A blood test that identifies chickens with innate immunity to pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter could help breed sturdier flocks for improved consumer food safety, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service said, citing an in-house study. [node:read-more:link]
A high school senior will propose a bill during the 2018 Idaho legislative session requiring high school students to complete at least two agriculture education classes.If it passes, that means every student in the state would have to take at least two semesters of classes that teach them about agriculture. In other words, they would emerge from those classes with at least a basic understanding of the farming and ranching industry and where their food comes from, said Anna Peterson, 17, an FFA member at Skyview High School in Nampa who is proposing the legislation. [node:read-more:link]
A recent analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has raised concerns about the potential impact the Congressional tax bills could have on farm programs and the farm bill. In short, the concern raised is that if the tax bills increase the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years, existing statutory requirements for sequestration and Pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) would require automatic reductions to offset the deficit increases. [node:read-more:link]
Marijuana has deeply divided financially strapped Calaveras County, among many where growers are increasingly open about their operations and are starting to encroach on neighborhoods.DiBasilio estimates the county — population 44,000 and about the size of Rhode Island — has more than 1,000 illegal farms in addition to the hundreds with permits or in the process of obtaining them. [node:read-more:link]
What would happen if U.S. farmers stopped producing animals for food and Americans went vegan? Noting some have called for a move toward veganism to address concerns about U.S. health, eating habits and climate change, researchers at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and Virginia Tech set out to explore the nutritional and greenhouse gas impacts of removing animals from U.S. agriculture.They found that a complete shift away from food animal production would present major challenges to meeting America's nutritional needs. [node:read-more:link]
Ohio's outline for sharply reducing what's making algae flourish in Lake Erie clearly shows that changes in farming methods are what's needed. The blueprint also has a long list of ways to do that, but some environmental groups say the state's updated plan still lacks clear direction about what should come next.The plan released Nov. [node:read-more:link]
Fresno, Calif.-based Gerawan Farming plans to appeal a recent ruling on labor contract mediation to the U,S. Supreme Court. On Nov. 27, the California Supreme Court upheld the Mandatory Mediation and Conciliation law, which allows state mediators to settle union contracts through binding mediation when parties can’t reach an agreement.“Today’s decision imposes the United Farm Workers on our employees, whether they want the UFW or not,” the company said in a statement. [node:read-more:link]
Monsanto went before an Arkansas judge on Friday to ask the court to stop the state’s plan to ban dicamba use from April through October. Dicamba has been a source of complaints from farmers across the state, who say the product has drifted to their fields and caused widespread damage. The state’s ban on dicamba is expected to go before a legislative panel for approval next month, but Monsanto says the action is necessary because farmers are already buying the product for the next growing season. [node:read-more:link]
Monsanto Co said on Thursday that Mexico’s agriculture sanitation authority SENASICA had revoked its permit to commercialize genetically modified soy in seven states, criticizing the decision as unjustified.Monsanto said in a statement that the permit had been withdrawn on unwarranted legal and technical grounds. The company said it would take the necessary steps to safeguard its rights and those of farmers using the technology, but did not elaborate.SENASICA officials could not immediately be reached for comment. [node:read-more:link]
Financial incentives are commonly used to promote voluntary adoption of agricultural best management practices (BMPs), but little is known about farmer preferences among alternative incentives. Using experimental procurement auctions, we evaluate how different conservation incentives affect farmer willingness to adopt BMPs that reduce phosphorus (P) runoff, a major driver of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. We rank incentives (e.g., payment, BMP insurance, tax credit, and certification price premium) by the cost per pound of P runoff reduction. [node:read-more:link]
