AgClips
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South Dakota squashes COOL attempt
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onFebruary 24, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsSouth Dakota’s legislature has scrapped a move to require country-of-origin labeling on meat sold in that state.
Germany’s environment minister bans meat at functions
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onFebruary 24, 2017 in Food NewsThe head of Germany’s environmental agency has directed the department to serve only vegetarian dishes at official functions. Quoting an email from an environmental ministry official, the agency has a responsibility to combat the “negative effects of meat consumption” and must “set an example,” the media reports said. This, although the meat ban does not extend to the agency’s own cafeteria, which continues to offer meat options with every meal.
White House: Feds will step up marijuana law enforcement
CNN | Posted onFebruary 24, 2017 in NewsThe White House said Thursday it expects law enforcement agents to enforce federal marijuana laws when they come into conflict with states where recreational use of the drug is permitted. "I do believe you will see greater enforcement of it," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said regarding federal drug laws, which still list marijuana as an illegal substance.That's a reversal from the Obama administration's stance, which laid out in an official memo that the federal government wouldn't interfere in states where nonmedical use of marijuana is allowed.
New Immigration Rules to Affect Farmers
DTN | Posted onFebruary 24, 2017 in Federal NewsAgricultural leaders say farmers aren't panicked yet by the Trump administration's new memos on immigration enforcement, but concerns are growing that illegal immigrants, who are the backbone of most farm labor in the country, could increasingly become targets of deportation. The tighter enforcement could have a major impact on farmers who rely heavily on undocumented labor, said Frank Gasperini, executive director of the National Council of Agricultural Employers.
Enhanced maple sap preheater program
ensave.com | Posted onFebruary 24, 2017 in Agriculture NewsEnSave, Inc. and Green Mountain Power are teaming up to offer an exciting new opportunity for Vermont maple sugaring operations in select parts of Vermont. We are offering a $9,000 incentive for the installation of enhanced maple sap preheaters to help maple syrup producers save on heating costs, upgrade their operations, and increase production. By installing an enhanced maple sap preheater you can: Reduce fuel usage by approximately 40%, Reduce evaporator runtime, Reduce boiling time, Reduce operational cost
Gene editing can complement traditional food-animal improvements
Phys.org | Posted onFebruary 24, 2017 in Agriculture NewsGene editing—one of the newest and most promising tools of biotechnology—enables animal breeders to make beneficial genetic changes, without bringing along unwanted genetic changes. And, following in the footsteps of traditional breeding, gene editing has tremendous potential to boost the sustainability of livestock production, while also enhancing food-animal health and welfare, argues UC Davis animal scientist Alison Van Eenennaam.
Five Ways GMOs Benefit The Environment
Medium.com | Posted onFebruary 24, 2017 in Agriculture NewsHumans have been modifying crops for over ten thousand years. Conventional methods (such as crossbreeding or treating plants with mutagens or radiation) involve large-scale and imprecise changes that are unknown. Using biotech solutions like genetic modification, researchers can make small, precise and extremely well-known changes to crops for the benefit of humans and the environment. GM crops are also much more well-tested than conventional crops to make sure they at least as safe.
Montana considers seed regulation bill
Ag Week | Posted onFebruary 24, 2017 in Agriculture NewsA bill that would prohibit cities and counties in Montana from regulating seeds has passed through a Senate committee.Senate Bill 155 would prohibit local governments from regulating "cultivation, harvesting, production, processing, registration, labeling, marketing, sale, storage, transportation, distribution, possession, notification of use, use and planting of agricultural seeds or vegetable seeds." The bill would not affect the zoning rights of local governments. The Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation committee passed the bill on Feb. 14 by a 7-4 vote.
Brussels ‘will block’ GM food from Britain
The Times (UK) | Posted onFebruary 24, 2017 in Food NewsPlans to grow genetically modified crops in Britain could result in the EU blocking imports of the produce after Brexit, according to a leaked report by European parliament officials. The internal paper, written to guide the parliament’s agriculture committee in its “scrutiny of Brexit”, says that British farmers seeking to sell produce to the remaining 27 member states could be hampered by multiple barriers on top of tariffs averaging 14 per cent. The officials’ note reports that Britain is developing new rules to make GM crop cultivation easier after pulling out of the EU.
The Cost of a GMO-Free Market Basket of Food in the United States
North Carolina State University | Posted onFebruary 24, 2017 in NewsWe examine the consumer cost consequences of choosing GMO-free food over food that contains GMOs. Using text-mining algorithms applied to detailed product descriptions contained in a proprietary database of individual GMO and GMOfree foods at the retail level, we find that, when directly compared item by item, GMO-free food costs an average of 33% more than a comparable food item that is not GMO-free. When compared on a per-ounce basis, GMO-free foods cost an average of 73% more.