AgClips
Recent AgClips
Scientists capture images of rare wolverine in Sierra Nevada
Capital Press | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Rural NewsScientists following up on a rare wolverine sighting in the Sierra Nevada set up cameras and captured video of the animal scurrying in the snow, scaling a tree and chewing on bait. They believe the wolverine is the same one that eight years ago became the first documented in the area since the 1920s. Chris Stermer, a wildlife biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, set up the remote cameras in the Tahoe National Forest after officials at a field station sent him photos in January of unusual tracks in the snow near Truckee.
Rancher’s family initiates wrongful death lawsuit
Capital Press | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe family of a rancher authorities say was shot and killed by two Adams County Sheriff’s deputies has filed a legal notice of their intent to sue the county. The family of Jack Yantis filed a tort claim earlier this year as a precursor to a wrongful death lawsuit seeking $500,000. Authorities say the deputies shot and killed the 62-year-old Yantis after one of his bulls was hit by a car and charged emergency crews on a highway just north of the tiny town of Council in west-central Idaho. Authorities said the deputies planned to shoot the injured bull when the rancher arrived with a rifle.
Three states in a row for Right to Farm?
Agriculture.com | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Agriculture NewsOklahomans will decide as part of the November general election whether to add a right-to-farm amendment to their state constitution. It’s the third time since 2012 the idea has been tested at the state level. North Dakota approved a right-to-farm amendment in a 2-to-1 landslide in 2012, and Missouri approved its amendment by a razor-thin margin in 2014.
DuPont earnings benefit from strength in agriculture
Des Moines Register | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Agriculture NewsProfit at seed and chemical giant DuPont Co. surged 8.5 percent in the second quarter as it benefited from strong demand for its agricultural and nutrition products — despite ongoing challenges in the farm sector.
N.Y. solar project proposes cutting hundreds of acres of woods
Kallanish Energy | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Energy NewsSomething’s wrong with this picture. While solar energy generally is backed by groups that want to cut greenhouse gases, a proposed solar project at a defunct Long Island, New York, nuclear power plant has stirred tensions because it requires clear-cutting 350 acres of woods. “Choosing solar over forests anywhere in the world is just plain stupid,” Dick Amper, of the Long Island Pine Barrens Society, told The Associated Press.
New Zealand vows to kill every weasel, rat and feral cat on its soil
The Washington Post | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Rural NewsNew Zealand is a nation that takes its birds seriously, and it’s got very special ones. The country’s currency is adorned with images of winged species found nowhere else, including the yellow-eyed penguin and the black-masked kokako. The logo of the national air force is stamped with the famed kiwi — a chicken-sized puff of feathers that cannot fly. But many of those birds and other native wildlife are under assault from species that showed up with settlers to the island nation 200 years ago.
Hydroponic task force sends organic issue to NOSB
Agri-Pulse | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Federal NewsHydroponic growing systems that do not use soil should nonetheless be considered for organic certification if they can achieve “equivalent soil functions,” a new report prepared for USDA's National Organic Standards Board recommends. The Hydroponic and Aquaponic Task Force report, which will now be reviewed by NOSB, did not provide a unanimous endorsement for organic certification of hydroponics.
State steps up water warnings as historic drought persists
Union Leader | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in NewsIf you haven’t been taking seriously the drought affecting Southern New Hampshire, state environmental officials hope to change that. The Department of Environmental Services is expected to issue a warning about the federally declared drought in the state’s three most populous counties — Rockingham, Hillsborough and Strafford. “If they are on public water, and their utility has implemented any water restrictions or bans, they should become knowledgeable about those bans and follow them,” said John Martin, DES spokesman.
Farmers abandon crops as drought grips Northeast
Detroit News | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Agriculture NewsAt Lavoie’s Farm in New Hampshire, beans and corn haven’t broken through the ground yet and fields of strawberries are stunted. The drought that has taken hold in the Northeast is especially felt at John Lavoie’s farm in Hollis, presenting him with some tough choices. Irrigation ponds are drying up, forcing him to choose between tomatoes and berries or apple and peach trees. Lavoie decided to hold off watering the fruit trees so he could quench the tomato and berry plants before they succumb to the heat.
Dow-DuPont Shareholders Approve $59 Billion Merger of Equals
Bloomberg | Posted onJuly 28, 2016 in Agriculture NewsShareholders of Dow Chemical Co. and DuPont Co. approved the companies’ historic merger, clearing a hurdle for the deal to close this year and for a later split into three entities. Majorities of both sets of stockholders approved the 50-50 combination of the two largest U.S. chemical makers, the companies said in a joint statement Wednesday. The $59 billion all-stock transaction, a record for the industry, was announced Dec. 11.