AgClips
Recent AgClips
Ohio legislator pushes bill to build more wind turbines closer to properties
Columbus Dispatch | Posted onSeptember 19, 2017 in Energy, SARL Members and Alumni NewsAgainst the backdrop of wind-farm construction in Hardin County, state Sen. Cliff Hite, R-Findlay, sought to build support for his proposal that would allow more wind turbines to be built in upcoming projects. “I think we can make this happen,” he said during the event Thursday. “The groundswell of support is increasing as we speak.”Senate Bill 188 would partially undo changes that lawmakers made in 2013 addressing where turbines can be built.
Ag committee chairs push Idaho farm commission leaders to talk about challenges
Capital Press | Posted onSeptember 19, 2017 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe chairs of the Idaho Legislature’s House and Senate ag committees are encouraging the directors of the state’s commodity commissions to do a better job talking about the issues and challenges their industries face when speaking to lawmakers. Some of the presentations are more on the “here’s what we did last year” side and not enough on the “here are the issues our industry is struggling with” side, said Sen.
Rollover protection offered for farm tractors
LaCrosse Tribune | Posted onSeptember 19, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThe Wisconsin Rollover Protective Structure rebate program has been funded for a sixth consecutive year, enabling Wisconsin farmers to retrofit rollbars onto their tractors at a reduced cost. The program is run by the National Farm Medicine Center at Marshfield Clinic Research Institute with financial support from the Auction of Champions. A ROPS is an operator compartment structure (usually cab or rollbar) intended to protect farmers from injuries caused by overturns or rollovers. More than half the tractors in Wisconsin do not have ROPS protection.
IRMA: Manatee dairy farm losing thousands of gallons of milk each day
Bay News 9 | Posted onSeptember 19, 2017 in Agriculture NewsAt a Manatee County dairy farm, the toll from Irma is causing about $30,000 to go down the drain each day. Workers say they're throwing away thousands of gallons of milk. "The milk that is produced now, there's just no stores open. All of our milk usually goes south of us," said Jerry Dakin. In the 16 years he has owned the business, he has never seen so much milk go to waste. Stores aren't taking it because the milk needs to be refrigerated.Even though the farm can't sell most of its milk, the cows need to continue pumping for their health.
Lawmakers jump on community's anti-Tyson bandwagon
Kansas City Business Journal | Posted onSeptember 19, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThe four-person legislative delegation representing the Tonganoxie area didn't have to brood long about a proposed $320 million Tyson Foods Inc. poultry complex before coming out against it Friday evening. Surrounded by a Chieftain Park town hall crowd roughly half the size of Tonganoxie's 5,500 population, the lawmakers initially pledged to remain neutral on the proposal until more facts were known.
Deere and Cargill say “Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto” – Artificial intelligence infiltrating agriculture and farming
Biofuels Digest | Posted onSeptember 19, 2017 in Agriculture NewsArtificial intelligence seems to be everywhere nowadays and not just in high tech labs, science centers, or nerdy dark basements. They are now in our agriculture industry and on our farms, and even in our yards with John Deere’s new robotic lawnmower. In fact, the Mr. Roboto’s song lyrics eerily said “Thank you very much, Mr.
“Why the hell am I paying more for this?” Major egg operation houses “USDA Organic” hens at three per square foot
The Washington Post | Posted onSeptember 19, 2017 in Food NewsOf all the cartons of organic eggs sold in the United States, more than 1 in 10 originates from a complex here that houses more than 1.6 million hens. They’re sold under the Eggland’s Best label.“The entire process is organic,” Greg Herbruck, president of Herbruck's Poultry Ranch says in a promotional video. The USDA allows Herbruck's and other large operations to sell their eggs as organic because officials have interpreted the word “outdoors” in such a way that farms that confine their hens to barns but add “porches” are deemed eligible for the valuable “USDA Organic” label.
Bogus ‘organic’ foods reach the U.S. because of lax enforcement at ports, inspectors say
The Washington Post | Posted onSeptember 19, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal, Food NewsBogus “organic” products may be reaching the United States because of lax enforcement at U.S. ports, according to a new audit by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General, a finding that helps explain previous reports that millions of pounds of fraudulent “organic” corn and soybeans had reached American ports. The USDA lacks procedures to check that a shipment meets organic standards, the report found.The USDA “was unable to provide reasonable assurance that … required documents were reviewed at U.S.
Illinois utilities begin to design community solar programs under new energy law
Midwest Energy News | Posted onSeptember 14, 2017 in Energy, SARL Members and Alumni NewsIllinois utilities and regulators are putting into motion plans for community solar programs under the state’s Future Energy Jobs Act that passed last year. In filings with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) last month, ComEd outlined proposed terms and conditions for “Community Supply,” also referred to as community solar.
Maryland residents push back on proposed chicken manure plant
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onSeptember 14, 2017 in Agriculture NewsResidents in Crisfield, Md., have persuaded local officials to table discussion on a proposal for a plant that will convert chicken manure into reusable energy, according to local media reports. City officials voted to table the discussion Wednesday after having heard many residents’ concerns, which include potential odor problems, increased traffic, flooding issues and its location in a town whose economy relies on tourism.