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U.S. Sweats Out Third-Warmest October On Record
Growing Produce | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Rural NewsThe contiguous U.S. experienced its third warmest October in 122-years of recordkeeping, with an average temperature of 57.7°F, which is 3.6°F above the 20th-century average. Forty-seven states were warmer than average. The precipitation total for the month was 0.17-inch above average.
Does 'cage-free' mean a better life for chickens?
CNN | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Food NewsIt's not a clear choice which of the possible living conditions for egg-laying hens -- enriched cages, cage-free systems, free-range setups -- serve them the best. The philosophical question of whether animals deserve any kind of moral consideration has been debated at least since the ancient Greeks. Cage-free and free-range systems clearly do a better job of allowing hens to express behaviorsthat are similar to those of wild jungle fowl. They can move around, and they have better opportunities for scratching, dust bathing and foraging.
Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Grants New Innovator Award to Nine Early Career Scientists
prweb.com | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a nonprofit organization that supports innovative science addressing food and agriculture challenges, today announced the first New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Award recipients. The nine New Innovators will receive a total of $4.8 million over five years. Matching funds from each awardee’s respective institution will leverage the Foundation’s investment of up to $300,000 per recipient.
R.I. farmers and food producers get free legal help
Providence Journal | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Agriculture NewsSusan Sosnowski is a state senator, but she is also a farmer who grows vegetables and raises sheep and turkeys on 60 acres in West Kingston. So she understands the need for farmers to get legal advice on everything from contracts to licensing to estate planning, and she also understands how hard it can be for them to cover that expense. “We often run on such thin financial margins that there isn’t extra funding to pay for attorneys,” said Sosnowski, D-South Kingstown, New Shoreham, the chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture.
Oregon has large backlog of food safety inspections, audit finds
Oregon Live | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Food NewsNearly a quarter of the food businesses in Oregon from groceries to dairies are overdue for safety inspections, according to an audit from the Secretary of State's office.The 2,841 companies are at least three months' past due, the audit said.
Iowa farm to be replicated in China
Des Moines Register | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Agriculture NewsMidwestern American agricultural practices will be showcased in China at an Iowa demonstration farm set to be built starting next year. The farm in Hebei Province will be modeled after one operated by Rick and Martha Kimberley, who live near Maxwell, about 25 miles northeast of Des Moines. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Kimberley farmstead in 2012. Then China's vice president, he met with friends he made in Iowa in 1985 while he was a Hebei Province party official and director of the Feed Association of Shijiazhuang Prefecture.
Bacterial Imbalances Can Mean Bad News for Honeybees
Seed World | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Agriculture NewsA team of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and their collaborators have established a strong link between honey bee health and the effects of diet on bacteria that live in the guts of these important insect pollinators. In a study published in the November issue of Molecular Ecology, the team fed caged honey bees one of four diets: fresh pollen, aged pollen, fresh supplements, and aged supplements.
Prison for woman who helped Michigan farms get illegal labor
Detroit Free Press | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Agriculture NewsA woman who illegally helped immigrants work at dairy farms in Michigan's Thumb region was sentenced Wednesday to two years and three months in federal prison. In her plea deal, Yolanda Stewart admitted that she conspired with farms for years. She said she enabled at least 10 farms, especially in Huron and Tuscola counties, to benefit from the labor of more than 100 people who were in the U.S. illegally. Defense attorney Paul Beggs said the 60-year-old Marlette woman regrets her actions. But he called it a stiff sentence for "something so many people do." "She's Hispanic. She's a U.S.
Dwayne Andreas, who transformed Archer Daniels Midland into global powerhouse, dies
The Washington Post | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Rural News
Weeks To Sift Through New Zealand Rubble, Producers Dumping Milk
Ag Web | Posted onNovember 17, 2016 in Federal NewsAftershocks are still being felt in New Zealand as the country tries to recover from a massive earthquake, and the devastation will impact the major dairy producing nation from exporting its goods. Fonterra, the world’s biggest dairy exporter, said some of its farms were without power and would likely have to dump milk, while other shipments are expected to be late. That area accounts for roughly 13 percent of the New Zealand’s milk output. Analysts expect the earthquake to lift milk prices at the Global Dairy Trade event.