AgClips
Recent AgClips
Ag Banks Make Adjustments as Lending Remains Elevated
Kansas City Federal Reserve | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in Agriculture NewsAccording to the National Survey of Terms of Lending to Farmers, non-real estate lending continued to increase at a moderate pace in the first quarter. The volume of non-real estate loans increased 9 percent from a year ago (Chart 1). Although the volume of loans to finance operating expenses remained relatively steady, volumes for livestock loans and loans to finance machinery and equipment increased. The increase in livestock lending likely was due, in part, to slightly higher prices for livestock.
A nationwide campaign against tariffs that are hurting American families and communities
Tariffs Hurt | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in Agriculture, Federal NewsTariffs are taxes that Americans pay. These taxes are being paid by American farmers, retailers, manufacturers, businesses and consumers. Based on monthly tariffs on imports Americans have paid thus far, every second the trade war drags on costs Americans $1,155. While that number alone is far too high, it doesn't include the cost of retaliatory tariffs that are causing exports to plummet, or the price of programs that are paying our farmers for the losses they have incurred, or the tariffs’ ripple effects on the broader U.S. economy.
What’s the Latest on a livestock Vaccine Bank?
Dairy Herd Managment | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in Agriculture NewsWhen the 2018 farm bill passed in December 2018, the inclusion of a vaccine bank against foot and mouth disease “a huge win for the pork industry,” said Mike Haag, an Illinois pork producer and president of the Illinois Pork Producers Association. That project was just one part of a larger effort to improve biosecurity and protection from foreign animal diseases, a issue that has only increased in importance as African swine fever continues to spread across parts of Asia and Europe.
Fire-starting ranchers get a new blessing from BLM
High Country News | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in Rural NewsLast year, President Donald Trump pardoned the ranchers, ending the jail time they were still serving for lighting wildland fires that endangered federal firefighters. Then, in January, then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reissued their grazing permit, and the Hammonds returned to ranching. On April 9, the BLM released a new environmental assessment for grazing on the Hammond Allotment, one of the largest of several the family uses in the high desert of eastern Oregon, where rolling hills are broken by rocky outcroppings.
Growing urban coyote populations are feasting on pets
High Country News | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in Agriculture NewsOnce restricted to the western plains, coyote populations are surging in cities across the U.S. They are master adapters who have learned to survive in urban environments – a recent study found coyotes present in 96 out of 105 cities surveyed. But many communities are struggling to figure out new ways to deal with predators in their neighborhoods.One of the most startling findings has been that people’s gardening choices could be contributing to the problem of disappearing pets.
Could Hemp be an Economic Lifeline for Rural Texas Towns?
Texas Observer | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in Agriculture NewsAs the Legislature considers greenlighting hemp production, a litany of farmers, rural economic development advocates and even conservative Republicans are singing its praises. Now a potential new cash crop — hemp — could give a much-needed boost to local economies and has folks in Haskell and other farming towns in the state buzzing. Hemp and marijuana are the same plant species, but hemp lacks marijuana’s psychoactive properties and can be used to make goods ranging from clothing and paper to building materials and medicine.
Michigan launches hemp pilot program in time for 2019 growing season
Michigan Live | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsMichigan farmers can plant industrial hemp this year, under a new pilot program announced by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. “Michigan is uniquely positioned to grow, process and manufacture industrial hemp. We are one of the nation’s most agriculturally diverse states -- growing 300 different commodities on a commercial basis -- making it a natural fit,” Whitmer said in a statement.
World Health Organization drops its high-profile endorsement of the EAT-Lancet diet
The New Food Economy | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in Food Newsthe World Health Organization (WHO), the arm of the United Nations charged with monitoring global health, has dropped its endorsement of the EAT-Lancet Commission’s planetary health diet—a much-ballyhooed, well-publicized attempt at saving the planet through the food we eat.Gian Lorenzo Cornado, Italy’s ambassador to the United Nations, questioned the diet’s impact on public health.
PA:Ag Committee OKs bill to aid dairy farmers, milk haulers
Wellsville Daily Reporter | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in NewsWorking to ensure dairy farmers will be able to move their milk even in wintry weather conditions, the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee has approved legislation sponsored by Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter) that would exempt milk trucks from weather-related commercial vehicle travel bans.
F.D.A. sends C.B.D. warning letters to three companies
Food Business Network | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in Federal NewsThe Food and Drug Administration has become more active in regulating cannabidiol (C.B.D.) products. The agency sent warning letters dated March 28 to three companies marketing C.B.D. products with “egregious and unfounded claims that are aimed at vulnerable populations,” the agency said. The F.D.A. also has scheduled a May 31 public hearing to discuss how C.B.D. products may be marketed legally. “As our actions today make clear, the F.D.A. stands ready to protect consumers from companies illegally selling C.B.D.