AgClips
Recent AgClips
Food safety survey ranks fears, information sources
Meatingplace (registration required) | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Food NewsA recent survey showed twice as many consumers view bacterial foodborne illnesses as their top food safety concern as those who topped their list with chemicals, carcinogens, antibiotics use in food animals or GMOs. Consumers were asked to choose and rank their top three food safety issues from a list.
Second mega-dairy proposed for Oregon
Statesman Journal | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Agriculture NewsA second mega-dairy is planned for Eastern Oregon, close to Threemile Canyon Farms, one of the largest confined animal feeding operations in the nation. The proposed Willow Creek Dairy would house 30,000 animals.
Ind. animal refuge triumphs in USDA case
Courier Journal | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Rural NewsIndiana's well-known exotic animal refuge Wildlife in Need claimed another victory this month when a federal administrative law judge upheld a previous decision saying the federal government did not have grounds to terminate owner Tim Stark's exhibitor's license. Wildlife in Need posted the decision on Facebook Monday, saying the group "will not bow to the terrorism" and called the decision a win.
Leading food activist calls GMO bill a 'good compromise'
Agri-Pulse | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Food NewsA leading critic of federal food and agriculture policy believes the GMO disclosure bill passed by Congress this month is a fair compromise that is likely to have little impact on consumer food choice.Tom Colicchio, co-founder of Food Policy Action and a judge on the Bravo series Top Chef, says he thinks his fellow activists were mistaken in opposing the bill, which would allow companies to disclose biotech ingredients through digital, QR codes as an option to on-package text.
Judge tosses NY's new rules against energy marketers as 'irrational'
Syracuse.com | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Energy NewsA state Supreme Court judge struck down New York's attempt to clamp down on independent energy service companies with strict new rules, calling the effort "arbitrary'' and "irrational.'' State Supreme Court Justice Henry Zwack, of Albany, vacated new regulations that were announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in February following approval by the state Public Service Commission. The PSC's decision to restrict the activities of energy marketers, also known as ESCOs, "appears to be irrational, arbitrary and capricious,'' Zwack wrote.
Maine's LePage Proposes End to Solar Net Metering Program
Maine Public Broadcasting | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Energy NewsGov. Paul LePage is proposing a three-year “grandfather” period to allow Maine residents who have installed solar panels to recover some of their upfront investment through a practice called net metering. After that, he wants to end the program. The governor’s new proposal is drawing swift criticism from the solar industry. Under net metering, residential solar generators can get a credit on their electric bill for excess electricity that they put back into the power grid. Over time, those credits can help cover the cost of the original investment, for, say, solar panels.
Insights from HSUS’ “Taking Action for Animals” conference
Meatingplace (registration required) | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in NewsEach year, the Alliance sends a few lucky representatives to several national animal rights conferences.
Louisiana State University partners with beer company to raise revenues
The Advocate | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Rural NewsJust in time for football season, Tin Roof Brewery plans to roll out its long-awaited Bayou Bengal beer: the first officially licensed beer of LSU. This may be the first official beer of the Fighting Tigers, but it’s not the first attempt to get there. The anticipation for such a partnership has been simmering since 2011, when the fledgling microbrewery first announced it was unveiling “Bandit Blonde” with LSU.
BLM moves away from landmark Northwest Forest Plan
High Country News | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Agriculture Newsrunching across a brushy, logged-over slope near Corvallis, Oregon, Reed Wilson points his trekking pole at an ancient Douglas fir in a neighboring patch of forest. The tree is more than an armspan in diameter, its toes decorated with saprophytic orchids and millipedes. One of 117 behemoths among these otherwise young stands, this tree and 38 others also wear necklaces of pink tape. Tree-climbing citizen surveyors left them to mark the presence of red tree vole nests.
U.S. seek options as farm loan funds run out of cash
Reuters | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Federal NewsThe U.S. government's $2.65 billion operating loan program to help farmers keep their businesses going has already run out of cash, as requests for federal financial assistance grow amid the worst agricultural downturn in more than a decade. As a result, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking for other money sources "to help bridge the gap in farm operating loans as much as possible until additional funds are made available, either this year or in the next fiscal year," the agency said. The agency declined to say what other funding it was hoping to leverage for assistance.