Agriculture

EPA's announcement of new dicamba regulations comes at a time when states' ability to restrict this kind of federal pesticide label may be under threat. In the past, states have used section 24(c) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), to pass more restrictive state regulations on federal pesticide labels. For example, the state of Tennessee used Section 24(c) to limit the use of three dicamba herbicides to 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. [node:read-more:link]

For Gioletti and other members of California Dairies Inc., the state’s largest dairy cooperative and the second-largest in the U.S., the trade war with China has had a direct effect: “We no longer sell any products into China since the middle of this year,” says Rob Vandenheuvel, the co-op’s vice president of industry and member relations. That means the loss of 6 percent to 9 percent of its sales of milk powder. “We’re down to zero there.”Agriculture faces untold challenges all over the state, but dairy farmers arguably have a tougher time of it. [node:read-more:link]

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would extend over-the-top use of dicamba in cotton and soybeans until Dec. 20, 2020. The agency said it considered several different sources of input before making this decision. [node:read-more:link]

Other studies suggest that countries that have transitioned away from supply management, such as Australia, have seen an initial spike in dairy production, then a steady reduction in production, farms and farmers. Many producers have been forced to exit the industry due to soft market conditions.You cannot separate farming from the fabric of rural Canada. The families, animals and land are fully integrated into the community and landscape. [node:read-more:link]

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the Plant and Animal Biotechnology Innovation Action Plan to outline the key priorities the agency will pursue to support innovation in plant and animal biotechnology while advancing the agency’s public health mission. [node:read-more:link]

The Oregon hemp industry is like a raging river, restrained by a dam that might soon break and allow products to flood an array of new markets. A provision in the 2018 Farm Bill before Congress would strike cannabidiol from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s list of Schedule 1 drugs, those the agency deems to have the highest potential for abuse. Nationally, hemp sales topped $820 million in 2017. The market is expected to reach $1 billion in 2018.In the roller-coaster cannabis industry, hemp enjoys a smoother ride than recreational marijuana. [node:read-more:link]

According to the 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture, the most recent data available, women make up 30 percent of all farm operators in the United States. While the number of principal farm owners decreased slightly from the 2007 to 2012 census, the trend has gone up over the last decade, driven by a few key shifts in farming. More women today are in leadership positions in farming and agriculture. In addition, there has been a surge of women starting their own small farms, which has likely tipped the scale in women's favor when it comes to compensation. [node:read-more:link]

The deals struck by the U.S., Mexico and Canada in renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement promise new trading opportunities for U.S. farmers, but the Trump administration’s trade wars and the tariffs that go with them more than negate the potential gains, according to a new study presented today by the Farm Foundation. The three-country pact - now dubbed the United States, Mexico, Canada Agreement with the unwieldy acronym USMCA - is expected to eventually increase U.S. exports of mostly dairy and poultry by $450 million annually. [node:read-more:link]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is not planning to extend an up to $12 billion aid package for farmers into 2019, Secretary Sonny Perdue said, to mitigate farmer losses due to the imposition of tariffs on American exports. “Farmers are very resilient and adept in making their planning and marketing decisions based on the current market,” Perdue told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Washington. [node:read-more:link]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 13 cases of psittacosis among poultry plant workers at two processing plants in Virginia and Georgia that are owned by the same company. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of Chlamydia psittaci, the type of bacteria that causes psittacosis, which causes mild illness in people. Common symptoms include fever and chills, headache, muscle aches and a dry cough. The most common vector of infection is by breathing in dust containing dried secretions from infected birds. [node:read-more:link]