AgClips
Recent AgClips
British Columbia Forbids Cosmetic Tail Procedures
Veterinary Practice News | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Rural NewsThe College of Veterinarians of British Columbia has voted overwhelmingly to ban cosmetic tail docking of dogs, horses and cattle. The Vancouver-based licensing body declared cosmetic ear cropping of dogs to be unethical about a year ago. Cosmetic tail docking and cosmetic tail alterations, such as nicking and blocking horses, came up during an update of the Canadian group’s bylaws in November, said President Brendan Matthews, DVM. More than 91 percent of voting members opted to make both practices unethical.
Hemp industry members file legal challenge against DEA’s new marijuana extract rule
The Denver Post | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Federal NewsThe hemp industry has taken the DEA to court in the wake of a controversial new rule on marijuana extracts. Denver’s Hoban Law Group, representing the Hemp Industries Association, Centuria Natural Foods and RMH Holdings LLC, on Friday filed a judicial review action against the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, alleging the agency overstepped its bounds when enacting a rule establishing coding for marijuana derivatives such as cannabidiol (CBD) oil.
Syngenta sees ChemChina takeover closing in the second-quarter
Reuters | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Agriculture NewsSwiss pesticides and seeds group Syngenta (SYNN.S) pushed back the expected closure of its agreed $43 billion takeover by ChemChina [CNNCC.UL] to the second quarter of 2017, but said it was making progress in winning regulatory approval for the deal. The transaction is important for China, the world's largest agricultural market, which is looking to Syngenta's portfolio of chemicals and patent-protected seeds to help bolster food supplies for its huge population.
Chicken farmers say processors treat them like servants
The Washington Post | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Agriculture NewsFormer chicken farmers in five states have filed a federal lawsuit accusing a handful of giant poultry processing companies that dominate the industry of treating farmers who raise the chickens like indentured servants and colluding to fix prices paid to them. The farmers located in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas allege that the contract grower system created by Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, Perdue Farms, Koch Foods, and Sanderson Farms pushed them deep into debt to build and maintain chicken barns to meet company demands. They say the companies colluded to fix f
The next American farm bust is upon us
Wall Street Journal | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThe Farm Belt is hurtling toward a milestone: Soon there will be fewer than two million farms in America for the first time since pioneers moved westward after the Louisiana Purchase. Across the heartland, a multiyear slump in prices for corn, wheat and other farm commodities brought on by a glut of grain world-wide is pushing many farmers further into debt. Some are shutting down, raising concerns that the next few years could bring the biggest wave of farm closures since the 1980s. The U.S. share of the global grain market is less than half what it was in the 1970s.
Bipartisan vote crushes Virginia bill to legalize raw milk sales
Food Safety News | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Food NewsRepublicans and Democrats joined forces in a committee of the Virginia House of Delegates to defeat an attempt to legalize the sale of raw, unpasteurized milk by a vote of more than two to one. The 6-15 vote against House Bill 2030 saw all six votes in favor cast by Republican members of the Committee for Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources.
USDA delays organic animal welfare rule
Agri-Pulse | Posted onFebruary 9, 2017 in Federal NewsUSDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is delaying the effective date of a new rule on organic livestock and poultry practices to comply with a Trump administration directive. The rule had been scheduled to go into effect March 20; the new date is May 19. Reince Priebus, President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, issued a memo Jan. 20 to federal agencies directing them to “temporarily postpone” for 60 days any regulations that had been published in the Federal Register but not yet taken effect.
Tax Reform and Trade Policy
Farm Doc Daily | Posted onFebruary 7, 2017 in Federal NewsPresident Trump has returned trade policies and related taxes to the spotlight. The Trump administration floated the idea of a 20% border tax adjustment or a tariff on Mexican imports to have Mexico pay for the wall. This article looks further at the issue of border tax adjustments, tariffs and trade policies. According to basic economic theory, a standard tariff is a tax applied to imported products and is therefore generally expected to increase their cost. Accordingly, much of the burden of a tariff would fall on US consumers.
NY farmers cite $1B drop in farm production value
Wayne Post | Posted onFebruary 7, 2017 in Agriculture NewsWhen the New York Farm Bureau released its 2017 priorities last week, the state's largest agricultural lobbying/trade organization painted a dire picture. New numbers just released by National Agricultural Statistics Service show the value of farm production in New York dropped by $1 billion in 2015 to $5.33 billion, NYFB stated in announcing its annual lobbying agenda. "That is a significant loss in farm income, and anecdotally Farm Bureau members are saying that farm income will likely drop even further when 2016 numbers are released," NYFB stated.
5 ways to fight back against animal activist groups
Watt Ag Net | Posted onFebruary 7, 2017 in Agriculture NewsAnimal rights groups want to destroy animal agriculture, and the industry needs to be proactive to protect its future. Animal rights activists have changed their tune and their tactics to seem more mainstream and moderate in recent years, but their objective remains the same. Thompson-Weeman said the goal is dismantling animal agriculture by discouraging consumers to buy meat and farmers to raise animals. Those who doubt the credibility and prowess of the activists groups should look no further than the cage-free movement spurring chaos in the US egg industry.