Agriculture

The Agriculture Division of DowDuPont announced the grand opening of the Bay Area Innovation Center (BAIC) in California, a newly expanded, state-of-the-art research and development (R&D) facility focused on agricultural biotechnology discovery, enabling technology development and leading-edge informatics. Consisting of 60,000 sq. ft. of laboratories, 13,000 sq. ft. of greenhouses and 25,000 sq. ft. of office space, the BAIC will be home to more than 100 highly skilled scientists dedicated to furthering innovation in agriculture. [node:read-more:link]

A sign outside a Centreville, Va. farm has gone viral, after the family-owned business posted a photo of the message board, which reads "Resist White Supremacy." Cox Farms on Braddock Road normally uses their sign to featured produce advertisements, as well as witty words and aphorisms to visitors and passersby.In the continuing conversation on KKK and white supremacy, the farm owners say that the message is not political, but one as "concerned citizens of this country." [node:read-more:link]

Almost two thirds of commercial farmers say the cost of health insurance poses the biggest threat to their livelihoods — bigger even than land costs or market pressures, according to a new study. Most farmers viewed insurance as a must-have in a dangerous occupation where a single accident could be catastrophic. [node:read-more:link]

The budget deal unveiled by congressional leaders late Wednesday would authorize more than $1 billion in spending on farm bill programs for dairy farmers and $3 billion for cotton growers over the next decade. The cost of making seed cotton eligible for commodity supports, including Price Loss Coverage, would mostly be offset by eliminating other programs in the farm bill that specifically benefit cotton. The dairy provisions, which would make changes to the Margin Protection Program — such as lowering premiums for small- and medium-sized producers — would not be offset, however. [node:read-more:link]

When Julie Alexander said “I do” 31 years ago to a dairy farmer, she had no idea the experiences they would have and the memories they would make on their Michigan operation, Na-Lar Farm. Forty years after the dairy farm started, she had no idea the response her thoughts on the family’s exit from the industry would garner on social media. Alexander posted, to her husband, Jeff’s, initial chagrin, her thoughts as the cattle trucks left their yard one last time and their days as a dairy family ended. [node:read-more:link]

Holstein Association USA pays tribute to dairy farmers from coast to coast during the premiere episode of Holstein America. The hour-long program, sponsored by Merck Animal Health, shines a spotlight on the nation’s Holstein producers — from California’s lush central valley to the fall treetops of Vermont.  [node:read-more:link]

A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future found that, contrary to widely held assumptions, farmed fish and shrimp convert protein and calories in feed to edible seafood at rates similar to livestock (i.e., cattle, pigs, and chickens). The study contributes new insights into what is known as feed conversion efficiency – that is, the efficiency of the process by which feed is turned into meat – across species, and uses a new analysis to assess this efficiency. [node:read-more:link]

Lackluster crop prices and signs of stress for agriculture have continued in 2018, as the United States Department of Agriculture predicts net U.S. farm profits to hit a 12-year low, according to a new report. The first USDA Farm Income Forecast of 2018, released on Wednesday, predicts a 6.7 percent decline in net farm income, in addition to the lowest average of net cash farm income since 2011. The 2018 net farm income is predicted to reach $59.5 billion, a $4.3 billion decrease from 2017. [node:read-more:link]

For dairy farms in New England, the outlook for milk prices is not good this year. The stress has been tied to suicides among dairy farmers. One effort to get them help is sparking some criticism.Will Rogers and his girlfriend, Heather, run a 75-cow dairy farm in Warren, Massachusetts. It's just the two of them, and sometimes, short-term, part-time workers."Other than that, it's seven days, 365, 14, 16 hours a day that we're at it," Rogers said."Financially, mentally, physically -- [it's] very very draining," he said. [node:read-more:link]

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today ruled that the National Pork Board must cease further payments to the National Pork Producers Council for purchase of the slogan, "Pork: The Other White Meat," but did not agree with all the plaintiffs' arguments in the case. The case had been filed by the Humane Society of the United States, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, and Harvey Dillenburg, an independent pig farmer, against the Agriculture Department, which oversees checkoff programs. [node:read-more:link]