AgClips
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Michigan DOA awarding grants to projects targeted for rural areas
WLNS.com | Posted onDecember 7, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is aiming to improve the infrastructure and boost industry in some of the state’s more isolated communities. The DOA is offering grants for projects that would promote sustainability and expand industries that use a lot of land, such as farming, mining, oil production, tourism, and rural industry projects. The department has $1.5 million available, and projects will be awarded portions of that through a competitive process, where the applicants will have to explain how their proposal will improve rural areas.
Fighting Opioid Abuse in Indian Country
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onDecember 7, 2016 in Rural NewsWhen Misty Jones looks back on her drug-using years, she sees a pattern. Since she was 18, she’s been having babies, using drugs, losing custody of her babies, and trying to quit drugs so she can get them back. Now 36 and in recovery from heroin addiction for 15 months, Jones, a member of the Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe, said she realizes she needs to beat her drug habit before she can take care of her children. “This time it’s going to be all about Misty and getting clean and not about Misty and getting her kids back,” she said.
Scientists identify pandemic threat viruses
BBC | Posted onDecember 7, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe scientists found 37 different viruses they believe have the potential to spread across the globe. All of them have shown the ability to spread between people, but have not so far caused a major epidemic. The Mers coronavirus, relatives of the Ebola virus, and several mosquito-borne viruses are singled out by the study. Researchers said these viruses had all caused disease outbreaks in the past and were the cause of "greatest concern".
3.4 million poultry culled nationwide as bird flu spreads
Korea Herald | Posted onDecember 7, 2016 in Agriculture NewsTwenty days after a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was first detected in South Korea, the epidemic shows no sign of abating. Nearly 3.4 million poultry had been culled as of Monday morning. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, some 2.5 million chickens, 790,000 ducks and 71,000 quails have been slaughtered nationwide as part of the quarantine, after nearly 70 farms were confirmed or suspected of having avian influenza, or bird flu, outbreaks.
Texas Lowe's hires retired vet and his service dog, now an internet 'celebrity'
My San Antonio | Posted onDecember 7, 2016 in Rural NewsAfter suffering a leg injury while enlisted in the Air Force, finding work became a challenge for a Texas man and his service dog until he walked into a Lowe's Home Improvement store. Clay Luthy was working as a handyman, doing his best to support his three children, when he was shopping the Abilene store and decided to submit a job application, Lowe's spokeswoman Karen Cobb told mySA.com, adding Luthy's injuries prevented him from bending his knee. Human Resources Manager Jay Fellers said he was unaware the 35-year-old veteran had a service dog until he showed up for an interview, but th
AVMA provides resources to battle cyberbullying
AVMA | Posted onDecember 7, 2016 in Agriculture NewsAVMA has now partnered with Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. to provide a 24/7 hotline to assist our member veterinarians and clinics who face attacks and cyberbullying. Members calling the hotline will receive up to 30 minutes of actionable consultation with an experienced crisis management team at no charge to you.
Wind developer drops plan for 119-turbine wind farm in Maine
Portland Press Herald | Posted onDecember 7, 2016 in Energy NewsEDP Renewables says the need to build new transmission lines and the loss of a power-purchase agreement with utilities in Connecticut contributed to the company's decision to withdraw its application. The project was proposed three years ago for ridges west of Bridgewater, but needed new transmission lines to connect it with the New England grid. That has taken longer than expected, and last summer, the project lost a power-purchase agreement with utilities in Connecticut.
Can GMOs Save the Wild American Chestnut Tree?
Biotech Now | Posted onDecember 6, 2016 in NewsAs we conclude the Thanksgiving holiday and head into the season of Christmas, it’s important to remind folks of the American chestnut tree blight. In the early 1900s, the eastern United States chestnut tree population was hit with a pathogenic fungus called Cryphonectria parasitica. This fungus is the main cause of chestnut blight, a disease that wiped out 3 to 4 billion trees in just a couple of decades and nearly devastated the entire chestnut tree population. The chestnut blight was first spotted in 1904 and is believed to have arrived here in Asian chestnut trees.
The Top 16 Junk Science Stories Of 2016
American Council on Science and Health | Posted onDecember 6, 2016 in NewsPeople in power often have a poor grasp of science. If journalists and advocates don't speak up for good science, cranks and quacks will take over. As part of our ongoing effort to eradicate pseudoscience, here is a list of the top 16 junk science stories we debunked in 2016. #10. The New York Times published an anti-GMO propaganda piece. #9. March Against Monsanto reveals itself to be an anti-vaccine conspiracy movement. #8. JAMA goes political. #7. Several cities pass a soda tax. #6. Pre-diabetes is not a real medical condition. #5.
Help Wanted: More Jobs for America
The New York Times | Posted onDecember 6, 2016 in Rural NewsWhy are there so few constructive responses to America’s unemployment and underemployment problems? Many individuals who were once members of the middle class or who grew up in solidly middle-class families are justifiably dissatisfied with current political and economic realities. This dissatisfaction partly accounts for Donald Trump’s election. Although corporations are creating jobs for robots, computers and offshore employees, little is being done to create well-paying jobs for Americans. The private sector either is no longer able or no longer willing to do so.