Want to crash an insect population? Slip in a self-limiting gene and topple the family tree in two to three generations. The promise of biotech mosquitoes to combat the pest that spreads Zika, dengue and yellow fever grabs the headlines, but just off center stage, the same technology utilizing genetically engineered (GE) insects is being tested on U.S. farmland. [node:read-more:link]
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday it has denied a petition by environmental groups to regulate concentrated animal feeding operations like factories under the Clean Air Act. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, in a letter to petitioners, acknowledged livestock are potential sources of air pollutants. The agency, however, doesn’t have a reliable method for estimating animal emissions. Until it does, new rules could be unjustified and ineffective, according to Pruitt. [node:read-more:link]
Dairy experts say Wisconsin farmers need to tip the scales of supply and demand back into their favor in order to get better prices, but producers are unsure of what methods to take. [node:read-more:link]
California’s legal marijuana market is finally, fitfully, taking shape. The state on Thursday issued the first batch of business licenses to sell and transport recreational-use pot, just 18 days before legal sales will begin on Jan. [node:read-more:link]
AgriLife Research, part of the Texas A&M University System, topped the rankings followed by the University of Florida at $154 million, University of California-Davis, $142.5 million, and Purdue University, $130.7 million. [node:read-more:link]
An initiative backed by agricultural giant Cargill aims to fund and mentor startup companies focused on technologies that support the growing farm-to-fork trend, according to a press release about the effort. The Minnesota-based Farm to Fork Accelerator, co-funded by Ecolab and Cargill in partnership with venture capital firm Techstars, will focus on agriculture, food-related digital technology, food processing and food safety. [node:read-more:link]
DowDuPont has registered domains that could provide a look at what the company's Delaware-based agricultural business will be called. The recently-merged organization has registered various website domains featuring the name Corteva [node:read-more:link]
As sprawling algae blooms turned the Maumee River green in downtown Toledo this fall, Lucas County Commissioners turned up the heat on the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the many western Ohio farmers that are contributing to the dramatic uptick in Lake Erie's phosphorus levels.
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Big data study of global biodiversity shows ineffective national governance is a better indicator of species decline than any other measure of 'anthropogenic impact.' Even protected conservation areas make little difference in countries that struggle with socio-political stability. [node:read-more:link]
he promotion of greater diversification and biodiversity in farming and food systems has long been a major goal of the Kansas Rural Center. Diversity in people, cultures and ideas, and a small but growing number of foreign-born immigrants, are also changing the state’s demographics. According to the Pew Research Center, two percent of Kansas’ population in 1980 were foreign-born residents; by 2012, that number had grown to six-and-a-half percent. [node:read-more:link]
