AgClips
Recent AgClips
Mexico to invest $30 million in Guatemalan milk plant
ABC news | Posted onJune 12, 2017 in Agriculture NewsMexico announced plans to invest $30 million in a Guatemalan milk plant, aiming to increase employment in its neighbor and reduce the outflow of migrants. The plant will be built in Escuintla, 31 miles (50 kilometers) outside of Guatemala City. A representative of Guatemala's foreign ministry told The Associated Press that the plant will generate at least 4,000 new jobs. Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said cross-border commitment is particularly important for efficient trade and migration.
China's WH Group targets beef and poultry assets in U.S. and Europe
Reuters | Posted onJune 9, 2017 in Federal NewsSmithfield Foods Inc's owner, China-based WH Group Ltd is scouting for U.S. and European beef and poultry assets to buy, in a move that would sharpen its rivalry with global meat packers Tyson Foods Inc and JBS SA. Expanding into beef and poultry would bring U.S.-based Smithfield the world's largest pork producer, more in line with competitors Tyson, JBS and BRF SA, which each process pork, chicken and beef.
3. President puts spotlight on crumbling river infrastructure vital to grain exports
The Progressive Farmer | Posted onJune 9, 2017 in Federal NewsThe centerpiece of Trump's infrastructure plan is $200 billion in tax breaks for businesses that the Trump administration expects would leverage $1 trillion in infrastructure projects around the country. Trump said the nation's infrastructure is crumbling and a disaster in need of serious upgrade.In May, the White House budget plan called for changing the Inland Waterways Trust Fund to increase fees paid by commercial navigation users of the waterways. The federal government would lower the 50% match for capital costs on locks and dams.
The gamble of the farmers that raise our chicken
High Plains Publis Radio | Posted onJune 9, 2017 in Agriculture NewsTim Mueller has raised corn and soybeans on 530 acres near the city of Columbus, Nebraska, for decades, but today he is planning to take a big gamble.The big box retailer Costco is building a new chicken processing plant in Fremont, about an hour from Mueller’s farm. The company plans for the plant to slaughter 2 million birds per week. To raise all those chickens, the company is recruiting about 120 farmers to sign on as contract poultry farmers. Mueller wants in.
Drought causing ranchers to sell cattle
The Bismarck Tribune | Posted onJune 9, 2017 in Agriculture NewsWith nearly 25 percent of the state in a moderate drought, cattle ranchers are selling more livestock.
U.S. Pays Farmers Billions To Save The Soil. But It's Blowing Away
National Public Radio | Posted onJune 8, 2017 in Federal NewsSoil has been blowing away from the Great Plains ever since farmers first plowed up the prairie. It reached crisis levels during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, when windblown soil turned day into night. That soil cloud is a result of farming practices — and of government policies. In recent years, dust storms have returned, driven mainly by drought. But Neil Shook, a scientist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others say farmers are making the problem worse by taking land where grass used to grow and plowing it up, exposing vulnerable soil.
Spies In The Field: As Farming Goes High-Tech, Espionage Threat Grows
National Public Radio | Posted onJune 8, 2017 in Agriculture NewsAgriculture today is a high-tech business, but as that technology has developed, so has the temptation to take shortcuts and steal trade secrets that could unlock huge profits. The FBI calls agricultural economic espionage "a growing threat" and some are worried that biotech piracy can spell big trouble for a dynamic and growing U.S. industry. Intellectual property is often hard to protect, no matter what form it takes: films, books, consumer products. The technology used in our food system, however, presents a unique challenge.
Heritage Foundation attacks ethanol policies
Farm Futures | Posted onJune 8, 2017 in Energy, Federal NewsThe Heritage Foundation Blueprint for Agriculture includes a lengthy chapter on U.S. biofuels policy and the renewable fuel standard (RFS). Heritage concludes that ethanol and other current biofuels are harmful to agriculture, the environment, and consumer.Heritage claims the U.S. biofuels policy “is a case study in the unintended consequences of government intervention.” For example, biofuels have created higher livestock prices for livestock farmers and ranchers.
Oklahoma tribe prepares to open processing plant
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onJune 8, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThe Quapaw tribe plans this summer to open a processing plant near Miami, Okla., for bison and cattle. The tribe began raising bison in 2010 and now has a herd of 160. It launched cattle and bee-raising programs in 2014 as part of a farm-to-table initiative that also includes greenhouses and eventually could add poultry, the paper reported. The tribe owns 500 head of cattle that graze on 1,500 acres throughout Ottawa County.
Webinar—Recent Developments in Agriculture & Food Law: Impacts on States
Midwestern Legislative Conference | Posted onJune 8, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsAgriculture and food law, at the local, state and national level is changing constantly and impacting our farmers, foresters, food producers, rural residents.