Agriculture

In an era of tremendous change in agricultural technology, it's more important than ever that agribusinesses, research universities and farmers protect themselves against the risks of intellectual theft.The theft of trade secrets is getting more traction among federal authorities and in court. But, if a legal battle over a trade secret goes to court, company and university officials are likely going to be asked why a product or research is proprietary. [node:read-more:link]

Like most independent seed sellers in the U.S., Sonny Beck sells Xtend soybean seed, designed to be tolerant of over-the-top dicamba applications. [node:read-more:link]

U.S. District Judge David Norton ruled the Trump administration Executive Order did not properly seek public input when it suspended the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) RuleThis ruling in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina impacts 26 states, with reviews pending in an additional 24 states. [node:read-more:link]

As legal cannabis farms take the spotlight, safer methods of pest control are also taking root in more 'mainstream' agriculture. With more states enacting medicinal and adult recreational cannabis laws each year, health officials have increasingly warned about the potential hazards of products made from crops treated with certain chemicals. In particular, chemical pesticides have been identified as a threat to cannabis consumers' health, with potential risks that can vary depending on whether products are eaten, smoked, vaped, or topically applied. [node:read-more:link]

Changes are coming in the way farmers grow, pack, hold and distribute ready-to-eat produce, and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) can help by performing a free, on-farm readiness review. Farmers who sell more than $25,000 in applicable produce per year may be subject to the new federal legislation. Regulatory inspections are expected to begin in mid-2019, but farmers can find out now if they are ready for the changes, with time to make any necessary adjustments. [node:read-more:link]

Last Thursday a federal court took an extraordinary step by ordering EPA to revoke all tolerances and cancel all registrations for chlorpyrifos. This is to be done within 60 days. This happened, despite the fact that USDA says it is a mistake to conclude chlorpyrifos is unsafe.EPA argued that administrative process deprived the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals of jurisdiction. The court basically said nonsense to EPA. [node:read-more:link]

Their list includes cleansing polluted bays by reconnecting them to the sea, obtaining an emergency permit to use a banned pesticide, policing counterfeit seafood, and securing seasonal workers during an immigration crackdown. [node:read-more:link]

Agricultural debt on a nominal basis in Illinois has been increasing since 1991. Nominally, agricultural debt reached a peak in 1984 of $188.8 billion (see the nominal line in Figure 1). From 1984 through 1989, agricultural producers retired debt and agricultural lenders wrote off some debt, resulting in a decline in total debt. By 1989, agricultural debt had declined by 31%, reaching a level of $131 billion. Since 1990, agricultural debt increased an average of 4.1% per year. The rate of increase varied from year-to-year but exhibited no escalating or decreasing trends. [node:read-more:link]

Apparently Australian growers have been feeling the same financial pinch that American growers are feeling. After years of their own costs going up without a corresponding increase in crop prices, Aussie farmers are fighting back. [node:read-more:link]

Beginning farmers have a powerful new tool in their digital toolbox. [node:read-more:link]