There have been several court decisions lately across the country related to states’ Right to Farm statutes. These cases provide good examples of the types of claims that can arise against a farm operation and also illustrate the differences between each state’s Right to Farm Act. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Farm Act was at issue in Burlingame v. Dagostin, 2018 WL 1530690. [node:read-more:link]
In addition to the melancholy agricultural outlook contained in recent Federal Reserve District agricultural surveys, an update last week from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis pointed to troubling data regarding Chapter 12 Bankruptcies in the District. In addition, recent news articles have also discussed some variables that could impact the state of the U.S. agricultural economy as the 2018 harvest draws to an end. [node:read-more:link]
Extreme drought is one of the effects of climate change that is already being perceived. A team has obtained plants with increased drought resistance by modifying the signaling of the plant steroid hormones, known as brassinosteroids. The study is among the first to find a strategy to increase plant hydric stress resistance without affecting overall plant growth. [node:read-more:link]
Investigators isolated 90 salmonella strains from food and human clinical samples, focusing on the serovar S. Typhimurium. Using whole genome sequencing at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, scientists measured antibiotic resistance in each of the 90 strains. According to the study, 65 (72.2 percent) of the strains proved resistant to sulfonamides, 44 (48.9 percent) to streptomycin, 27 (30 percent) to tetracycline, 21 (23.3 percent) to gentamicin and seven (7.8 percent) to ceftriaxone, a cephalosporin antibiotic. [node:read-more:link]
The Southeast Uniform milk price for September was $17.94, up $0.41 from August and $1.67 lower than September 2017. The Appalachian Uniform milk price was $17.35, up $0.32 from August and $1.71 lower than September 2017. [node:read-more:link]
The State of North Carolina paid between $11 million and $13 million to compost chickens and turkeys that were lost to Hurricane Florence in September, the state’s agriculture commissioner said. During a recent presentation to state legislators, North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner said the storm and subsequent flooding was responsible for the death of about 4 million birds. The primary expense involved was for sawdust, which was mixed with the poultry carcasses for the composting process, reported WRAL.Adding to the sawdust-related costs to have it shipped in. [node:read-more:link]
Agricultural bankers reported that farm income had declined in the third quarter of 2018 and that farm household spending and capital expenditures remained below levels compared with a year ago, according to the latest Agricultural Finance Monitor published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The number of bankers reporting third-quarter declines was larger than three months ago and they expect farm income and expenditures to decline again in the fourth quarter. [node:read-more:link]
A report by the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank says farm income is continuing to decline within its district. The Fed says the third-quarter report released this week was the 19th straight survey in which most bankers indicated that farm income was on the decline. Bankers also were slightly less optimistic looking ahead, citing concerns over low prices for crops.Soybean prices have dropped significantly since July, when the Chinese government imposed tariffs on imports of soybeans.Bankers reported a 2.5 percent increase in crop land prices. [node:read-more:link]
Local chamber of commerce members reportedly are working with an unidentified, out-of-state developer on a project that would create about 70 jobs. The city council’s action returns the land now owned by Crystal Distribution Services to the zoning in place when Rath Packing Co. operated a pork plant there. Rath went bankrupt in 1985. [node:read-more:link]
Now in its 27th season, the non-profit charity Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) helps to coordinate the donation, processing, and distribution of venison to Pennsylvanians facing food insecurity. According to a press release, HSH has donated 1,356,281 pounds of venison to the hungry since 1991. The Department of Agriculture partners with HSH to cover some of the costs of processing the meat, with the department increasing its share of financial support over the last two years due to increased deer donations. With continued support from Gov. [node:read-more:link]
