AgClips
Recent AgClips
Ag carbon credits go to market, just as cap and trade is questioned
Greenbiz.com | Posted onAugust 22, 2016 in Energy NewsRice farmer Mark Isbell changed how he nurtures rice plants on 70 acres of his Arkansas farm. Instead of flooding the rice fields for the entire growing season, he now practices what is called alternating wet and dry farming, where he allows the water to drain from the rice field for about a week mid-season. "What that impacts is the cell bacteria that typically in a flooded environment creates methane," Isbell told GreenBiz in an interview over the phone, the sound of his truck rumbling in the background.
England Orders Food Industry to Slash Added Sugars by 20 Percent
Grubland | Posted onAugust 22, 2016 in Food NewsEngland is adding moe teeth to am already serious to an effort aimed at curbing the country’s hefty sugar consumption. On top of a tax that’s about to be levied on soft drinks (one similar to Mexico's), the government announced today that it also wants the entire food industry to cut one-fifth of the added sugars from nine types of food. On its list: cereal, breakfast foods like pastries, yogurt, cookies, cakes, candy, desserts, ice cream, and “spreads”. The goal is a 20 percent reduction after four years.
Message To Food Companies: Food Activists Are Your New Brand Managers
Forbes | Posted onAugust 22, 2016 in Food NewsFood industry marketers no longer have the sole power to shape consumer tastes and fuel demand for their products. That power has been largely hijacked by new influencers—public health activists, celebrity nutritionists, politicians, food bloggers—who have their own agendas and can influence public sentiment as never before. Their megaphone is sympathetic media, especially online: social media, consumer websites, and an exploding number of alternative news outlets.
Rains, flooding leave south Louisiana agriculture reeling
Delta Farm Press | Posted onAugust 22, 2016 in Agriculture NewsWith harvest bearing down, south Louisiana producers were looking to close out a difficult 2016 growing season in a positive manner. Then, August rains arrived and flooding soon followed leaving mandatory evacuation orders, road closings and crops underwater. Indeed, for southwest Louisiana agriculture, the flooding is especially devastating. “About 75 percent of our rice is located in southwest Louisiana,” says Dustin Harrell, LSU AgCenter rice specialist. “A lot of the area got 18 to 24 – even more than 24 – inches of rain. That caused a lot of flooding, including rice fields.
"Right to Know" sues to force UC Davis to turn over public records
The Sacramento Bee | Posted onAugust 22, 2016 in Agriculture NewsSpecifically, U.S. Right to Know is asking for correspondence between 10 UC Davis professors and businesses in the agrochemical industry. The group has sent similar requests to universities across the country, Ruskin said. The organization is trying to uncover collusion between the agrochemical industry, the food industry, universities and faculty members, he said. U.S. Right to Know has also requested public records it says will show how the World Food Center at UC Davis is funded.
Why females care more, theoretically speaking
Science Daily | Posted onAugust 22, 2016 in Rural NewsAcross the animal kingdom there is a strong trend for females to be more caring parents. Why? Researchers have now expanded upon previous theories to better explain why mothers and fathers differ in the effort they put into caring for young.
Used tractor sales bad for Deere as farmers pinch pennies
St Louis Post Dispatch | Posted onAugust 22, 2016 in Agriculture NewsDeep in the heart of the U.S. grain belt, farm-equipment auctions are attracting bidders from as far away as South Africa as the agriculture rout makes used machinery more attractive. As farmers move away from buying new tractors and combines, it could mean more pain for Deere & Co., the world’s biggest agricultural equipment manufacturer, which is already struggling through an industrywide glut. To understand why, look no further than Matt Maring, owner of an eponymous Kenyon, Minn.-based auction operation.
Illinois State Fair Foundation formed to maintain grounds
Daily Herald | Posted onAugust 22, 2016 in Agriculture NewsAgricultural leaders have established a not-for-profit Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation to catch up on nearly $200 million in needed maintenance. Combined, the fairgrounds have $180 million in overdue maintenance. The grounds in Springfield have 170 buildings - the oldest 124 years - on 360 acres. The oldest among 20 buildings at DuQuoin - which has 1,200 acres - is 93 years.
New Pa. Horse Racing Commission is up and running
NJ.com | Posted onAugust 22, 2016 in Agriculture NewsA stronger, unified governance body to oversee Pennsylvania's more than $1 billion equine racing industry began its work to strengthen horse and harness racing. The new State Horse Racing Commission now has two meetings under its belt. Governor Tom Wolf paved the way for the new commission and other needed reforms to the industry earlier this year when he signed Act 7.
The Advanced Bioeconomy and the Pet Wellness Revolution
Biofuels Digest | Posted onAugust 22, 2016 in Rural NewsThese days, we don’t call it algae, we call it nutritional superfood, and we don’t call our furry friends “pets”, we call them companion animals. So, it’s hot news in the world of the advanced bioeconomy when TerraVia and Nestle Purina Pet Care announced a joint development agreement targeting the companion animal market. The agreement, which spans multiple years, will leverage certain commercially available algae-based advanced nutrition ingredients that TerraVia has developed as well as additional innovative ingredients and product concepts in TerraVia’s development pipeline.