AgClips
Recent AgClips
A couple of 30-something guys swapped high finance for farmland and now manage $575 million
Business Insider | Posted onSeptember 7, 2017 in Agriculture NewsHomestead Capital, a $575 million private-equity fund, was founded by Daniel Little and Gabe Santos, both of whom have personal ties to agriculture. Because of the many uncertainties involved in farming, outside investors are sometimes unwilling to take a long-term investment approach, making some farmers skeptical of working with outside investors.Santos and Little, both 39, try to establish a local presence with their regional managers and local farm operators.
Maternal care is disappearing from America’s rural counties
Pacific Standard | Posted onSeptember 7, 2017 in Rural NewsMaternity care is disappearing from America's rural counties, and for the 28 million women of reproductive age living in those areas, pregnancy and childbirth are becoming more complicated—and more dangerous. That's the upshot of a new report from the Rural Health Research Center at the University of Minnesota that examined obstetric services in the nation's 1,984 rural counties over a 10-year period. In 2004, 45 percent of rural counties had no hospitals with obstetric services; by 2014, that figure had jumped to 54 percent.
Healthy meat demand boosts business, red tape for small processors
Agri-Pulse | Posted onSeptember 7, 2017 in Agriculture, Food, SARL Members and Alumni NewsThe nation’s small meat processors are confronting a new market reality: an increasing demand for healthier local meat options coupled with the often-labyrinthine set of regulations that accompanies it. As a result, some processors in Missouri, Illinois and other parts of the nation’s heartland have changed their model from a slaughter-only facility to one that includes a specialty meat operation and opted for federal certification, allowing them to sell across state lines but increasing the amount of regulatory infrastructure.
EPA eyes limits for agricultural chemical linked to crop damage
Reuters | Posted onSeptember 7, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThe U.S. environmental agency is considering banning sprayings of the agricultural herbicide dicamba after a set deadline next year, according to state officials advising the agency on its response to crop damage linked to the weed killer. Setting a cut-off date, possibly sometime in the first half of 2018, would aim to protect plants vulnerable to dicamba, after growers across the U.S. farm belt reported the chemical drifted from where it was sprayed this summer, damaging millions of acres of soybeans and other crops.
The raging legal battle over what makes a food “natural”
Denver Post | Posted onSeptember 7, 2017 in Federal, Food NewsMore than a year after the Food and Drug Administration signaled that it would soon nail down exactly what the word “natural” means, the agency has yet to provide any guidance – and baffled consumers are suing.
USDA Strengthens Enforcement Rules for Livestock Mandatory Reporting and COOL Programs
Penn State Law Blog | Posted onSeptember 7, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal NewsOn August 8, 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that the agency has issued a final rule that permits USDA to impose civil penalties against violators of the Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) and the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulations. AMS stated that the announced final rule extends the current rules under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, to include LMR and COOL violations.
Sargento defends 'natural cheese' claims
Food Navigator | Posted onSeptember 7, 2017 in Food NewsCourts should dismiss the ‘daisy-chained’ logic underpinning a new wave of ‘natural’ lawsuits looking beyond the ingredients list to factors such as animal feeding and rearing practices, says cheesemaker Sargento.
Texas Farmers Suffer Extensive Crop Losses In Wake Of Harvey
NPR | Posted onSeptember 7, 2017 in Agriculture NewsIn south Texas, this was going to be one of the best years farmers had seen in a while. The cotton crop was projected to bring in record prices and even clear out many families' debts. But the massive rainfall, winds and a slow drying-out process from Harvey have left many farmers overwhelmed and worried. It will take months, maybe even a full year, to get final figures on Texas' agricultural losses to Harvey. But Gene Hall of the Texas Farm Bureau says he's done some back-of-the-envelope calculations. Roughly, Hall says just looking at cotton, Texas's No.
FCC proposes to fix rural broadband by changing the definition
Daily Yonder | Posted onSeptember 7, 2017 in Federal, Rural NewsAjit Pai’s proposal to “solve” rural America’s broadband problem won’t help you watch Netflix, finish your homework, or download videos from your grandkids. All it does is move the goalposts and call it a touchdown. Rural people know the real score.Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai has made talking about the “digital divide” between rural communities and urban communities a top priority.
Clean water act's double standard
Daily Yonder | Posted onSeptember 7, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal, Rural NewsA California farmer who plowed dry ground faces large fines from the Environmental Protection Agency for polluting America's waterways. Meanwhile, under some conditions, cities can dump raw sewage into major rivers with impunity. How is this fair?