Agriculture

The bill will create a new digital hub will help organize urban farmers throughout the city. The New York City council passed a bill today that will create the city’s first centralized digital hub meant specifically for urban agriculture. This hub will be run entirely by the city and will hopefully be seen as a resource for both new and established businesses. This bill, entitled 1661-A, is sponsored by council member Rafael Espinal, at the request of Eric L. Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President, and passed overwhelmingly with a 47-0 vote in the City Council. [node:read-more:link]

A new survey of young farmers finds these entrepreneurs have plenty of energy and ambition, but not nearly enough capital. Access to land, student debt, costs of labor and healthcare raise big questions for the next generation of farmers. [node:read-more:link]

Nutrient pollution refers to water quality damages caused to water resources by various forms of nitrogen and phosphorous,which are essential nutrients for living organisms. Water pollution problems occur when the concentrations of these nutrients are elevated to harmful levels by human activity. Examples of this activity include densely populated urban areas, intensive agricultural production, and substantial energy
production from fossil fuels. [node:read-more:link]

The $23bn US bread market is facing a crisis as low-protein levels in this year’s winter wheat crop have given rise to higher costs. The US wheat industry has endured a poor harvest for the past two years, resulting in a scarcity of high-protein hard wheat. [node:read-more:link]

The 2017 Iowa State University Land Value Survey was released on Tuesday, and showed that farmland values climbed 2% this year to $7326 an acre the first increase after three years of decline.“Limited land supply is driving this year’s increase in farmland values, not an improvement in the overall farm economy, said Zhang, who leads ISU’s annual survey.” [node:read-more:link]

The Organization for Competitive Markets which advocates for family farming interests, is suing the US Dept. of Agriculture for withdrawing a rule intended to protect family farmers when selling live animals to large agribusiness companies and meat processors.The lawsuit brought by OCM intends to reinstate the rule to “prohibit major meat and poultry producers who contract with farmers from engaging in unfair and deceptive practices.”The Farmer Fair Practice Rule was under the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) of the USDA. [node:read-more:link]

In between rounds of negotiation on possible changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canada’s Agriculture Minister concluded a two-day visit to Mexico City to strengthen bilateral relations and promote trade last week. Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay also attended the Mexican food and beverage trade show Alimentaria, touring the show with Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto and Mexican Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, José Calzada. [node:read-more:link]

Protestors spurred on by the environmental group Deep Green Resistance gathered at dusk in front of the Alfred A. Arraj Courthouse in downtown Denver Friday. High above their heads, the words "Colorado River Rights of Nature" loomed, lit by a spotlight projector placed outside the protester circle.The activists had come in support of a first-of-its-kind lawsuit in the U.S., the Colorado River Ecosystem v. the State of Colorado, which seeks to grant direct rights to nature in the United States. [node:read-more:link]

Education Secretary Pedro Rivera, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, and Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Patrick McDonnell participated in the grand opening of the first Head Start center in Philadelphia to use agriculture and environmental lessons for teaching science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts to young children.  The School District of Philadelphia welcomed Wolf Administration officials, local leaders and families to celebrate the opening of the Agricultural and Environmental Learning Center with Outdoor Engagement Learning Gardens. [node:read-more:link]

A federal court has sided with a group of New Mexico ranchers in a case involving a dispute over stock watering rights in the Lincoln National Forest.The US Forest Service (USFS) manages federally owned land within the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico.  As part of that management, since 1910, the USFS has issued grazing permits to ranchers to graze cattle on the federally owned forest land.  Each year the USFS determines the number of cattle that may be grazed on various portions of the forest, including the Sacramento Allotment.In 1983, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) propose [node:read-more:link]