AgClips
Recent AgClips
Use of Kaput Hog Bait Making Cautious Progress in Louisiana
The Voice of Louisiana | Posted onApril 19, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsWith just three meetings under its belt, the Feral Hog Task Force at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is rooting around for a solution to a growing problem.
California utility launches first hybrid power systems
Napa Valley Register | Posted onApril 19, 2017 in Energy NewsA California utility has launched unique systems combining a hybrid battery and gas turbine to produce and store electricity for use during hot summer months and other times when power demand soars.The new Hybrid Electric Gas Turbines are the first of their kind in the world, officials with Southern California Edison and manufacturer General Electric said during an event Monday near Los Angeles.The new systems will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution by 60 percent and save millions of gallons of cooling water annually, Edison said.There were no numbers on how much consumers mi
Oklahoma to end tax credit that propelled wind production
The State | Posted onApril 19, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsA state tax credit that helped propel Oklahoma to third in the nation in its capacity to generate electricity from wind is coming to an end, but it will be years before state coffers see results of the change. Gov. Mary Fallin on Monday signed legislation that rolls back a 10-year tax credit for electricity generated by zero-emission facilities that was launched in 2003.Under the measure, zero-emission facilities must be operating by July 1 this year to qualify for the credit, instead of Jan. 1, 2021.
How Wall Street Once Killed the U.S. Solar Industry
The Atlantic | Posted onApril 19, 2017 in Energy NewsWhy is the American solar-power industry so small? It’s less obvious than it may seem. The global industry is a $65-billion business, and the United States has been involved in it from the beginning. NASA first improved and perfected panels for early satellite and Apollo missions. American firms have been manufacturing and selling solar panels for 40 years.Yet North American firms produce only about 3 percent of the world’s solar panels.
South Dakota farmers fear uncertain ethanol future
Rapid City Journal | Posted onApril 19, 2017 in Energy NewsEthanol came to the rescue of growers like Swayze, injecting a new value into crops, driving prices higher and boosting the state's economy. Much of the industry's expansion since the 1990s depended on federal policies, including new rules to ensure clean air, fuel economy and a marketplace for renewable fuels.But like many of his peers in corn and ethanol, the next four years leave Swayze with questions.A Donald Trump White House means a new, uncertain political landscape. Some of the Trump administration's leaders have deep ties to the oil industry.
Paris climate agreeement gives US what it wants now
Midwest Energy News | Posted onApril 19, 2017 in NewsThe Paris Climate Agreement could well remain intact despite the Trump administration’s earlier statements and actions on the Clean Power Plan, according to the lead climate lawyer who worked on the deal. As it stands now, the agreement gives the United States basically what it wanted, said former U.S.
Humane Farming wants USDA to take action against farmers that lose livestock in severe weather
Meat + Poultry | Posted onApril 19, 2017 in Federal NewsThe Humane Farming Association (HFA) is asking the US Dept. of Agriculture to take action against livestock owners who don’t protect their animals from severe weather. HFA filed a petition with the agency to cease payments to producers under USDA Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), which compensates livestock producers who incur losses from inclement weather.
Montana:Coal cleanup, oil and gas leases and raw milk debated as Legislature nears completion
Great Falls Tribune | Posted onApril 19, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsA Montana legislative committee has tabled a lawmaker’s attempt to clarify how private land is leased to oil companies. Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen, is the sponsor of House Bill 384, which would have revised language used on oil and gas leases to inform landowners of the associated costs of oil extraction from their land. Knudsen said leases tell landowners they will receive royalties from wells on their land. However, he said the oil industry tends to deduct transportation and operating costs from that royalty. That information isn’t generally on the lease.
Why Don’t All Jobs Matter?
The New York Times | Posted onApril 19, 2017 in Rural NewsPresident Trump is still promising to bring back coal jobs. But the underlying reasons for coal employment’s decline — automation, falling electricity demand, cheap natural gas, technological progress in wind and solar — won’t go away. Meanwhile, last week the Treasury Department officially (and correctly) declined to name China as a currency manipulator, making nonsense of everything Mr. Trump has said about reviving manufacturing.So will the Trump administration ever do anything substantive to bring back mining and manufacturing jobs?
Ten Years of Potential Losses for 6 Row Crops? – Commentary
Ag Fax | Posted onApril 19, 2017 in Agriculture NewsOver the last 3 weeks we looked at the USDA Agricultural Projections to 2026 for corn, soybeans, and wheat. We used those projections to calculate the profit/loss per acre for the average US farmer for each of the 3 crops for the 10-year period from 2017 to 2026. For corn, the loss per acre for the 10-year period was $867 per planted acre. The cumulative loss for soybeans over the same period would be $314 per acre while for wheat the loss would be $980