AgClips
Recent AgClips
Cargill Fiscal First-Quarter Earnings Rise 66%
The Wall Street Journal | Posted onOctober 6, 2016 in Agriculture NewsCargill Inc. reported a 66% jump in profits for its most recent quarter, driven by expanding beef supplies and consumers’ rising appetite for burgers and steaks. A rebound in the Minnesota agricultural conglomerate’s U.S. meat business, also lifted by chicken and turkey sales, helped raise Cargill’s net earnings to $852 million for the fiscal first quarter, even as sales declined slightly. Cargill said the results illustrated how a wide-ranging revamp of its voluminous business portfolio is paying off.
The Dizzying Grandeur of 21st-Century Agriculture
The New York Times | Posted onOctober 6, 2016 in Agriculture News
our industrialized food system nourishes more people, at lower cost, than any comparable system in history. It also exerts a terrifyingly massive influence on our health and our environment. Photographer George Steinmetz spent nearly a year traveling the country to capture that system, in all its scope, grandeur and dizzying scale. His photographs are all the more remarkable for the fact that so few large food producers are willing to open themselves to this sort of public view.
Cabela’s Deal Spurs Uncertainty for Small Nebraska Town
The Wall Street Journal | Posted onOctober 6, 2016 in Rural NewsThe small town’s biggest success story and biggest employer, outdoor-gear retailer Cabela’s Inc., was being sold to rival Bass Pro Shops for $4.5 billion. The combination, which had been rumored for months, set off fresh fears about job losses at Cabela’s headquarters and what it could mean to the area’s future. “When Cabela’s thrives, the town thrives,” said the 61-year-old. “It means there are more people who are going to buy more products here. We have car dealerships.
Drone Makers Create New Lobbying Group After Split From Google, Amazon
Fortune | Posted onOctober 4, 2016 in Agriculture NewsMajor drone manufacturers have created their own industry advocacy group focused on unmanned aircraft for the growing consumer market. The Drone Manufacturers Alliance “will serve as the voice for drone manufacturers and our customers across civilian, governmental, recreational, commercial, nonprofit and public safety applications,” Kara Calvert, director of the new coalition.
Ontario cancels plans for more green energy citing strong electricity supply
CBC | Posted onOctober 4, 2016 in Energy NewsOntario's Liberal government took steps to take some pressure off of rising electricity rates, cancelling plans to sign contracts for up to 1,000 megawatts of power from solar, wind and other renewable energy sources. Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault said the move will save up to $3.8 billion of the costs projected in the 2013 long-term energy plan, and will keep about $2.45 a month from being added to hydro bills for homeowners and small businesses.
New Hampshire leaders target December aid for dairy farmers
The Washington Post | Posted onOctober 4, 2016 in Agriculture NewsAn emergency relief fund created in 2008 to help New Hampshire dairy farmers was never funded, but state officials said Monday they want to get money to farmers struggling with low milk prices and drought conditions by December. Nineteen of the state’s 120 dairies have closed in recent months. The state had lost 10 dairies over the previous four years combined.
EPA proposes major updates to RFS regulations
Biomass | Posted onOctober 4, 2016 in Energy NewsOn Oct. 3, the U.S. EPA released its proposed Renewable Enhancement and Growth Support rule, which aims to enhance the renewable fuel standard (RFS) program and related fuel regulations to support the growth of ethanol and other renewable fuels. The proposal includes an updated regulatory structure to allow biofuels producers to partially process feedstock at one facility and convert the resulting material into fuels at another using existing pathways.
How to feed the world with sensors, data and local production
Tech Crunch | Posted onOctober 4, 2016 in Agriculture NewsFood and agriculture entrepreneurs took the stage at the White House lawn for SXSL 2016 to discuss the potential and limits of technology to feed a burgeoning world population. According to the most recent available estimates from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 793 million people in the world do not have enough to eat today. And with a global population expected to grow to 9 billion by 2050, the U.S Agency for International Development (US AID) expects that agricultural production will need to increase by at least 60% from current levels to serve our nutritional
How difficult is it to export internationally? Here’s one California business’ experience
Mercury News | Posted onOctober 4, 2016 in Food NewsIn the cutthroat competition for supermarket shelf space, rivals had edged his high-protein, gluten-free, California-made nutrition bars out of a major American grocery chain. Dorf’s company, PureFit, had just three employees and under $10 million in sales, “but we didn’t curl up in a ball,” he recalled. “We kept fighting. We realized, there’s a lot more opportunity outside the U.S.” Today, PureFit exports to 20 countries from Switzerland to Singapore.
Canadian dairy sector thrives, while agriculture minister dismisses criticism from US dairy
Dairy Reporter | Posted onOctober 4, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe domestic dairy industry in Canada has proved to be a strong economic driver increasing its GDP from C$15.2bn ($11.6bn) in 2009 to C$19.9bn ($15.2bn) in 2015, according to a new report from the Dairy Farmers of Canada titled “Update on the Economic Impacts of the Dairy Industry in 2015.”