Agriculture

When the New York Farm Bureau released its 2017 priorities last week, the state's largest agricultural lobbying/trade organization painted a dire picture. New numbers just released by National Agricultural Statistics Service show the value of farm production in New York dropped by $1 billion in 2015 to $5.33 billion, NYFB stated in announcing its annual lobbying agenda. "That is a significant loss in farm income, and anecdotally Farm Bureau members are saying that farm income will likely drop even further when 2016 numbers are released," NYFB stated. [node:read-more:link]

Animal rights groups want to destroy animal agriculture, and the industry needs to be proactive to protect its future. Animal rights activists have changed their tune and their tactics to seem more mainstream and moderate in recent years, but their objective remains the same. Thompson-Weeman said the goal is dismantling animal agriculture by discouraging consumers to buy meat and farmers to raise animals. Those who doubt the credibility and prowess of the activists groups should look no further than the cage-free movement spurring chaos in the US egg industry. [node:read-more:link]

A HumaneWatch.org ad airing moments before Super Bowl kickoff ripped the Humane Society of the United States, mocking the group's emotional ads often featuring sickly animals in shelters. "Every day thousands of lawyers and lobbyists around the country find themselves out of work and unemployed," a woman says to scenes of lawyers in cages. These lawyers don't have a vacation home," the ad continues. "For just $19 a month you can join the Humane Society of the United States in our fight to hire more lawyers. People often think we run pet shelters but that simply isn't true. [node:read-more:link]

A bill approved by the Senate would allow state inspectors to carry out warrantless inspections of hundreds of Virginia produce farms to ensure compliance with federal regulations. “It’s one of those bills you don’t like, but someone’s got to carry it,” said the legislation’s sponsor, Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Westmoreland County. [node:read-more:link]

According to a recent study of lenders, financial stress on farmers is expected to continue for some time.  “Our research indicates a continued deterioration in agricultural credit conditions,” said Allen Featherstone, head of the Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics. [node:read-more:link]

Use analogies. Most people don’t raise pigs, especially not at a commercial scale, so they have little familiarity with farming activities or concepts. Using analogies can help people understand what goes on at a modern pig farm or pork processing plant.  Let people see and touch. As with analogies, explaining complex topics can be easier using models that people can touch and interact with. [node:read-more:link]

Executive Director Perry Assness, of AgriGrowth, an organization that brings farmers together with agri-businesses and others, said the state sometimes is technologically behind. While many agri-businesses use advanced technology, state regulations may not have caught up, he said. Lunemann said it is not just state regulations that keep farmers down. South Dakota, he said, does more to recruit farm-related businesses. The governor will visit backers of prospective dairy operations. “The common theme is don’t tax us or regulate us out of business,” Rep. [node:read-more:link]

Kauai’s pesticide legislation, Ordinance 960, was repealed through the approval of Bill 2643 upon second reading during a Kauai County Council meeting.  “I’m glad it’s over,” said Councilman Mel Rapozo, who introduced Bill 2643. “We needed to move forward and start the healing process and this is the first step.” Kauai Councilman Arthur Brun recused himself from voting because he works for Syngenta. Ordinance 960, formerly Bill 2491, was passed in November 2013 and set out requirements for large-scale agricultural operations to disclose the use of pesticides and genetically-modified crops. [node:read-more:link]

Humans have been tinkering with plant genetics far longer than they have understood the mechanisms that allow their actions. But genetic engineering as understood today involves the delicate in vitro process of inserting, removing, or altering genes to create a favorable trait. It can be used to guard food crops from premature spoilage, confer drought resistance, and, perhaps most controversially, allow for the survival of applications of weed killer. But today, genetically modified produce and glyphosate face uncertainty from every angle. [node:read-more:link]

We find the word “sustainable” used to describe certain agricultural practices. Problem is, various groups use it in different ways and there doesn’t seem to be agreement about what it means.  Recently, Dannon Yogurt, a French-based company, came up with its own definition of the word. They decided to adopt a policy that they would only use milk produced from feeds that are “non-GMO,” that is, feeds that are not made from genetically modified organisms. [node:read-more:link]