AgClips
Recent AgClips
Farmers’ suit against Syngenta awarded class action status
Watt Ag Net | Posted onSeptember 29, 2016 in Agriculture NewsHundreds of thousands of U.S. farmers have been granted class action status for their lawsuits against seed company Syngenta over sales of biotech corn seeds not approved for import by China. A judge in the U.S. District Court of Kansas certified a nationwide class and statewide classes in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota. At least 440,000 farmers sued after grain shipments containing traces of Syngenta’s Agrisure Viptera corn were rejected by China, which had not approved the variety for import before it was launched.
REMINDER: EPA Registration Review for Atrazine, Simazine, and Propazine
Ag Retailers Association | Posted onSeptember 29, 2016 in Agriculture NewsAtrazine, simazine and propazine are currently under EPA registration review, which is required for all pesticides every 15 years to update and modernize the science and risk assessments. As part of the review process, on June 2, 2016 EPA released its draft ecological risk assessments, which drew conclusions based on a number of scientific errors and flawed interpretations. The future of some essential crop protection tools are at stake. It is important for our industry to weigh in with EPA to ensure they are following sound science and accurate data prior to making any final decisions.
U.S. Farm Economy Slumps into the Fourth Quarter
Federal Reserve Bank | Posted onSeptember 29, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe U.S. farm economy weakened further in the third quarter despite an upward revision to farm income projections. Following a brief rebound in crop prices in the second quarter, profit margins for crop producers deteriorated in August and September. Profit margins also remained poor in the cattle and dairy sectors.
New series of animal welfare auditing training offered
Meat + Poultry | Posted onSeptember 29, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) announced on Sept. 19 that it will offer the first in a series of training courses to certify auditors to conduct the Common Swine Industry Audit (CSIA). The first two sessions are scheduled for Oct. 25-27 and Dec. 6-8 at the Univ. of Minnesota Southern Research Outreach center in Waseca, Minnesota.
Wisconsin passes school food safety bill
Wisconsin School Nutrition Association | Posted onSeptember 29, 2016 in Food NewsGov. Scott Walker signed Assembly Bill 37 into law as 2015 WI Act 46. The legislation -- know as the School Food Safety Bill -- was one of SNA-WI's top legislative priorities this year and was pursued to help equip school nutrition professionals with the necessary tools to enhance food safety and reduce the risk of food borne illness in Wisconsin schools. As you know, all licensed restaurants in Wisconsin must be operated by an individual who holds a certificate of food protection practices issued by the state.
As a GMO Pillar Wobbles, Biotech Companies Promise New Insect-Killing Genes
NPR | Posted onSeptember 28, 2016 in Agriculture NewsFor all the international furor over genetically modified food, or GMOs, the biotech industry has really only managed to put a few foreign genes into food crops. The first of these genes — actually, a small family of similar genes — came from a kind of bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt. Those genes make plants poisonous to certain insect pests. These genes are a pillar of the entire industry. But that pillar is wobbling. Three of the four Bt genes that are supposed to fend off one particularly important pest, the corn rootworm, are showing signs of failure.
Dairy Farm in North Valley one step closer to becoming net zero energy farm
30 Action News | Posted onSeptember 28, 2016 in NewsA dairy farm is taking advantage of the power of the sun. The Joseph Gallo Dairy Farm in Atwater unveiled Wednesday how they're reducing their carbon footprint. "It's not only good for the environment, and good for the community, it's good for business," said Peter Gallo, Dairy Farmer and Cheesemaker. The farm unveiled 7,800 new solar panels, moving closer to becoming a net zero energy dairy farm. "A dairy company needs to be both sustainable in economics and environmentally," said Gallo.
Study shows millennials are big organic consumers
Agri-Pulse | Posted onSeptember 28, 2016 in Food NewsIt turns out that millennials, perhaps the most important generation in terms of retail sales, are big consumers of organic food and other products, according to new study results announced today by the Organic Trade Association. About 52 percent of household heads that buy organic food are millennials in the prized 18- to-34-year-old age group, the study concluded. “That's huge and it means we've got a good future ahead of us,” Organic Trade Association CEO Laura Batcha said today at the group's All Things Organic Conference in Baltimore.
The case for using animals in medical research
Chicago Tribune | Posted onSeptember 28, 2016 in Agriculture NewsGround zero in the fight against Zika is now at the National Institutes of Health in suburban Washington. NIH scientists are testing a vaccine that could prevent people from acquiring the virus. Trials of a similar vaccine successfully immunized monkeys. Good news, right? Apparently not. Earlier this month, at another NIH facility just 3 miles away, a different group of scientists gathered to debate whether it's appropriate to conduct medical research — like the kind that's delivered this promising Zika vaccine — in primates at all. The NIH workshop on Sept.
New law allows Californians to rescue pets from hot cars
San Luis Obispo Tribune | Posted onSeptember 28, 2016 in Rural NewsGov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill that allows Californians to rescue animals trapped in hot cars without fear of prosecution. The bill signed on Saturday lets citizens smash car windows to set the pets free as long as there is no other way to rescue them. That means rescuers can break into the car if the animal appears to be in peril, the car is locked and law enforcement is not arriving quickly enough. The rescuer must stay at the scene until law enforcement respond to the situation.