Agriculture

June 17, 2016 Webinar on unmanned aircraft and animal agriculture
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At the Capitol, lawmakers are divided on how far to go to fix the problems. Gov. Mark Dayton has made water quality an issue central to his legacy. He's pushed to boost the number of buffer strips along Minnesota lakes and rivers to help trap farm runoff, although he stepped back from some of those efforts amid pressure from some lawmakers and farm groups.  In southeastern Minnesota, about 45 minutes from Rochester, farming and water quality are regular topics for debate. [node:read-more:link]

The bipartisan legislation would take neonicotinoids away from everyday consumers who spray their home gardens and trees with these harmful pesticides. They would not be able to buy neonic-products such as Knockout Ready-to-Use Grub Killer, Ortho Bug B Gon, All-In-One Rose & Flower Care, Lesco Bandit Insecticide from the thousands of hardware stores, garden centers, nurseries in the state that sell such products. Farmers and professional gardeners, who better understand how to apply the chemicals, are exempt from the law which will come into effect in the year 2018. [node:read-more:link]

anks are tightening credit for U.S. farmers amid a rise in delinquencies, forcing some growers to turn to alternative sources of loans.  When U.S. agriculture was booming this decade, banks doled out ample credit to strong performers and weaker growers alike, said Michael Swanson, an agricultural economist at Wells Fargo & Co. But with the farm slump moving into its third year, banks have become pickier, requiring some growers to cough up more collateral and denying financing outright to some customers who need it to pay for seeds, crop chemicals and rent. [node:read-more:link]

What’s believed to be the world’s first test of its type using large unmanned aerial systems for agricultural data gathering in a public-private partnership took place at the Hillsboro (N.D.) Municipal Airport. John Nowatzki, the North Dakota State University agricultural machine systems specialist for the Extension Service, says a May 20 test was the first test of UAS vehicles for agricultural data gathering he’s heard of in the U.S. It is the first in the world, he says.  “We’re flying over large areas,” Nowatzki says, noting the footprint of the study corridor is 40 miles by 4 miles. [node:read-more:link]

The antibiotic resistance factor MCR, which protects bacteria against the final remaining drugs of last resort, has been found in the United States for the first time—in a person, and separately, in a stored sample taken from a slaughtered pig.  A 49-year-old woman who sought medical care at a military-associated clinic in Pennsylvania last month, with what seemed to be a urinary tract infection, was carrying a strain of E. coli that’s resistant to a wide range of drugs. [node:read-more:link]

The Moody County Sheriff's Office said a single bolt of lightning killed 21 cows next to a metal bale feeder. [node:read-more:link]

Can anyone imagine trying to manage and direct food safety, occupational safety, or human resources without the aide of written programs and associated recordkeeping in today’s highly regulated environment? [node:read-more:link]

A leading creditor for the egg industry predicts $6 billion of investment must be in order for the industry to meet cage-free demand in the coming years. This will challenge lenders and borrowers.  The switch will cost producers about $40 to $50 per bird, or about $6 billion in total to house the needed birds. Coit said about 40 percent of that amount is “net capital need” -- what the industry will need to provide up front -- and the rest is “debt financing” -- what will need to be borrowed. Coit said current market conditions will make lenders hesitant to dive in. [node:read-more:link]

A central Indiana county has approved new restrictions on livestock farms limiting where those farms can be built. The ordinance approved this week by the Bartholomew County commissioners takes effect immediately for concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs.  CAFOs can be built no closer than a quarter-mile from schools, health care facilities and churches, and 500 feet from residential lots in areas zoned for agriculture. New farms must also be at least a 500 feet from any water well. [node:read-more:link]