call cage-free egg ballot question rotten
Boston Globe | Posted onMay 10, 2016 in Agriculture NewsA dispute over a ballot question that would mandate all eggs sold in Massachusetts be from hens that are cage-free is headed to the state’s highest court, a sign of the increasing intensity in a battle between agricultural interests and animal welfare advocates. The Supreme Judicial Court on June 8 will hear arguments in a lawsuit backed by a group allied with the agriculture industry. Protect the Harvest is disputing Attorney General Maura Healey’s approval of the referendum language, arguing it doesn’t follow the state Constitution’s requirements for initiative petitions.And the nonprof
Peanuts, John Block Commentary on Trade
OFW Law | Posted onMay 10, 2016 in Federal NewsAs a farmer, I would not like it if Europe shipped subsidized beef into our market. That would undercut our prices. What if Brazil shipped subsidized soybeans to us? We would be furious.
Did you know that the U.S. government does this all of the time? Think about it this way. There are millions of people underfed, some starving, in many countries. The humanitarian thing to do is, send them food. And we should, but it’s not as simple as that.
Cartoonist says his work got him axed
Des Moines Register | Posted onMay 10, 2016 in Rural NewsA freelance cartoonist says he was fired for drawing an editorial cartoon that bemoaned Iowa farmers' dwindling profits while CEOs at large agricultural corporations earn millions of dollars.
The organic food revolution that is minting millionaires
CNBC | Posted onMay 10, 2016 in Food NewsConsumer demand is helping many start-ups pull off a successful launch, even in an industry notoriously difficult to crack because of competition from large retailers. Take Thrive Market, a Los Angeles start-up that sells specialty organic food and beauty products. The online grocer garnered $10 million in sales after just 17 months from its launch - a stunning rate of growth - that has surprised its founders and investors, as well as execs across the food industry.
Atlantic Sunrise pipeline gets a green light from FERC and a lawsuit from enviros
State Impact - Pennsylvania | Posted onMay 9, 2016 in Energy NewsThe Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline project won preliminary approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday, paving the way for the $3 billion expansion of the Transco system to move forward as environmentalists simultaneously filed a federal lawsuit objecting to the pipeline. FERC released its draft environmental impact statement, concluding the environmental impact would not be significant.