AgClips
Recent AgClips
Data Coalition, Growers Join to Launch National Ag Data Cooperative
Hoosier Ag Today | Posted onMarch 9, 2017 in Agriculture NewsA cooperative of growers and an agricultural data nonprofit have agreed to combine their technology platforms and create a vital resource for data-driven agriculture — a neutral, secure and private data storage repository controlled by growers. The combined platforms will be known as AgXchange™ and will be an independent data repository commercially available through the Growers Ag Data Cooperative (GADC) where producers can control, store, view and share their farm data assets.
New Holland Announces Data-Sharing Agreements
Wisconsin Ag Connection | Posted onMarch 9, 2017 in Agriculture NewsNew Holland has announced it has secured agreements to enable wireless data transfer capabilities between its PLM Connect precision land management system and service providers, including Decisive Farming, Encirca services, Onsite, and MapShots, Inc. If they so choose, users of PLM Connect will have the ability to share their agronomic data from their management portal directly to and from these third-party providers. "We are very excited to add these providers which will allow our customers to be able to seamlessly share their data through PLM Connect," said Luke Zerby, New Holland's Pre
Mayo, wings, butter: 'Fake milk' is the latest food fight
AP | Posted onMarch 9, 2017 in Food NewsIs "fake milk" spoiling the dairy industry's image? Dairy producers are calling for a crackdown on the almond, soy and rice "milks" they say are masquerading as the real thing and cloud the meaning of milk. A group that advocates for plant-based products, the Good Food Institute, countered this week by asking the Food and Drug Administration to say terms such as "milk" and "sausage" can be used as long as they're modified to make clear what's in them.
Oregon considers limiting limiting tax credits for processing livestock manure into energy in biodigesters
Capital Press | Posted onMarch 9, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsOregon’s anticipated budget shortfall has prompted lawmakers to consider limiting tax credits for processing livestock manure into energy in biodigesters. Biodigesters break down manure, releasing methane gas which is used to generate electricity. The remaining solids have many uses. They are expensive, and farmers have used the tax credits to offset the costs. Under House Bill 2853, tax credits would only be available for manure processed in biodigesters that were operational before the end of 2016.
Wildfires burn more than 1 million acres
CNN | Posted onMarch 8, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsWildfires across the country had consumed more than 1 million acres, taking at least 7 lives. The Oklahoma Forestry Service told CNN the fires burned 400,000 acres, and prompted Gov. Mary Fallin to declare a state of emergency for 22 counties.Officials in four other states said that 400,000 acres were destroyed in Kansas, 325,000 in the Texas Panhandle and 30,000 in Colorado -- not to mention the 6,000 acres burning in the Florida swamps near Naples that resulted in mandatory evacuations.
Six Dead, Thousands Evacuated After Strong Winds Fan Wildfires in Four Plains States
Weather Channel | Posted onMarch 8, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsDestructive wildfires broke out in the Plains on Monday and grew quickly in size, forcing thousands to evacuate and contributing to the deaths of six people. The fires were fanned by strong winds on the western side of the same storm system that spawned an outbreak of severe storms in the Midwest.
As wind grows, so does its opposition
EEnews | Posted onMarch 6, 2017 in Energy NewsOklahoma wind developers are fresh off a record-setting year. Only Texas installed more wind capacity in 2016, a fact that thrusts the Sooner State's power markets into a sudden transition and is agitating opponents along the way. Wind barely registered in Oklahoma a decade ago, but it now accounts for 20 percent of the state's electricity generation.Instead of celebrating, industry leaders find themselves facing a torrent of anti-wind legislation in Oklahoma City, the state capital.
EPA halts inquiry into oil and gas industry emissions of methane
The Washington Post | Posted onMarch 6, 2017 in Energy NewsThe Environmental Protection Agency Thursday announced it was withdrawing a request that operators of existing oil and gas wells provide the agency with extensive information about their equipment and its emissions of methane, undermining a last-ditch Obama administration climate change initiative.
Keystone XL Pipeline exempt from Trump’s ‘Buy American' policy
New York Daily News | Posted onMarch 6, 2017 in Energy NewsPresident Trump recently signed an executive order demanding that any new oil pipelines on U.S. soil are built with American steel — but that apparently doesn't go for the controversial Keystone XL project, according to a report. Trump reignited the Keystone development in a January executive action that ordered the Secretary of Commerce to ensure that all pipeline projects "use materials and equipment produced in the United States." But a White House spokeswoman told Politico that the Keystone XL is apparently exempt from the order
Six weeks later, senators question delay on Agriculture pick
Capital Press | Posted onMarch 6, 2017 in Federal NewsPresident Donald Trump tapped former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to be his agriculture secretary six weeks ago, but the administration still hasn’t formally provided the Senate with the paperwork for the nomination. The delay is frustrating farm-state senators, who represent many of the core voters who helped elect Trump. The White House said the paperwork, including ethics forms and an FBI background check, is coming soon. The only other nomination that hasn’t been sent to Capitol Hill is that of Alexander Acosta, who was nominated to be labor secretary on Feb.