AgClips
Recent AgClips
Digital Access Gap Hits Some Subgroups Harder
Daily Yonder | Posted onAugust 25, 2016 in Rural NewsThe overall gap between Internet use in rural and urban areas has remained relatively consistent for the past two decades. Since 1998, rural people have used the Internet at a rate that is 6 to 9 points lower than urban residents. Lower levels of Internet usage are not uniform across different segments of the rural population.
Flood relief in a West Virginia town
Daily Yonder | Posted onAugust 25, 2016 in Rural NewsIn this summer of catastrophic floods – first in West Virginia in late June and now in Louisiana – scores of small communities will face the daunting task of digging out and trying to start over. For one inundated West Virginia town, help came from down the road, across the country, and next door. And a good bit of that help came from folks who once called Richwood, West Virginia, home. Townspeople rallied, and a state official stepped in briefly to lead until the mayor-elect, Bob Henry Baber, could take over.
Amazon gives food retailers another reason to worry
Supermarket Guru | Posted onAugust 25, 2016 in Food NewsAmazon’s secret Project X, along with supporting photos and site blueprints, appears to no longer be a secret. Last week Geekwire reported on the construction in Seattle of what it believes to be a new grocery concept where shoppers can pre-order online, or from a tablet in-store, and pick up their groceries at this brick and mortar store. This follows reports of simialr facilities being built in the Bay Area.
Purina must face low-bacon Beggin Strips claim
Meat + Poultry | Posted onAugust 25, 2016 in Food NewsA US District Court judge denied a motion by St. Louis-based Nestle Purina Petcare Company Inc. to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the company deceptively marketed the company’s “Beggin’ Strips bacon flavor” pet treats as being made mostly out of bacon.
Man-made “wind trees” will finally make it possible to power homes using turbines
Quartz.com | Posted onAugust 24, 2016 in Energy NewsPicture a steady breeze blowing through the leaves of a tree. Now imagine these leaves could do more than simply churn in the current of air—what if they could capture the wind and transform it into renewable energy? Last December, two “wind trees”—or arbres à vent—quietly churned in a plaza in Paris, as world leaders met for the historic climate talks at the Le Bourget conference center nearby.
Obama Rule Could Take Wind Out of Renewable Power on Public Land
Bloomberg | Posted onAugust 24, 2016 in Energy NewsIt was supposed to be the largest wind farm in North America, with 1,000 turbines spinning above 320,000 acres of southern Wyoming. But after investing more than $50 million and nearly a decade seeking approval to build a wind farm on public lands, the Power Company of Wyoming’s landmark project is still tied up in required scrutiny of its environmental impact. "We understood that this is a complex process," said the company’s vice president Rocanne Perruso. "We did understand that it was going to be several years. We did not anticipate nine." The Wyoming project is hardly an outlier.
New Iowa lawsuit seeks 'emergency' stop to pipeline construction
Storm Lake Pilot Tribune | Posted onAugust 24, 2016 in Rural Newsthe Davis Brown Law Firm filed an emergency motion with the Iowa Utilities Board to temporarily prevent construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline across the property of fifteen Iowa landowners while a lawsuit remains pending in Polk County District Court. The motion filed with the IUB is a result of guidance from District Court Judge Jeffrey Farrell after a hearing held Friday, August 19 to decide whether to apply an emergency stay against pipeline construction.
Your Food Policy Guide to the 2016 Election
Lucky Peach | Posted onAugust 24, 2016 in Federal NewsWith each new election cycle presidential hopefuls craft a campaign platform to bring American voters to their side. And while issues like immigration, job security, taxes, healthcare, and gun control have made predictable appearances in Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s platforms, issues of food and agriculture—with the exception of a few bullet points in Hillary’s “Plan for a Vibrant Rural America”—are once again glaringly absent. But we are a nation of eaters, and that is not okay.
USDA to Purchase Surplus Cheese for Food Banks and Families in Need, Continue to Assist Dairy Producers
USDA | Posted onAugust 24, 2016 in Federal NewsThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced plans to purchase approximately 11 million pounds of cheese from private inventories to assist food banks and pantries across the nation, while reducing a cheese surplus that is at its highest level in 30 years. The purchase, valued at $20 million, will be provided to families in need across the country through USDA nutrition assistance programs, while assisting the stalled marketplace for dairy producers whose revenues have dropped 35 percent over the past two years.
FDA delays salt guidelines
The Hill | Posted onAugust 24, 2016 in Food NewsThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is delaying new salt guidelines. In an effort to reduce sodium consumption in America, the FDA issued draft guidelines in June that would encourage food manufacturers and restaurants to use less salt. But the agency is now extending the comment period on the guidelines to give industry more time to respond. The public will now have until Oct.