AgClips
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Arkansas Proposes Stringent Rules on Dicamba-Based Herbicides
DTN | Posted onNovember 30, 2016 in Agriculture NewsMany eyes were on the Arkansas state pesticide board Nov. 21 as officials that oversee pesticide regulations wrestled with decisions on dicamba herbicide. At the end of a packed, three-hour public meeting, the Arkansas Plant Board voted to push measures toward that state's governor that would ban some forms of the herbicide and limit how and when newer dicamba formulations are used in the state. The situation has been brewing for months after cotton and soybean seeds engineered to tolerate dicamba were released in 2015 and 2016 without the special herbicides designed for those seeds.
Study: Barriers between producers, buyers hinder local food movement
Capital Press | Posted onNovember 30, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe local food movement may be growing in popularity, but barriers exist between buyers and producers that make locally grown food harder to find, a pair of experts says. Producers have difficulty finding local buyers to purchase a large portion of their crops, while buyers such as schools, restaurants, catering companies and stores complain they can’t get sufficient volume locally to meet their needs. Those were the findings of a survey by California State University-Chico professor Jake Brimlow and Golden State Farm Credit marketing and outreach director Noelle Ferdon, who are a married
Special Use Valuation in Texas: Wildlife Management Use
Texas Ag Law | Posted onNovember 30, 2016 in Agriculture NewsLand in WMUV is valued based upon its appraised value prior to conversion to Wildlife Management Use. For example, if prior to conversion, land was valuated under Open Space Valuation as native pasture, it would remain to be valued based upon native pasture calculation
aCounty passes frac sand ban, first in the state to take such a stand
Minneapolis Star Tribune | Posted onNovember 30, 2016 in Energy NewsSand mining in Minnesota and Wisconsin boomed and waned along with the oil and gas production practice known as hydrofracking. The particular kind of sand found in parts of southeast Minnesota was in huge demand by exploration companies, which use it to prop open cracks in the underground shale formations that produce oil and natural gas. Mining supporters in Winona County have said they’re trying to protect private property rights, provide jobs and preserve the region’s chance to cash in on changes in the nation’s oil industry. Commissioner Steve E.
Canada's Chicken Farmers Welcome Government Work on Illegal Imports
The Poultry Site | Posted onNovember 30, 2016 in Agriculture NewsCanada's chicken farmers operate under the country's supply management system, which limits domestic production and imports to ensure level prices for farmers. However, some importers are getting around the rules by importing broiler chicken meat labelled as spent fowl meat (meat producing from old laying hens). Chicken coming into Canada is subject to import controls, and spent fowl is not – there is no limit on how much can be imported. The Duties Relief Program enables qualified companies to import goods without paying duties, as long as they later export the goods.
USDA Expands Public-Private Partnerships to Create Economic Opportunities through Regional Food Supply Chains
USDA | Posted onNovember 30, 2016 in Federal NewsU.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Lillian Salerno today announced three new public-private partnerships that will create economic opportunities in Elgin, Texas; Fresno, Calif.; and Chicago.
Farmers Push Back Against Animal Welfare Laws
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onNovember 30, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe restrictive laws have taken hold so far in states that have relatively small agriculture industries for animals and animal products and fewer large-scale farming operations. But producers in big farming states see the writing on the wall. Backed by state farm bureaus, large-scale industrial farmers are pushing for changes that would make it harder for states to further regulate the way they do business. North Dakota and Missouri adopted amendments in the last few years that enshrined into their constitutions the right of farmers and ranchers to use current practices and technology.
Report Suggests Ways to Fix Renewable Fuel Standard
DTN | Posted onNovember 30, 2016 in Energy NewsThe future of the RFS remains in question. Though President-elect Donald Trump pledged support for the RFS during the primary campaign, the direction of his U.S. Environmental Protection Agency remains an open question. Oil industry interests and others have called for RFS reform or repeal.
U.S. will fall short of ethanol, biofuels targets under Renewable Fuel Standard
Washington Times | Posted onNovember 30, 2016 in Energy NewsThe federal Renewable Fuel Standard will fall far short of the goals laid out by Congress, government watchdogs said Monday, dealing another blow to the embattled program and giving more ammunition to critics who say it must be ended immediately. Government Accountability Office reports say the Renewable Fuel Standard, enacted by lawmakers in 2007, has been crippled by higher-than-expected costs of producing ethanol and other biofuels and by the boom in U.S. oil and gas production, which has made fossil fuels far more competitive in the marketplace.
Massachusetts Announces $3.9 Million in Grants for Land Protection Projects
Capecod.com | Posted onNovember 30, 2016 in NewsThe state has announced more than $3.9 million in grant awards to 13 communities to protect over 900 acres of land through the local acquisitions through the Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) Grant Program. The grant program seeks to address climate change and protect biodiversity within the borders of the Commonwealth.