AgClips
Recent AgClips
Activists say: Broiler houses would threaten endangered species
meatingplace.com | Posted onAugust 8, 2016 in Agriculture NewsActivist groups in Arkansas have filed a notice of intent to sue three federal agencies, claiming they failed to identify the impact of a proposed poultry operation on seven animal and plant species. The Arkansas Rights Koalition and the Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S.
Idaho organic dairies growing rapidly
Capital Press | Posted onAugust 8, 2016 in Agriculture NewsBen Pulsipher was managing a 2,000-cow conventional dairy in Raft River when he decided it was time to start his own operation. With conventional dairies struggling to cope with low milk prices, Pulsipher reasoned the organic price premium would make it economical for him to start with a small herd and gradually grow. A few months since entering the organic industry, Pulsipher said his contract still justifies the extra hassle, but he’s begun to worry too many other Idaho producers have reached the same conclusion and may be gradually flooding the niche market. He and his partner, Evan I
Wisconsin scales back manure rules after industry complaints
Capital Press | Posted onAugust 8, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has scaled back proposed rules regulating factory farms’ manure spreading amid complaints from the dairy industry. The DNR last month completed scope statements to update manure spreading regulations for factory farms statewide, the Wisconsin State Journal reported Monday. Scope statements are broad summaries of agency proposals for regulations.
Industrial Hemp: PA Governor Approves Growth and Cultivatio
Penn State Law | Posted onAugust 8, 2016 in Agriculture NewsOn July 20, 2016, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 92 which permits the growth and cultivation of industrial hemp for research purposes in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Agriculture Affected by Changes to State Tax Code
Penn State Law | Posted onAugust 8, 2016 in Agriculture NewsOn July 13, 2016, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed into law Act 84 which amends the Pennsylvania Tax Reform Code of 1971 and includes three changes relevant to agriculture. First, Act 84 amends the inheritance tax exemption available to family farms engaged in the business of agriculture. Previously, if certain conditions were met, Pennsylvania exempted from state inheritance tax the "transfer of real estate devoted to the business of agriculture between members of the same family" (emphasis added).
Sugar beet growers don't understand GMO worries
Marketplace | Posted onAugust 8, 2016 in Food NewsNearly two-thirds of domestic sugar production comes from sugar beets, which are grown with genetically modified seeds. A few big food manufacturers, including Hershey’s, are now saying they will use non-GMO cane sugar instead of beet sugar in products. The moves come as firms await the specifics of a new law requiring that they make clear the presence of genetically modified ingredients. Congress recently passed a compromise bill giving firms a host of options as to how they would do so, with options including a barcode that consumers would scan.
Vermont Attorney General Will Not Enforce GE Food Labeling Law
Vermont.gov | Posted onAugust 8, 2016 in Food NewsThe Vermont Attorney General will no longer be enforcing Act 120, Vermont’s first-in-the-nation law requiring the labeling of food produced with genetic engineering. “We successfully defended our law for two years, and as a result many companies are now disclosing that their products are produced with genetic engineering,” said Attorney General William H. Sorrell. “We hope they will continue to do so going forward, not because our law requires it, but because it is the right thing to do,” he continued.
Crushing Zika via genetically modified mosquitoes
CNBC | Posted onAugust 8, 2016 in Federal NewsOxitec, the British subsidiary of Germantown, Maryland-based Intrexon, received a green light from the Food and Drug Administration on Friday to release the GMO mosquitoes as part of an investigational field trial in Key Haven in the Florida Keys. Residents of Key Haven will vote on the trial in a nonbinding referendum scheduled for November, with final approval to reside with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board. "It couldn't have come at a better time," Oxitec CEO Hadyn Parry told reporters.
Jeffrey Smith: “Our ultimate goal, to eliminate GMOs”
Biotech-now | Posted onAugust 8, 2016 in Food NewsA post on the Food Science Institute blog details how anti-GMO activist Jeffrey Smith admits that his goal was never to give consumers more information about GMOs through a mandatory labeling program. Smith says "although this is clearly a defeat in our campaign to get mandatory labeling in the United States, we are still winning the bigger, more important effort to eliminate gmos from the market all together."
Tired of Waiting for Corporate High-Speed Internet, Minnesota Farm Towns Build Their Own
Yes Magazine | Posted onAugust 8, 2016 in Rural NewsA unique community-owned broadband cooperative will free dozens of tiny towns and farms from reliance on slower corporate providers. Today, in this sparsely populated swath of Minnesota, a grassroots, member-owned cooperative spanning more than 700 square miles and four counties is poised to expand high-speed broadband access—without relying on federal funding. After seven years of development led by local leaders and volunteers, RS Fiber, now in its first phase of construction, is expected to deliver high-speed broadband internet to more than 6,000 rural households by 2021.