Agriculture News
FBI Agent Points to Need for Protecting Intellectual Property From Theft
DTN | Posted on August 25, 2018In 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. And, if so, then what practices were being done to protect that secret."Document how you are protecting your stuff, because this is where it is becoming important, because we have to define how it was a trade secret," Nichols said. "Make sure you document what you have done for your company or university to protect that claim."Agriculture has seen its share of high-profile thefts, some coming out of labs, while others come right out of cornfields. Nichols pointed to the case of Mo Hailong, who was sentenced in 2016 to three years in federal prison for stealing biotech corn seeds from DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto in the Midwest.
Independent Seed Companies Weigh in on Dicamba Controversy
DTN | Posted on August 25, 2018Like most independent seed sellers in the U.S., Sonny Beck sells Xtend soybean seed, designed to be tolerant of over-the-top dicamba applications. But the CEO of Beck's Hybrids, the fourth-largest seed company in the U.S., would like to sell other herbicide-tolerant traits, too -- such as LibertyLink (glufosinate-tolerant), Enlist (2,4-D-tolerant), LibertyLink-GT27 (glufosinate- and HPPD-tolerant), Roundup Ready and non-GMO soybeans.So when Beck's customers reported widespread issues with dicamba damaging non-Xtend soybeans this summer, Beck took action.His company sent a survey to thousands of Midwest growers and learned that 48% wanted to see the current dicamba labels changed or canceled. Beck recently sent a letter to EPA recommending that the dicamba label for XtendiMax, FeXapan and Engenia "be modified to restrict dicamba in its current formulations to pre-plant only."
Judge Puts the Squeeze on WOTUS Delay
Growing Produce | Posted on August 25, 2018U.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. States impacted by this injunction include California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
Cannabis Is Creating A Boom For Biological Pesticides
Forbes | Posted on August 22, 2018As 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.
Virginia offers free on-farm readiness review to determine if produce safety rule applies to you
Virginia Department of Agriculture | Posted on August 22, 2018Changes 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. To help prepare farmers who must adhere to the new law, VDACS’ Produce Safety Program is partnering with Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) to conduct on-farm readiness reviews. This free service is confidential and a VDACS Produce Safety Specialist and VCE Agent will meet with farm management to walk through the operation. A review typically only takes two hours to complete and will help answer most questions farmers have regarding the federal Produce Safety Rule.
What you should know about the chlorpyrifos ruling
Farm Futures | Posted on August 22, 2018Last 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. The San Francisco court said “…in light of the strong individual interest against requiring exhaustion and weak institutional interest in favor of it, petitioners need not exhaust their administrative objections and were not precluded from raising issues on the merits.“In plain English, the court said that petitioners did not have to exhaust all of their administrative remedies, which is generally required. The evidence against chlorpyrifos use is so overwhelming the court will act in EPA’s stead.
Long Island farmers and fishermen outline problems for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Newsday | Posted on August 22, 2018Their 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.
Agricultural Debt Continues to Increase
Farm Doc Daily | Posted on August 22, 2018Agricultural 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. The highest rate increases occurred between 2006-2007 and 2013-2014 when increases were 11.6 and 9.5%, respectively. Increases of less than 3% occurred nine times in this period while decreases happened in 3 years with the greatest at negative 3.2% in 2002-2003.At the end of 2004, agricultural debt reached $197.6 billion, surpassing the previous high set in 1984. Increasing debt levels may cause concerns that financial stress occurring during the 1980s may repeat. However, the above debt levels are stated in nominal terms and do not take into consideration inflation’s devaluing impacts on the dollar.Using the gross national product – implicit price deflator to state nominal debt levels in terms of 2018 dollars gives a different picture of debt levels (see the real line in Figure 1). In terms of 2018 dollars, agricultural debt started at $421 billion in 1980 before declining until 1994. Since 1993, agricultural debt in real terms increased all but four years 2000, 2003, 2012 and forecasted for 2018. Since 1990, the rate of increase averaged 1.8% for real debt levels, much lower than the 4.1% nominal rate increase. The forecasted numbers for 2017 and 2018 are the highest levels in real terms since 1984
Growers Push for Better Fruit and Vegetable Prices
Growing Produce | Posted on August 22, 2018Apparently 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. Banding together, they’re demanding better deals from the country’s top grocery chains.Labor laws that increase minimum wage and make farm workers eligible for overtime pay spurred growers to take action, a local Australian paper reports.A sharp increase in transportation costs had already been pinching wallets, so the new labor costs threatened to strip farms of any profit.
New Tool For Farmland Seekers
Growing Produce | Posted on August 22, 2018Beginning farmers have a powerful new tool in their digital toolbox. The Finding Farmland Calculator, developed by the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) and Fathom Information Design, brings together innovative design and practical resources to help farmers overcome two top obstacles to starting a farm — access to land and capital.A decision-making tool designed specifically for farmers seeking land, the Finding Farmland Calculator makes it easy for farmers to understand and compare farm financing options, determine what they can afford, and prepare to work with a loan officer. The calculator was created in consultation with young farmers and farm service providers, such as Farm Credit, to fill a specific need: giving farmers free and easy access to information that will help them find affordable farm financing and successfully pay it back.