Agriculture News
The Dangerous New Trend of Anti-animal Research Legislation
Laboratory Equipment | Posted on August 8, 2018A new animal rights group is urging lawmakers to pass a series of bills targeting the use of laboratory animals in biomedical research. Just last week, a group of lawmakers, at the urging of animal rights group White Coast Waste, sent a letter calling for the release of information on retired research animals.The letter was mailed to the Department of Interior, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, the Smithsonian Institution, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Defense. "The adoption of former research animals is already a common practice across the United States. Research institutions work closely with staff and trusted adoption groups to ensure that specialized attention is given to devoted these animals the right home the first time," Michael Dingell, the Vice President of Government Affairs at the National Association for Biomedical Research, explained to ALN.
Farmer says trade relief package not sustainable
Brownfield Ag News | Posted on August 8, 2018A west central Indiana farmer and a member of Farmers for Free Trade says the $12 billion trade relief package is not a sustainable solution. Brent Bible grows corn, soybeans, and popcorn in Tippecanoe and Montgomery counties.“$12 billion is not going to bail out the financial inequities that have been created in the past 2-3 months,” he says. “Farmers would rather have free and fair trade negotiated and reap the benefits of a market that allows them to sell their goods.”He tells Brownfield that’s why Farmers for Free Trade launched the Tariffs Hurt the Heartland campaign.“The message from the current campaign is that any type of tariff or trade restrictions that take place are having an immediate and a direct impact on producers and consumers,” he says.Bible says he is supportive of the Trump administration but thinks that the strategy to address the trade imbalance has been ill-executed.
Farmland values starting to soften
Brownfield Ag News | Posted on August 8, 2018Farmland values have been resilient to low commodity prices, but an official with Farm Credit Services of America says the market is softening. Angie Treptow says Iowa farmland values increased slightly in 2017, and that momentum continued into this year.“The first six months of 2018 (farmland values) have slightly increased or stayed the same. But I will say in the last 30 days we’ve seen some sales that have taken place at auctions that have shown that maybe it’s going to soften a little bit.”
How to make the gene-editing tool CRISPR work even better
Science Daily | Posted on August 8, 2018Scientists have found conclusive evidence that Cas9, the most popular enzyme currently used in CRISPR gene editing, is less effective and precise than one of the lesser-used CRISPR proteins, Cas12a. Because Cas9 is more likely to edit the wrong part of a plant's or animal's genome, disrupting healthy functions, the scientists make the case that switching to Cas12a would lead to safer and more effective gene editing.
Perfect storm forces dairy prices lower
American Agriculturalist | Posted on August 8, 2018According to USDA, prices for milk and dairy products for the remainder of 2018 are expected to be lower than previously forecast, due to downward price movements in recent weeks, high stock levels of cheese and whey, relatively weak growth in domestic use and expected impacts of tariffs imposed by China. For 2019, all price forecasts have been lowered except for butter. The Class III milk price forecast for August and September is from $14.70 to $15.70 per cwt.
Smithfield unit fights gag order
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on August 8, 2018Calling it “unnecessary, unprecedented and unconstitutional,” the Murphy-Brown unit of Smithfield Foods is appealing a federal judge’s gag order related to the series of nuisance lawsuits filed against the hog producer in North Carolina, according to court documents. The gag order prevents anyone associated with the lawsuits, even neighbors, from speaking with a member of the press about the cases. More than two dozen such lawsuits have been filed against Smithfield in that state; the company has lost two of the cases so far.
Wisconsin to hold Workshops Focusing on Farm, Food Entrepreneur Grants
https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/News_Media/Workshops_to_Focus_on_Farm%2cFoodEntrepreneurGrants.aspx | Posted on August 8, 2018Many Wisconsin farmers and food entrepreneurs have used grants to evaluate new crops or farming practices or to launch value-added businesses. Individuals interested in learning more about possible grant opportunities or other financial options are invited to attend informational workshops scheduled around the state this fall. Specific grant programs to be covered include:USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant program, which funds research and education projects that advance sustainable agriculture;USDA's Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) program, a program administered locally by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) which funds endeavors that enhance the competitiveness of Wisconsin specialty crops;Wisconsin's Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grant program, a DATCP program which funds projects that increase the demand for and supply of locally produced foods in Wisconsin; and DATCP's Farmer-led Watershed Grants Program, which provides grants that go to projects that focus on ways to prevent and reduce runoff from farm fields and work to increase farm participation in these voluntary efforts. In addition, the workshop will briefly cover USDA financial assistance and loan programs for farmers.
Livestock haulers receive 1-year ELD extension
Tri State Livestock News | Posted on August 7, 2018The Senate passed the Minibus Appropriations bill with an amendment sponsored by Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) that would delay the implementation of the Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) mandate for livestock haulers by one more year. Livestock haulers are already operating on a delay until the end of the Fiscal Year, but this amendment would extend that delay to Sep. 30, 2019.
Roundtable features impact of ag nuisance lawsuits
Feedstuffs | Posted on August 7, 2018Discussion in North Carolina featured legislators and ag leaders to discuss economic impact or recent animal lawsuits and threat to all farms. A special national agriculture roundtable was held Aug. 3 highlighting the recent wave of nuisance lawsuits targeting North Carolina hog farms. The event, which was held in Raleigh, N.C., brought together legislators and agriculture leaders to discuss the growing threat to farmers and exposed how out-of-state trial lawyers are using nuisance lawsuits to circumvent state right-to-farm laws.North Carolina Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler says these nuisance lawsuits won’t stop at animal agriculture. “If we don’t do something about it now, there’s not a farm in America that won’t be affected,” Troxler says.
6 farming myths we wish the public would stop clinging to
| Posted on August 7, 2018Here are six of the biggest myths spread on social media and in the mainstream media, and some stuff we as farmers are frankly really sick of hearing. 1. GMOs are bad. 2. “Factory farms” wreck the environment. 4. Farmers are rich and get government subsidies.5. Agriculture is run on illegal immigrants who aren’t treated fairly.6. Food safety concerns. No, your food isn’t drenched in pesticides and, as the saying goes, the dose makes the poison. NO, livestock aren’t “pumped full” of hormones and antibiotics. Yes, everything we eat is regulated and inspected,