Agriculture

Monday the Arkansas Supreme Court reinforced a ban on dicamba products in the state, halting another judge’s ruling that would exempt some farmers from the ban. Justices stayed a Clay Country judge’s order that prohibited the state Plant Board from enforcing the dicamba ban. The freeze on the dicamba ban was permitted and Judge Tonya Alexander said farmers “face the immediate, irreparable harm to their crops” without the product, Arkansas Online reports. This freeze lasted less than two weeks before the Supreme Court overruled. [node:read-more:link]

Following reports of an increase in aggressive tactics in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids throughout New York, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo last week issued a cease and desist letter to halt the enforcement actions or he says he will commence legal action. Cuomo specifically cited the recent detaining and jailing of an employee at a dairy farm in Rome, NY in his letter: “On the morning of April 18, farmer John Collins heard a commotion on his property. [node:read-more:link]

Judge William Orrick has denied a request by Klamath Basin irrigators to suspend a court injunction that is holding up the irrigation season for farmers and ranchers. [node:read-more:link]

Farmers, ranchers, and the whole ag industry have a lot to worry about. Start with farm income – our income has been cut in half over the last 3 or 4 years. There are some hopeful developments. The drought in Argentina and a production shortfall in Brazil may help to lift some of our prices. Brazil’s corn production dropped from 94.5 million tons to 89 million tons. Argentine corn and soybean production took an even bigger hit. I see in Agri-Pulse Daybreak that Brazilian livestock producers want their government to lift tariffs on U.S. corn imports. Amazing! Do they really need our corn? [node:read-more:link]

Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today unveiled a new interactive webpage to identify best practices for building rural prosperity. “Rural communities need forward-thinking strategies to build strong, resilient futures,” Hazlett said. [node:read-more:link]

Wisconsin strengthened its hold as the nation's top cheese maker by producing a record 3.37 billion pounds last year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Wisconsin accounted for about 26 percent of the 12.7 billion pounds of cheese produced in the U.S. last year.Wisconsin saw a 7 percent increase in Hispanic cheese production, a 5.5 percent increase of American cheese and a 3.7 percent increase in Italian cheese, Wisconsin State Journal reported . [node:read-more:link]

Several private equity firms are said to be considering a bid for Elanco, the animal health division of Eli Lilly and Co., as the company considers its options for the unit. Bain Capital, Advent International Corp. and Carlyle Group L.P. are among the firms that may look to bid for Elanco. According to a JPMorgan Chase & Co. estimate from December, the business could be valued at $14 billion to $16 billion. In October, Eli Lilly launched a strategic review of Elanco to review alternatives that could enhance its profitability. [node:read-more:link]

New York state is investing money in nearly three dozen local farms to help them curb carbon emissions and prepare for climate change. The office of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that the state will spend $2.2 million on the program, now in its fourth year.The money will go to 34 farms around the state. The program is intended to fund efforts to make farms more water and energy efficient, and to help them prepare for droughts or severe weather.Some farms will spend the money on cover crops to prevent erosion and suck up carbon. [node:read-more:link]

Veterinarians in North America and Europe are under pressure to reduce antimicrobial administration on swine farms. Determining which uses are judicious and measuring outcomes are difficult, according to speakers at a March 3-6 meeting of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians in San Diego. They described challenges related to collecting data that could be used to set policy and link changes in antimicrobial use with outcomes in prevalence of drug resistance, as well as those related to policymaking swayed more by opinion than research.Dr. [node:read-more:link]

The Kasich administration and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency are poised to take a stronger regulatory approach to cleaning up the state’s waters, including the open waters of Lake Erie. Three weeks after declaring the western portion of Lake Erie impaired, the Ohio EPA, on April 16, released a study showing “no clear trend” of a nutrient loading decrease in most of the state’s watersheds, citing agriculture and other nonpoint sources as the main contributor. [node:read-more:link]