AgClips
Recent AgClips
Regulations, exports and death taxes, important issues all, but what about low farm prices?
Ag Policy | Posted onOctober 5, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal NewsRecently a friend of ours told us about the farm bill listening session he attended during the August Congressional break. He expected the bulk of the comments would focus on the problems farmers are facing as the result of nearly four years of low commodity prices. Instead, he said, the bulk of the discussion focused on three issues: decreasing regulations, increasing exports, and eliminating inheritance taxes.
Cal-Maine adjusts cage-free production to fit demand
Watt Ag Net | Posted onOctober 5, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThe demand for cage-free eggs has not kept up with the supply, so Cal-Maine Foods has adjusted its cage-free egg production accordingly.
Wildfires Put State Budgets Under Pressure
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onOctober 5, 2017 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe wildfires that tore through over a million acres of Montana this year damaged homes, cloaked communities in smoke, and burned a hole in the state budget. With winter snow already falling, Montana’s blazes mostly have subsided. But the state now faces a $200 million budget shortfall exacerbated by the record cost of fighting wildfires, Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, said in an early September statement explaining the crisis.
Michigan Senate votes to ban local soda taxes
Detroit News | Posted onOctober 5, 2017 in Food, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe Michigan Senate on Wednesday voted to prohibit local governments from taxing food, drinks or chewing gum, a pre-emptive strike against local control over so-called “soda taxes” enacted in other parts of the country. Cook County, Illinois, is one of the latest local governments to slap a tax on the sugary beverage, which supporters say will discourage unhealthy diets, but officials there are now considering repealing the penny-an-ounce tax.The Michigan Constitution exempts groceries from the state sales tax, and sponsoring Sen.
Kansas City Fed 2017 Ag Outlook Symposium
Youtube | Posted onOctober 5, 2017 in NewsThe Kansas City Fed is the Federal Reserve System's leader in agricultural economic research. Our work provides insights on agricultural and rural economies, both within our seven-state region of the Tenth Federal Reserve District and nationally.
What You Should Know About the Pro-Vegan Netflix Film 'What the Health'
Time | Posted onOctober 5, 2017 in NewsThe recent pro-vegan Netflix documentary, What the Health, is under fire from nutrition experts. The film, which is co-directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn—the creators of another Netflix documentary, Cowspiracy—and co-produced by actor Joaquin Phoenix, is being criticized by some health professionals for exaggerating weak data and misrepresenting science to promote a diet that avoids all animal foods. TIME fact-checked the film. Here are four things that What the Health got wrong—and what it got right.
Court nixes Trump admin's 'unlawful' delay of Methane BLM rule
E & E News | Posted onOctober 5, 2017 in Energy, Federal NewsThe Trump administration acted unlawfully when it froze Obama-era restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas industry, a federal court ruled. According to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the Interior Department misused a provision of the Administrative Procedure Act when it stalled key provisions of a rule aimed at reducing methane venting and flaring on public and tribal lands.Just today, BLM unveiled a separate proposal to delay the standards until January 2019.
US Agriculture Often Bears the Cost of Trade Disputes
Farm Doc Daily | Posted onOctober 5, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal NewsPotential trade disputes are approaching from all directions with significant implications for American agriculture. To the north and south, the US government is renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA] with Canada and Mexico. Just last week, the three countries met in Ottawa, with many thorny issues yet to be resolved. Also last week, the US imposed a tariff of almost 220 percent on certain models of aircraft produced in Canada.
Iowa State University- “Financial stress in Iowa farms: 2014-2016”
Iowa State University | Posted onOctober 5, 2017 in Agriculture NewsIowa farm financial conditions have deteriorated since 2012, but average indicators of liquidity and solvency remain close to their long-term levels. This publication examines the financial well-being of 273 Iowa farms, detailing their average net income, net worth, debt-to-asset ratio, liquidity rating, solvency rating and working capital per acre.
Growth of green energy sector surges in Minnesota
Minnesota Star Tribune | Posted onOctober 5, 2017 in Energy NewsMinnesota's fast-growing clean-energy economy, rooted in wind, solar, conservation, technology and even software, is a change for a state that historically imported its energy.