Agriculture

In response to strong consumer demand for chicken, Tyson Foods announced plans to build a $320 million poultry complex in eastern Kansas. The company will construct a processing plant, hatchery and feed mill near the city of Tonganoxie, in Leavenworth County, Kansas, which will employ about 1,600 people and contract with northeast Kansas farmers and ranchers to raise chickens. The operation, scheduled to begin production in mid-2019, will produce pre-packaged trays of fresh chicken for retail grocery stores nationwide. [node:read-more:link]

When Freddie Botur, 45, whose ranch spans 72,000 acres outside of Pinedale, Wyoming, first heard about a program that was paying ranchers to let water run down the river instead of irrigating with it, he was skeptical. [node:read-more:link]

With the fall comes opening day of several popular hunting seasons across the state.  For Texas landowners, this often means entering into hunting lease agreements that generate added income for the operation.  Under Texas law, a landowner leasing private property for hunting in return for any type of compensation is required to obtain a Hunting Lease License from Texas Parks and Wildlife  (“TPW”).  Note, this is separate from a hunting license that the hunter must possess. [node:read-more:link]

New York has dedicated millions in recent years to support a younger agricultural generation, and to promote the growth of niche crops such as hops. But they leave gaps that Maxwell and other groups said prevent them from being useful in common situations. [node:read-more:link]

France will vote against renewing the European license for weedkiller glyphosate, an official at the environment ministry said Wednesday, adding to uncertainty over the future of widely-used products such as Monsanto's Roundup in the European Union. Concerns over glyphosate's risk to human health have prompted investigations by U.S. [node:read-more:link]

This year was going to be different. The cotton looked good. Unbelievably good. Fat bolls loaded on compact stalks. A sea of white, as far as the eye could see. Matagorda County farmer Robby Reed was hopeful. Until a bad boy named Harvey paid a visit.Some say it’s the hurricane for the decades. For Robby, it’s the storm of a lifetime.He’s 39 years old—a young farmer by most standards. He’s suffered through hard times, but 2017 may be his toughest year yet.More than 20 inches of rain has fallen, and the family farm is completely underwater.Half of Robby’s cotton is still in the fields. [node:read-more:link]

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Exports of all U.S. potatoes and potato products reached a record USD1.7bn for the July 2016 – June 2017 marketing year, and a record volume level of 1,712,364 metric tons (MT), according to Potatoes USA. Fresh potato exports at 491,716 MT were up 9%, potato chip exports up 5% to 52,103 MT and frozen products up 3% to 1,026,429 MT.   [node:read-more:link]

Coalition of animal rights groups files ballot language which would require all eggs sold in the state to be from cage-free systems, all pork and veal sold in state to be from farms that don’t use crates. [node:read-more:link]

A university student has gone from stool to stools after transforming cow manure into a range of designer household furniture. [node:read-more:link]