Agriculture

Economic activity expanded across all twelve Federal Reserve Districts in June, with the pace of growth ranging from slight to moderate. In addition, the majority of Districts expected modest to moderate gains in the months ahead. Consumer spending appears to be rising across a majority of Districts, led by increases in nonauto retail sales and tourism. However, many Districts noted some softening in consumer spending, particularly in auto sales which declined in half of the Districts. [node:read-more:link]

Idaho led the nation in personal income growth during the first three months of 2017, economists say, and the gain was driven largely by strong farm earnings. [node:read-more:link]

Farm groups are cautioning the Trump administration not to open a "Pandora's Box" by claiming restrictions on steel and aluminum are needed to protect "national security." Eighteen agricultural groups wrote to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Tuesday, stressing that such a move would be a disaster for global trade, "and for U.S. agriculture in particular."The Trump administration is expected to decide any day whether to place tariffs on steel imports, stemming from an April investigation announced by the Commerce Department over whether those imports are harming U.S. national security. [node:read-more:link]

The suicide rate for agriculture workers is higher than the suicide rate in all other occupations, a University of Iowa College of Public Health study found. [node:read-more:link]

Fish or farms?  The House this week will tackle the question, which for years has triggered a tug-of-war between growers and environmentalists. It plans to vote on a Republican-authored plan aimed at sending more of northern California’s water to the Central Valley farmers who say they badly need it.But California’s two U.S. senators, both Democrats, vow to block the bill in that chamber, saying it would bypass environmental safeguards and override state law. Gov. Jerry Brown also opposes the bill.The bill, said Sen. [node:read-more:link]

Dairy processor HP Hood has purchased an idled yogurt production facility in western New York and plans to invest over $200 million to convert it to produce "extended shelf life beverages."Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Hood's purchase of the former Muller Quaker Dairy plant in Batavia Tuesday. The Democrat says the new plant will bring 230 jobs to the area over the next five years. [node:read-more:link]

There has been a bloodletting at the top of the Ohio Division of Wildlife.  Eight senior officials, including the chief, have been removed from their posts after a bid to increase the cost of in-state hunting and fishing licenses divided the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.On one side was former chief Ray Petering and a coalition of 41 sporting organizations that support higher fees to help meet the division’s needs. [node:read-more:link]

USDA raised its forecast for 2017 red meat and poultry production from last month as higher forecast beef and broiler production more than offset declines in pork and turkey production, according to its latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. [node:read-more:link]

There’s a farm in upstate New York that grows cannabiswith Governor Cuomo’s blessing, but plot twist: The leaves won’t get you high. That’s because they’re hemp, which is like diet Cannabis sativa, and the 100 acres’ worth that JD Farms grows is used specifically for organic food products — a suddenly trendy industry that Cuomo himself predicts could bring billions to the state. [node:read-more:link]

“It’s imperative that everybody follows the rules,” Campbell Cox said. “You have to use the right pressure, the right boom height and the right wind speed, etc. To use this product, you have to do it right. There are no gray areas. The weather has to be right and you have to have the right equipment.” Cox says following label guidelines is paramount. “Ignoring the label rules is ignorance; it’s not an accident. [node:read-more:link]