SARL Members and Alumni

A northeast Washington legislator Friday laid out for the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee the state of ranching in wolf country. "My folks are at the breaking point right now. I've got people who are not going to continue in the business," said Rep. Joel Kretz, who figures about 90 percent of the state's wolves are in the four counties he represents."We're going to see more family ranches going by the wayside. That might not sound like a big deal to some of you in more urban areas, but it is the base economy in some of these counties," he said. [node:read-more:link]

Washington dairy farmers and fruit growers would have to report to retailers whether they use slaves under a bill endorsed Thursday by Democrats on the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee. [node:read-more:link]

Awareness about food insecurity among college students, and even homelessness in some cases, has been expanding in the past few years. And on Monday, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) will do their part, opening a food pantry for students. Other colleges and universities have opened similar ones in the past few years. They all operate different, and TCNJ’s will also be open to the local community.Starting off, it'll be open Mondays and Wednesdays for a few hours each day, offering non-perishable food and drinks. [node:read-more:link]

An Arkansas panel has adopted a plan to allow restricted use of an herbicide banned in the wake of complaints that it drifted onto crops and caused damage. The Arkansas Plant Board voted after a 9½-hour public hearing to allow the use of dicamba through May 25. The new restrictions also would impose a half-mile buffer zone around research stations, organic crops, specialty crops, non-tolerant dicamba crops and other sensitive crops. The rules now go to lawmakers for approval.The state had previously banned dicamba's use from April 16 through Oct. 31. [node:read-more:link]

A bid to force debate on Gov. Laura Kelly’s plan for Medicaid expansion Wednesday was blocked on procedural grounds ahead of Kansas Senate votes advancing a bill granting Kansas Farm Bureau the exclusive opportunity to offer a basic health benefit plan not subject to standard medical insurance policies. [node:read-more:link]

Negotiations over canola restrictions in Oregon’s Willamette Valley have spilled into the legislative arena with the introduction of a bill limiting annual plantings to 500 acres. [node:read-more:link]

An Idaho House bill that would legalize hemp as an agricultural commodity in accordance with a new federal law now includes estimates of how much it will cost. A fiscal note included with House Bill 122, discussed in a hearing Feb. [node:read-more:link]

The Tennessee Senate Commerce and Labor Committee has yet to schedule a hearing on the Briggs bill, but what lawmakers are hearing is that Senate Bill (SB) 15 pits community health against civil liberties.Briggs, is a Republican, a cardiac surgeon and a retired U.S. Army Colonel. He represents Knoxville in the Tennessee Senate, told Ohio television station WTOL Channel 11 that the controversy his bill has caused is like “kicking a hornet’s nest.” Raw milk dairy farmers are fighting for their loophole, saying civil liberties are at stake for both producers and consumers of raw milk. [node:read-more:link]

Minnesota transit officials have a bold new goal for electric vehicles in the state: electrify 20 percent of all cars, SUVs and light-duty trucks in a decade.An effort to tackle climate change and move away from fossil fuels, the Minnesota Department of Transportation's proposal, released last week, calls for a 3,200 percent increase in the amount of electric vehicles by 2030.The electric vehicle target comes a month after a new state report shows that personal vehicles are among the largest greenhouse gas sources in Minnesota — emitting 23.3 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2016. [node:read-more:link]

Vermont is offering $10,000 to workers who move with their remote job to the state. It’s part of larger efforts in Northern New England to attract more young people.  When measured by median age, the three Northern New England states (Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine) are the three oldest in the country. [node:read-more:link]