AgClips
Recent AgClips
“Eat this and die.” Two Steps to Outsmart Media Marketing of Fear
Huffington Post | Posted onAugust 21, 2017 in Agriculture NewsBy publishing anything claiming to have a whiff of scientific basis, assigning it a nefarious headline and relinquishing responsibility to verify its legitimacy, media counter their own noble pursuit by contributing to consumer confusion instead of being a beacon of clear, reliable information.“Carcinogenic pesticide found in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream” and “Chemical in mac and cheese tied to birth defects” are among the latest alarming headlines.Often, media outlets hungry for content and short on staff simply post news releases verbatim – no scrutiny applied – from an author, company, ad
DuPont Buys Granular Ag Software Company
Ag Web | Posted onAugust 21, 2017 in Agriculture NewsDuPont announced it will buy Granular Inc. software company for $300 million. This agreement will solidify the company’s investment in the ag tech space and is expected to close at the end of the third quarter. The acquisition gives DuPont ownership of Granular’s Farm Management Software and AcreValue.com that together serve 250 farms on two million acres in the U.S. as well as farms in Canada and Australia.
Telemedicine extends healthcare to rural patients
Farm and Dairy | Posted onAugust 21, 2017 in Rural NewsA doctor’s appointment, particularly with a specialist, can mean long hours of driving and sitting in waiting rooms. But a new telemedicine program through the Butler Health System in western Pennsylvania is giving patients more free time and less wait time. Telemedicine visits — where patients meet with doctors via a computer video connection instead of in person — allow patients to cut down on the lost time by staying closer to home.
Monsanto adds another CRISPR platform to genetic toolbox
Farm and Dairy | Posted onAugust 21, 2017 in Agriculture NewsMonsanto Company has forged an agreement with ToolGen, Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in genome editing, to use ToolGen’s CRISPR technology platform to develop agricultural products. The companies announced Aug. 16 that they have reached a global licensing agreement for Monsanto to access ToolGen’s suite of CRISPR intellectual property for use in plants.
Broiler welfare: 3 slow-growth claims examined
Watt Ag Net | Posted onAugust 21, 2017 in Agriculture NewsAs proponents of new broiler welfare programs continue to push for changes in broiler production techniques and smaller, slower-growing breeds, cases are being made that birds in modern production are not as healthy or mobile as they should be.Broiler health and mortality rates: The thought that modern breeds of broilers are not as healthy and experience higher-than necessary mortality rates is not necessarily accurate, Jones said.
Pig-to-person spread of flu at fairs a continued concern
Phys.org | Posted onAugust 21, 2017 in Agriculture, Rural NewsThe spread of influenza among pigs is common at fairs and other gatherings, and protective measures including cutting the length of time pigs and people congregate make good sense for both the animals and humans, say the authors of a new study. A team led by Andrew Bowman of The Ohio State University tracked human cases of H3N2 swine virus associated with seven agricultural fairs in 2016. They tallied 18 cases in Ohio and Michigan documented after exposure to flu-infected pigs.
Tiny Asian bug destroying La. marsh cane at alarming rate
WWLTV | Posted onAugust 21, 2017 in Agriculture NewsA tiny insect, barely visible to the naked eye, is killing marsh cane at an alarming rate and threatening to undo nearly a decade of coastal restoration and land-building in the delicate Mississippi River delta. The Roseau cane mealy bug, also known as a Phragmites scale, was first discovered on some of the marsh reeds of Plaquemines Parish last summer.
Fracking debate ramps up again in Illinois with first permit application under new rules
Midwest Energy News | Posted onAugust 21, 2017 in Energy NewsFour years ago, the Illinois legislature passed a law to regulate high volume hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, after months of contentious negotiations between oil industry interests, environmental watchdogs and community groups.
Missouri regulators deal Grain Belt Express another setback
Midwest Energy News | Posted onAugust 21, 2017 in Energy NewsEven though four of its five members stated unequivocally that a proposed wind energy transmission line would be in the public interest, the Missouri Public Service Commission on Wednesday said it could not grant Clean Line Energy Partners a permit for development of the Grain Belt Express. The commission said it was constrained by a recent state appeals court ruling in a different transmission case. A lawyer representing clean-energy interests said that another appeal is a near-certainty.
States Move to Encourage Community Solar
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onAugust 21, 2017 in Energy NewsThe number of U.S. homeowners who have their own solar panels has been growing steadily since 2000. But as that market slows, the industry’s focus is shifting to the huge swath of customers who can’t put panels on their own roofs. Among them are renters, people who live in places where installation isn’t allowed or isn’t feasible, and those who simply cannot afford their own panels.