SARL Members and Alumni News
Iowa: 'An attack on public land'
Des Moines Register | Posted on March 7, 2019Iowans flooded the Capitol Monday to oppose a pair of bills aimed at limiting the ability of governments and private organizations to purchase new land for conservation and public use. A bill in the Iowa House would stop state and local governments from purchasing new public lands under most circumstances, eliminate a tax credit for the donation of land to the government and require county conservation boards to refuse to accept donated land unless the donation included enough money to maintain the land for 10 years.Hundreds of people came to the Capitol for a subcommittee meeting on the bill, packing the meeting room and overflowing into the halls. More than a dozen people, including representatives from conservation groups, farmers, landowners and bicycling enthusiasts, spoke against the bill, saying it would harm water quality, hurt flood mitigation efforts and encourage Iowans to leave the state.
Experts say Kentucky bill to block open records access 'really scary'
Courier Journal | Posted on March 7, 2019Legislation that proposes new restrictions to the commonwealth's open records law would make Kentucky one of only a handful of states that prevents nonresidents from obtaining public documents there, according to national experts. House Bill 387 started out as a proposal to limit citizens' access to records related to businesses seeking financial incentives from the government for projects that could boost economic development and job creation in Kentucky, but then a legislative committee approved new restrictions to it, including the residency requirement.Most states allow people to request and access public records regardless of where they live, according to Lucy Dalglish, dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. However, several states — including Tennessee and Arkansas — do limit access to people who reside within their borders.
South Dakota addressing shortage of large animal vets
AgWeek | Posted on March 7, 2019South Dakota is following the national trend when it comes to the shortage of large animal veterinarians. However, the state is also trying to be proactive in addressing the problem and that was a part of the focus of the recent James Bailey Herd Health Conference in Brookings.Farquer said he believes vet schools need to get back to finding people that grew up in rural areas and want to return there. "The challenge is finding any veterinarian that is qualified to take over the practice that wants to move to a community of 3,000 people," he says."We don't select a lot of students from rural communities and the veterinarians that are getting into vet school are currently women from dense urban areas that normally work with small companion animals," Farquer says.South Dakota is aggressively working to solve the shortage and so is SDSU with the Two-Plus-Two Program, also known as the Rural Veterinary Medical Education Program. It allows participating students to attend the first two years of veterinary school at SDSU and the last two years at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.
Oregon renewable energy siting bill worries farmland advocates
Capital Press | Posted on March 7, 2019Increasing demand for renewable energy in Oregon has spurred a proposal to exempt most such projects from compulsory review by a statewide siting panel. Supporters argue it would be less expensive and time-consuming for county governments to review plans for solar arrays and other renewable energy facilities.However, advocates of farmland preservation argue that counties will scrutinize renewable energy projects less rigorously that the Energy Facility Siting Council, which aims to ensure such facilities meet statewide standards.Under House Bill 2329, the threshold for mandatory EFSC review of solar facilities would be increased from 100 to 200 acres of arable farmland and certain wind, geothermal and transmission projects would also be exempt from the statewide process.
Florida Bill Would Stiffen Penalties for Hurting Police Dogs
NBC Miami | Posted on March 7, 2019Senate Bill 96 increases the penalty for intentionally injuring or killing search-and-rescue dogs and horses employed by police and fire departments.43 Florida K-9s have died in duty over the years, according to Officers Down Memorial Page records.Currently, it's a third-degree felony to hurt or kill a police search-and-rescue or fire dog or horse. If SB 96 passes it would become a second-degree felony. That would possibly triple the prison time from a possible maximum of five to 15 years.
After 4 hour filibuster, New Mexico senate passes landmark renewable energy bill
Albuquerque Journal | Posted on March 7, 2019A high-profile energy bill passed the Senate late Wednesday night after a procedural fight sparked by a Republican lawmaker’s lengthy filibuster.Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington, held the Senate floor for nearly four hours in an attempt to force changes to the bill that would reshape New Mexico’s energy landscape by imposing renewable energy standards and providing financial assistance to the state’s largest utility to offset the cost of closing coal-fired power plants in the Four Corners region.In its current form, the measure would replace all of New Mexico’s carbon-emitting generation with clean-energy resources over the next 25 years.In addition, the bill would allow fixed-rate bonds to be issued to help PNM recover the costs associated with the transition to new energy sources.
Arizona house rejects legislation defining meat
Pinal Central | Posted on March 7, 2019On a 36-22 margin Monday night the House rebuffed a bid by a Globe rancher to legally limit the use of the words “meat’’ and “milk’’ when offering foods for sale in the state.Republican Rep. David Cook told colleagues he was mainly concerned about efforts to actually grow animal protein in laboratories. Cook said if those prove commercially successful the manufacturers should not be able to pass those off as something that actually came from what at one time was a living, breathing animal.Ditto poultry.
Bill to address animal importation issue passes Indiana Senate
Greensburg Daily News | Posted on March 4, 2019A bill authored by State Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) that would help address an animal importation issue facing Indiana today passed the Senate by a unanimous vote. Senate Bill 533 would require a person who transfers a domestic dog or cat from a foreign country to Indiana to provide an electronic or paper copy of the animal’s veterinary inspection or official health certificate to the recipient of the animal.According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), globally, dogs remain the principal source of human rabies infections. While the United States eliminated the canine rabies virus variant in 2007, since then, three cases of canine rabies were reported in dogs imported to the U.S. Additionally, the CDC estimates that more than 1 million dogs are imported to the U.S. each year.As of Jan. 31, 2019, the CDC will not require any documentation from Mexico or Canada.
Vote under way on proposed California Cattle Council
Lake County News | Posted on March 4, 2019The California Department of Food and Agriculture has mailed more than 19,000 ballots to state cattle producers, urging them to vote on a referendum asking whether or not to establish the California Cattle Council. If approved, the Council would perform research aimed at the development of best management practices to improve sustainability and efficiency; assist with regulatory compliance; and develop consumer education programs for California beef.
Marie-Claude Bibeau named Agriculture Minister in Canadian cabinet shuffle
Global News | Posted on March 4, 2019Marie-Claude Bibeau was shuffled Friday and became Minister of Agriculture and Agrifood, which was prompted as Lawrence MacAulay became Veteran’s Affairs Minister to replace Jody Wilson-Raybould.