AgClips
Recent AgClips
Palm Beach County bans dog, cat sales at new pet stores
Sun Sentinel | Posted onSeptember 28, 2016 in Rural Newsw pet stores in Palm Beach County will no longer be able to sell dogs or cats as part of an effort to crack down on substandard breeders known as puppy mills. Commissioners approved the measure despite concerns from animal advocates. They argued it doesn't go far enough to cut off demand for puppies and kittens from commercial breeders who may put profits ahead of animal welfare. Existing stores could continue to sell puppies and kittens provided they are purchased from a licensed breeder that meets U.S. Department of Agriculture standards.
USDA Introduces New Report Covering the Cage-free Egg Market
USDA | Posted onSeptember 27, 2016 in NewsEarlier this week, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), through its Livestock, Poultry, and Grain Market News (LPGMN) Division, published a new report adding transparency to the cage-free shell egg market. This new monthly report includes wholesale price information for cage-free shell eggs traded on a contract basis and negotiated spot market basis.
North Dakota tax collections continue falling below forecast
Bismarck Tribune | Posted onSeptember 27, 2016 in Rural NewsNorth Dakota continues to see bleaker-than-expected state tax revenue collections from declining slumping oil and crop prices in the state.Office of Management and Budget Director Pam Sharp says revenues for August totaled $139.3 million. That's $9.2 million less than what had been projected.
...And Then There Were Four?
DTN | Posted onSeptember 27, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe five company executives were literally elbow to elbow, but they all fit at the narrow table where they sat facing a stern semi-circle of U.S. senators. They were in D.C. representing five of the "Big Six" agricultural companies and testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in defense of the two massive mergers and a key corporate purchase underway. Squeezed in next to them were four other representatives from the American Antitrust Institute, the American Farm Bureau, the National Corn Growers Association and the National Farmers Union.
Ag Leaders Push Global Trade Expansion
DTN | Posted onSeptember 27, 2016 in Federal NewsAt the end of a week that saw China send mixed signals on agriculture trade, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said the time has come for federal lawmakers to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Those in favor of the TPP say it is important for the U.S. to move quickly, so as not to allow China to take the lead on trade in Southeast Asia. This week, China agreed to re-open beef imports from the United States and made an agreement with Canada to import more canola, while also moving forward with an anti-dumping case against U.S. distillers grains.
Massachusetts voters to weigh cost of restrictive cages for farm animals
Boston Herald | Posted onSeptember 27, 2016 in Food NewsWhen Massachusetts voters head to the polls in November, supporters of a pro-farm animal ballot question want them to have one question in their minds: What would it feel like to spend their entire lives without enough room to stand up, turn around, stretch their arms and legs and lay down again. Opponents hope voters will have their eyes on their wallets instead, arguing that approving the ballot question will drive up the costs of eggs and meat.
NASDA renews cooperative pact with FDA on Produce Safety Rule
Agri-Pulse | Posted onSeptember 27, 2016 in Federal NewsThe National Association of State Departments of Agriculture has renewed a cooperative agreement with the FDA related to the implementation of the Produce Safety Rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). NASDA says the “expanded scope” of the cooperative agreement will let its members provide leadership and support for the On-Farm Readiness Review Project, a concept that NASDA developed with FDA that allows growers to receive a pre-assessment of how they stand in terms of produce safety rule compliance.
Nebraskans cheer court rolling back OSHA fertilizer regulations
Lincoln Journal Star | Posted onSeptember 27, 2016 in Agriculture NewsNebraska farm leaders hailed a ruling from D.C.
Farmers say, ‘No apologies,’ as well drilling hits record levels in San Joaquin Valley
Sacbee.com | Posted onSeptember 27, 2016 in Agriculture NewsDrive through rural Tulare County and you’ll hear it soon enough, a roar from one of the hundreds of agricultural pumps pulling water from beneath the soil to keep the nut and fruit orchards and vast fields of corn and alfalfa lush and green under the scorching San Joaquin Valley sun. Well water is keeping agriculture alive in Tulare County – and much of the rest of the San Joaquin Valley – through five years of California’s historic drought.
Measuring 'Best' Practices To Curb Farm Pollution
Inside Science | Posted onSeptember 27, 2016 in Agriculture NewsBut some scientists have been questioning whether some of the methods -- collectively known as best management practices or BMPs -- actually reduce pollution as much as estimated. "They're being put in all over the place, but no one ever checks to see how well they work," said Thomas Fisher, an environmental scientist at the Horn Point Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Fisher and his colleagues are working to change that.