Agriculture

Several family members of an Idaho rancher shot to death by law enforcement officers in 2015 have filed a wrongful death lawsuit over the killing. Rancher Jack Yantis had been called to euthanize a bull that had been hit by a car when he was shot 12 times by two deputies from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.Last year, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office decided against pursuing criminal charges against the two officers, Cody Roland and Brian Wood, citing conflicting witness accounts about the incident.After his bull was injured by a car on the evening of Nov. [node:read-more:link]

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $5 million is being awarded to county and youth fairs across the State through the 2017 Agricultural Fairgrounds Infrastructure Improvement Program. The funding will be divided equally among the State's 52 eligible local fairs, with each receiving an award of $96,153 to offset the cost of improvements and renovation projects, including new construction, that support New York's agricultural industry. This second round of funding approved in the New York State Budget builds on the $5 million allocated for county fairs in 2016. [node:read-more:link]

You can listen to the podcast on computer or any phone podcast app.  Episode 1 – Introduction to Ag Law in the Field. [node:read-more:link]

Here in the Sparta area, north of Grand Rapids, finding migrant workers like Carlos and Hernandez to clear the orchards is getting increasingly difficult. Most of them have come from Mexico; some are undocumented. [node:read-more:link]

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is prepared to criminally prosecute illegal immigrants in the workplace, as well as those employers who hire them."While we focus on the criminal prosecution of employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, under the current administration's enforcement priorities, workers encountered during these investigations who are unauthorized to remain in the United States are also subject to administrative arrest and removal from the country," ICE spokeswoman Danielle Bennett said. [node:read-more:link]

Another world’s first for farming and agriculture in the Netherlands; this time it's a CO2-neutral chicken farm with 24.000 chickens in Castenray in the province of Limburg.The most animal and environmentally friendly chicken farm in the world. In order to achieve CO2-neutrality, specific choices have been made regarding the farm itself and the chickens that will inhabit it. [node:read-more:link]

Lon Frahm's 30,600-acre farm in Colby, Kan., offers a look at the future of farming in the U.S.: in ​huge quantities, using the latest technology and ​fewer people [node:read-more:link]

In the wake of the 2017 hurricanes, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing emergency assistance to dairy operators in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. USDA is preparing for signup to begin Oct. 21, 2017. “We’re dispatching additional USDA staff to the island, but we also continue to ramp up material assistance as well,” said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. [node:read-more:link]

The bill was passed by the Senate on May 23rd by a unanimous vote of 62-0. The Assembly version of the bill, A464B, sponsored by Assemblywoman Paulin, was passed on June 6th by a vote of 56-6, and is now set to be delivered to Governor Cuomo. [node:read-more:link]

New York is working to help veterans interested in becoming farmers. The state announced a new grant program that provides financial assistance to former military service members turned farmers. The money can be used to purchase new farm equipment, machinery or supplies or pay for the cost of building or upgrading farm structures.The initiative is related to a broader $1 million grant program for new and early-stage farmers. [node:read-more:link]