AgClips
Recent AgClips
Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature'
The Guardian | Posted onFebruary 11, 2019 in Rural NewsThe world’s insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”, according to the first global scientific review.More than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered, the analysis found. The rate of extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles.
Soybeans singled out in U.S.-China trade war, but small farmers bear the brunt
Harvest Public Media | Posted onFebruary 11, 2019 in Agriculture NewsIn theory, closing off China’s soybean market due to the trade dispute with the U.S. on top of generally low prices for the commodity should affect all industry players, big to small. Agriculture economist Pat Westhoff begged to differ. “The impact on total revenue may be very similar across the scale of production,” according to Westhoff, who’s an ag economics professor at the University of Missouri. “But sometimes the effect on net revenue can be very different.
A "green" new deal
Storm Lake Times | Posted onFebruary 11, 2019 in Energy NewsA lot of people, including presidential candidates visiting Iowa, are throwing around the idea of a “Green New Deal” to confront climate change, as polls indicate more Americans are thinking about how they can help turn back the devastation that Earth’s warming promises. It’s easy to support until the specifics come down. Nobody really knows what such a program entails. But we hear of increasing taxes on the uber wealthy in just about every way you can imagine to pay for a massive national effort to create jobs around “green” initiatives.
U.S. to end tomato trade pact with Mexico, threatening duties
Reuters | Posted onFebruary 11, 2019 in Agriculture, Federal NewsThe United States will resume an anti-dumping investigation into Mexican tomatoes, the Commerce Department said on Thursday, withdrawing from a 2013 managed trade deal that U.S. growers and lawmakers say has failed.
New USDA 'toolkit' features resources for high-speed internet in rural areas
Tribune Live | Posted onFebruary 10, 2019 in Rural NewsThe federal government is encouraging rural communities to take advantage of new opportunities to expand broadband internet service. The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a new toolkit to support the deployment of high-speed internet service in rural communities.
Michigan House votes to reject Whitmer's environmental executive order
Detroit Free Press | Posted onFebruary 10, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe state House voted 58-51 on Wednesday to reject a sweeping environmental executive order signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in a move Whitmer denounced as an irresponsible vote against clean drinking water. The party-line vote in the House followed an earlier 3-2 vote in the Government Operations Committee.The resolution now moves to the Senate, if the Senate also votes to reject the order, that would kill it. The action by the House is a sign that talk about a bipartisan working relationship between Michigan's new Democratic governor and the Republican Legislature is quickly evaporating.
Oklahoma board to consider new poultry house location rules
San Francisco Chronicle | Posted onFebruary 10, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe Oklahoma Board of Agriculture is set to consider measures Tuesday that would establish regulations for the location of poultry operations. Most important among the new proposals is one that requires poultry houses with more than 30,000 birds to be at least a quarter-mile (0.4-kilometers) from any home, The Tulsa World reported. Operations with 30,000 or fewer birds would have a 1,000-foot (300-meter) setback.
Milk Loyalty Program Kicking Off in California
Brownfield | Posted onFebruary 10, 2019 in Food NewsCalifornia dairy farmers have launched a customer loyalty program to reward consumers for buying real dairy milk. “Moo Money” rewards will be available through the end of April on any milk purchase made in-store or online in California. The California Milk Processor Broad says consumers just need to snap a photo of their receipt and submit online at moomoney.com to receive points toward cash rewards.
Trade barriers take growing toll on pork exports
Meating Place (free registration required) | Posted onFebruary 10, 2019 in Agriculture NewsRetaliatory tariffs imposed by China and Mexico caused declines in U.S. pork exports to steepen in November, according to USDA statistics compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). November pork exports totaled 206,852 metric tons, down 8 percent year over year, while value fell 12 percent to $538.7 million.
Montana pitches COOL bill
Meating Place (free registration required) | Posted onFebruary 10, 2019 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsA new bill seeking country-of-origin-labeling on meat products has been introduced in the Montana legislature. Senate Bill 206 generally would require COOL placarding on beef and pork at Montana supermarkets.Specifically, the bill would require retailers to differentiate between 1) meat that is born, raised and processed in the United States,