AgClips
Recent AgClips
Genetically modified soil bacteria work as electrical wires
Science Daily | Posted onAugust 23, 2016 in Agriculture NewsScientists have genetically modified a common soil bacteria to create electrical wires that not only conduct electricity, but are thousands of times thinner than a human hair.
EU cannot ignore ethanol’s high GHG savings
Ethanol Producer Magazine | Posted onAugust 23, 2016 in Energy NewsAt COP21 last year, the EU committed to cutting its total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030. As part of its climate and energy plans, the EU also has set an objective to achieve at least 27 percent renewable energy use by 2030. The European Commission already has signaled that these ambitious objectives will require substantial 12 to 20 percent GHG emission reductions and 12 to 14 percent renewable sources in transport.
Pennsylvania calls on conservation districts to help with inspections
Farm and Dairy | Posted onAugust 23, 2016 in Agriculture NewsAs Pennsylvania continues its push to reduce the loading of farm nutrients into the Chesapeake Bay, the state is now calling on the 41 county conservation districts in the bay watershed to conduct on-farm inspections. It’s a decision that was announced in May, as part of Gov. Tom Wolf’s “Bay Reboot” strategy, that would shift conservation district staff from conducting 100 educational farm visits, to conducting 50 farm inspections a year. The goal is to inspect 10 percent of the state’s farms each year — eventually inspecting all the farms in the watershed.
Phosphorus levels trending lower in Ohio soils
Farm and Dairy | Posted onAugust 23, 2016 in Agriculture NewsAgricultural soil phosphorus levels held steady or trended downward in at least 80 percent of Ohio counties from 1993 through 2015. The findings, part of the college’s Field to Faucet initiative, represent good news for Ohioans concerned about protecting surface water quality while maintaining agricultural production, according to college researchers Elizabeth Dayton, Steve Culman and Anthony Fulford. “Soil phosphorus levels are strongly related to runoff water phosphorus levels. Less phosphorus in the soil should result in reduced phosphorus runoff risk,” Dayton said.
PMA, Delaware officials host FDA to expose produce industry challenges
Food Engineering | Posted onAugust 23, 2016 in Federal NewsThe Produce Marketing Association (PMA), in conjunction with the Delaware Department of Agriculture, hosted FDA officials earlier this month for a tour of local state farm and packinghouse visits designed to highlight the industry and inform policymakers of the challenges facing the produce supply chain in light of the new rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). “These tours are part of PMA’s ongoing work to connect the policymakers who regulate our industry with fruit and vegetable producers’ realities and experiences, to encourage them to develop real-world workable solutio
Park Service ended a wolf study in Alaska, since so many have been killed
High Country News | Posted onAugust 23, 2016 in Rural NewsFor more than two decades, the National Park Service monitored the wolf packs in Alaska’s Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. Now, so many of the predators have been killed by the state’s Department of Fish and Game that the feds have had to drop the program. It's no longer feasible to conduct research. The state has been shooting the wolves when they wander outside the boundaries of the federal preserve, to try to increase populations of moose and caribou for human hunters.
Dairy Farmers Seek U.S. Help to Cut Into Cheese Glut
Wall Street Journal | Posted onAugust 23, 2016 in Agriculture NewsDairy farmers drowning in cheap milk begged agricultural officials on Friday to buy up tens of thousands of tons of cheese to help bail them out. Jim Mulhern, chief executive of the National Milk Producers Federation, asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to buy $150 million worth of cheese to protect struggling dairy farmers and provide 90 million pounds of food to needy Americans. “Dairy producers here in the United States need assistance,” Mr. Mulhern wrote to Mr. Vilsack.
GE is building America's first offshore wind farm with turbines twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty
Business Insider | Posted onAugust 23, 2016 in Energy NewsThe US uses an astounding amount of energy: about 97 quadrillion BTUs, or about 18% of world's total energy consumption. And demand is only going to increase over time. The majority of the energy the country generates — which powers America's homes, internet, and urban infrastructure — coems from fossil fuels, and isn't renewable or sustainable. A possible solution? Wind farms.
A radical vision for saving the family farm
Philadelphia Enquirer | Posted onAugust 23, 2016 in Agriculture Newsa former dairy farm that, as of this year, is fully leased to nine small farmers, represents a new vision for farmland conservation and sustainable agriculture - and, its operators hope, a model for connecting small farmers with land trusts, which control more than 600,000 acres in Pennsylvania. "Underlying this is the concept of reinventing the family farm for the 21st century," said Marilyn Anthony, Lundale's executive director. "On a family farm back in the day, there would be livestock, fruit, and vegetables: a full diet.
Are Your Truck Drivers in Compliance?
DTN | Posted onAugust 23, 2016 in Agriculture NewsWith farms sharing equipment, expanding their reach and offering services to other farms, it's critical to know the federal and state regulations applicable to trucking. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations (FMCSR) provide exemptions from some compliance for farm vehicle drivers. However, too often farm businesses make wrong assumptions about their exemption from the rules.