AgClips
Recent AgClips
With veto override, Md. legislature enacts stronger green-energy standards
The Washington Post | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Energy NewsDespite vigorous opposition from the popular Republican governor, the Maryland Senate voted 32 to 13 on Thursday to override Hogan’s veto of a bill to boost the state’s use of renewable energy. The House of Delegates voted to reverse the veto earlier this week. That means the measure — which requires Maryland to obtain 25 percent of its energy from wind, solar and other renewable sources by 2020, instead of 20 percent by 2022 — will become law.
What’s Driving Population Declines in More States?
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Rural NewsEight states lost population between 2015 and 2016, and 12 others recorded their lowest population increase of the decade, as economic woes and lower birth rates hit some states harder than others. Connecticut, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming lost population. The last time so many states registered a drop in population was from 1986 to 1987, when oil prices collapsed.
Study shows dairy processing potential in Dakotas
Bismarck Tribune | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsNorth Dakota dairy producers are taking aim at attracting a specialty dairy products plant in hopes of saving the declining industry. North Dakota has seen a reduction of 350 dairy farms in 2002 to 86 dairy farms today, losing five since the last legislative session. The number of cows is down to 16,000 compared to 40,000 in 2002. Aimed at helping struggling dairy enterprises, a joint study between the North Dakota Dairy Coalition and the South Dakota Department of Agriculture identified the industry’s best options for getting a new processing plant in the area.
Beef, pork propel Tyson to record Q1 net income
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Food NewsStrong gains in its beef and pork segments fueled record-setting results for Tyson Foods in the first quarter of 2017, the processor announced this morning. Tyson said earnings per share hit a record $1.59, a 38-percent improvement on year-ago results. Operating income rose 27 percent to a record $982 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2017, while net income in the period reached $594 million, up 29 percent from profits in the same period one year ago.
ACA Repeal Seen Thwarting State Addiction Efforts
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Rural NewsIn the three years since the Affordable Care Act took effect, its federally funded expansion of Medicaid to low-income adults has become the states’ most powerful weapon in the battle against the nation’s worsening opioid epidemic. Now, as Congress and President Donald Trump debate potential replacements for the law, governors, health care professionals and advocates for the poor are cautioning that any cut in federal funding for addiction treatment could reverse much of the progress states have made.
More than 101 million sterile screwworm flies have been released in the Keys
Miami Herald | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Rural NewsAntiparasitic medicine for endangered Key deer and an abundance of sterile New World screwworm flies continue to help fight the screwworm situation in South Florida. More than 101 million sterile screwworm flies have been released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Marathon and the Lower Keys since October. In Homestead, where a stray dog was found with a screwworm infestation in December, nearly 2 million have been released. They help to drive down the number of fertile flies by mating with wild flies to produce eggs that never hatch.
The contradictions at the heart of the fight over methane rules
High Country News | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Energy NewsIn 2014, Colorado became the first state to regulate methane emissions from oil and gas drilling, with the goal of shrinking its carbon footprint and improving local air quality. While a couple industry trade groups fought the rules, some producers, including Encana, Devon Energy and Anadarko, supported the measures. They even helped write the rules with the state and the Environmental Defense Fund. A couple years in, even the trade groups agree that the rules are reasonable and effective.
New Mexico Bill Would Ban "Milk" On Non-Dairy Products
KRWG | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Food NewsState Senator Cliff Pirtle (R-Roswell) wants to end the misrepresentationf plant based "milk" products. His SB 161 calls for the end of the mislabeling of beverages as “milk” when they don’t have cow or goat milk in them. Senator Pirtle said the cartons in the dairy section of products called soy milk, almond milk and silk milk are confusing to the public because they think they are milk and they are not. He is asking that in New Mexico there be more truth in advertising and these beverages be labeled something as such “imitation milk.”
West Virginia to distribute 8,000 overdose reversal kits in West Virginia
West Virginian Register Herald | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Rural NewsIn an effort to prevent opioid overdose deaths, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) plans to distribute more than 8,000 naloxone rescue kits. The state-level naloxone distribution project is a partnership of DHHR’s Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities (BBHHF) and Bureau for Public Health (BPH). The project is being funded primarily through a $1.07 million federal block grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment.
Minnesota Moves To Shore Up Health Insurance Market
NPR | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Rural NewsAmid the uncertainty about the future of the Affordable Care Act, states still have to manage their insurance markets. Most states have muddled through the 2017 enrollment season without making changes. Minnesota, for its part, took three unusual actions that are worth a closer look. In January, Minnesota:passed a one-time bailout for some consumers in the individual insurance market dealing with skyrocketing premiums;rejected an attempt to let insurers offer cheaper, bare-bones coverage;laid the groundwork for a sort of homegrown "public option" insurance plan.