AgClips
Recent AgClips
Millions of bees dead after South Carolina sprays for Zika mosquitoes
The Washington Post | Posted onSeptember 9, 2016 in Agriculture NewsOn Sunday morning, the South Carolina honey bees began to die in massive numbers. Death came suddenly to Dorchester County, S.C. Stressed insects tried to flee their nests, only to surrender in little clumps at hive entrances. The dead worker bees littering the farms suggested that colony collapse disorder was not the culprit — in that odd phenomenon, workers vanish as though raptured, leaving a living queen and young bees behind. Instead, the dead heaps signaled the killer was less mysterious, but no less devastating. The pattern matched acute pesticide poisoning.
Dairy farmers awash in milk, low prices
Virginia Farm Bureau | Posted onSeptember 9, 2016 in Agriculture NewsVirginia dairy farmers have always endured price fluctuation in milk prices. But the latest downswing has seen milk checks shrink by 35 percent the past two years, with little improvement in sight. That’s why some dairy farmers welcomed news that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is purchasing 11 million pounds of excess cheese from private sources for use in food banks across the nation.
California moves to add dairy farm methane limits to climate agenda
Capital Press | Posted onSeptember 9, 2016 in Agriculture NewsCalifornia Democrats are taking further steps to advance the state’s ambitious climate-change agenda, agreeing to regulate methane emissions from landfills and dairy farms for the first time and approving $900 million in spending on environmental programs. The approval came in the final hours of the two-year legislative session Wednesday following a flurry of negotiations involving Gov. Jerry Brown, Democratic legislative leaders and the affected industries.
16 percent of New Hampshire dairy farms close
Capital Press | Posted onSeptember 9, 2016 in Agriculture NewsEPSOM, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire dairy farmers say low milk prices and ongoing drought have contributed to the state losing 16 percent of those farms over the past eight months.
The state’s agriculture commissioner says 19 of the state’s 120 dairies have closed this year. The state had lost 10 dairies over the previous four years combined.
Federal agricultural prices list 100 pounds of milk as selling for $14.80 last month. That’s down from $23.40 in June 2014 and $16.90 in June 2015.
Monsanto exec to take the reins of International Dairy Feeds
Capital Press | Posted onSeptember 9, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe International Dairy Foods Association has selected Michael Dykes to replace Connie Tipton as its president and CEO. For the past 19 years, Dykes was vice president of government affairs for Monsanto. He has spent his career involved in developing agricultural government affairs policies and strategies, according to an IDFA press release. At Monsanto, he was responsible for a portfolio of programs that included agricultural biotechnology policy.
The Making of a Farm Bill
Choices magazine | Posted onSeptember 9, 2016 in Federal NewsIf you work on U.S. agricultural policy in Washington, D.C. for a long enough period, you learn two important rules of thumb. Rule No. 1: once a new farm bill is done, the House and Senate Agriculture Committees will strongly resist any legislative changes to it, claiming it would jeopardize the bill’s delicate balance to ‘re-open it.’ Rule No. 2: as soon as that farm bill is fully implemented—if not sooner—stakeholder groups will start thinking about what changes they might like to be made the next time.
New case of bovine tuberculosis found in northern Michigan
Capital Press | Posted onSeptember 9, 2016 in Agriculture NewsState officials say another case of bovine tuberculosis has been detected on a northern Michigan cattle farm. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says the potentially fatal illness was confirmed in an Alcona County beef herd when one of the animals was tested before being moved to another place. Sixty-six cattle herds in Michigan have been found to be infected with bovine TB since 1998. Alcona County is one of four counties where cattle producers must test their herds for the disease annually and before they’re moved.
FSA Increasing Funding for Farm Loans
Ag Web | Posted onSeptember 9, 2016 in Federal NewsThe USDA has announced it will increase funding for farm loans to help more than 1,900 approved applicants. The reprogrammed funds by Farm Service Agency (FSA) will leverage $185 million for operating loans. Given the current farm economy, FSA loans are in higher demand in 2016. The money is believed to cover nearly 30 percent of the loan back log ahead of the start of the next fiscal year. In the 2016 fiscal year, more than 6,400 customers were guaranteed loans for farm ownership and operating. A new year coupled with fresh funding starts Oct. 1.
Grid study finds new transmission could further cut costs, emissions
Midwestern Energy News | Posted onSeptember 9, 2016 in Energy NewsA recent study highlighting the renewable energy capacity of the eastern power grid found adding new transmission capacity can help further cut costs and emissions. the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found the grid serving the eastern half of the U.S. is technically capable of integrating enough wind and solar power into the system to meet 30 percent of the region's yearly energy needs.
Setting sights on bison
Meat + Poultry | Posted onSeptember 8, 2016 in Food NewsDan O’Brien, owner of Wild Idea Buffalo Co., has used his experiences in cattle ranching, nature conservancy and academia to create a unique livestock production business model that not only addresses animal welfare, but also land conservation and bolstering the historic American bison herd back to its once thriving state. Mobile slaughter coupled with a marksman carrying a 30-06 rifle with a special cartridge, work in conjunction to produce and process 100 percent grass-fed and stress-free bison, but that’s just a piece of O’Brien’s overall vision.