AgClips
Recent AgClips
Cheap China Corn Seen Curbing Imports Amid Ample Domestic Supply
Bloomberg | Posted onNovember 2, 2016 in Agriculture NewsChina’s imports of corn and feed grains are set to slump after the government increased the amount auctioned from state reserves and domestic prices dropped to a decade low, according to analysts. The government is offering about 7.9 million metric tons of corn from its stockpiles for a third week. That compares with 6 million tons offered in auctions held July 21 and 22 and about 2 million tons offered July 12-13, which included poor quality grain.
EU and Canada sign long-delayed free trade deal
BBC | Posted onNovember 2, 2016 in Federal NewsThe deal was signed in Brussels by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and top EU officials. The signing ceremony initially planned for Thursday had been cancelled after Belgium's Wallonia region vetoed the agreement. All 28 EU states approved the deal on Friday when consensus was reached. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as Ceta, required all EU member states to endorse it. The deal removes 99% of tariffs - and officials hope it will generate an increase in trade worth $12bn
FDA releases new guidance for small entities
FDA | Posted onNovember 2, 2016 in Federal NewsThe Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF) rule creates new requirements for the production of human food by registered food facilities, and revises previous requirements. This guide was developed to inform domestic and foreign food facilities about thePCHF regulation and how to comply with it. It contains important information that may affect your firm. We have prepared this Small Entity Compliance Guide in accordance with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (Pub. Law 104-121).
Eat Or Be Eaten: How ‘Big Ag’ Came To Be
Nebraska Educational Television | Posted onNovember 2, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe industry that supplies farmers with the tools to raise crops is on the brink of a watershed moment. High-profile deals are in the works that would combine the largest agri-chemical companies, sending ripples through farm fields and dinner tables. In some ways, the growth and consolidation of the agriculture industry is a common story of American business: growth snowballed until small companies become part of larger conglomerates. But farming only transitioned from a self-contained enterprise to big business in the 20th century.
US approves 2 types of genetically engineered potatoes
Magic Valley | Posted onNovember 2, 2016 in Food NewsThe U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved commercial planting of two types of potatoes that are genetically engineered to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine. The approval announced Friday covers Idaho-based J.R. Simplot Co.’s Ranger Russet and Atlantic varieties of the company’s second generation of Innate potatoes. The company says the potatoes will also have reduced bruising and black spots, enhanced storage capacity, and a reduced amount of a chemical created when potatoes are cooked at high temperatures that’s a potential carcinogen.
The Dairy Industry Lost $420 Million From a Flaw in a Single Bull
The Atlantic | Posted onNovember 2, 2016 in Agriculture NewsIt started with a bull named Pawnee Farm Arlinda Chief, who had a whopping 16,000 daughters. And 500,000 granddaughters and more than 2 million great-granddaughters. Today, in fact, his genes account for 14 percent of all DNA in Holstein cows, the most popular breed in the dairy industry. Chief—let’s call him Chief for brevity’s sake—was so popular because his daughters were fantastic milk producers. He had great genes for milk. But, geneticists now know, he also had a single copy of a deadly mutation that spread undetected through the Holstein cow population.
Vermont approves all-payer model
Burlington Free Press | Posted onNovember 2, 2016 in Rural NewsThe Green Mountain Care Board voted Wednesday morning to approve the all-payer waiver, giving the go-ahead for the state to implement a model the governor says will curb rising health care costs. Gov. Peter Shumlin has been travelling the state in recent weeks to promote the initiative. Under an all-payer model, providers are paid set amounts for care, rather than being paid per test, service or procedure. Al Gobeille, the chairman of the Green Mountain Care Board, said the new way of paying health care providers will save Vermont $10 billion over the next 10 years.
PA:Opioid awareness education plan passes Senate
New Castle News | Posted onNovember 2, 2016 in Rural NewsLegislation to create a new opioid awareness program for students in middle and high school was approved unanimously by the state Senate and is now headed to the House of Representatives for consideration. Sponsored by state Senator John N. Wozniak (D-Cambria/Bedford/Clearfield), the proposal — Senate Bill 1212 — would require the Department of Education in consultation with the state departments of health and drug and alcohol programs to craft an opioid awareness curriculum for public and private schools. The program is targeted to students in grades six through 12.
Weighing Consumers Growing Appetite for Clean Meat Labeling
Nielsen | Posted onNovember 2, 2016 in Food NewsThe call for food transparency continues to build, and with it, the use of terms like “natural,” “hyper-local” and “antibiotic-free” in conversations around our food. When it comes to meat, discussions include the added dimensions of livestock care and processing, complicating the labeling of meat products well beyond what’s needed for an organic banana or a package of fiber cereal. So what exactly do these meat labels mean, and what are the nuances? But perhaps more importantly, do consumers really want “cleaner” meat? From a total U.S. consumption perspective, the short answer is yes.
Obama administration sends $28 million to aid coal regions
Reuters | Posted onNovember 2, 2016 in Energy NewsThe U.S. government released $28 million in federal grants to 13 coal-producing states on Wednesday to help them cope with the decline of the coal industry, driven by the move toward cleaner energy. With the Obama administration's announcement, over $66 million has been awarded this year to 71 projects that aim to aid workers displaced from coal company bankruptcies and create new industries in these areas.