Agriculture

Genetically engineered (GE) crops were first introduced commercially in the 1990s. After two decades of production, some groups and individuals remain critical of the technology based on their concerns about possible adverse effects on human health, the environment, and ethical considerations. At the same time, others are concerned that the technology is not reaching its potential to improve human health and the environment because of stringent regulations and reduced public funding to develop products offering more benefits to society. [node:read-more:link]

Consumers are expressing more interest in knowing how their food is handled, what is in it and where it comes from. Dairy farmers care about their cows and are passionate about their work. People in the dairy industry know how hard farmers work to have healthy and well cared for cows; the problem is it is one of the best-kept secrets from the rest of us. One way the dairy industry is striving to ensure excellent animal care is the National FARM Program. FARM stands for Farmers Assuring Responsible Management. [node:read-more:link]

North Carolina wants to know if marijuana could one day replace tobacco as a cash crop. Louisiana is wondering how pot holds up in high humidity. And Washington state has questions about water supplies for weed. Colorado agriculture officials this week briefed officials from about a dozen states — some that have legalized weed, others that joked their states will legalize pot "when hell freezes over" — on the basics of marijuana farming and swapped stories about regulating a crop that the federal government still considers illegal. [node:read-more:link]

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter’s proposed fiscal 2017 budget recommends $10 million for ag research center, $400,000 for wolf control efforts and $500,000 in ongoing funding for graduate student housing at University of Idaho agricultural research stations. [node:read-more:link]

The Washington Department of Ecology’s rules could keep dairies out of court, but the costs for farmers are uncertain. New rules issued by the Washington Department of Ecology on Wednesday will change the regulatory landscape for the state’s 230 dairies with more than 200 cows. Embracing the rules may shield dairies from government fines or lawsuits by environmental groups, but will mean taking on new obligations with uncertain costs. [node:read-more:link]

Without a stable, legal workforce to pick their fruit, the future of Sirles’ Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass — and many other orchards — is in danger. “We need help to harvest our crops. It is a huge issue for specialty growers,” Sirles said at the recent Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism and Organic Conference in Springfield. Rendleman Orchards has been in business for almost a 150 years, but it may have to reduce the size of its operation to keep going if family members can’t find workers. “Our biggest limitation is labor. It’s expensive and restrictive,” Sirles explained. [node:read-more:link]

In recent years, a global network of alternative farms have pushed the edges of Western society’s “natural food” obsession by incorporating elements of environmental justice, climate activism, and urban planning.  They include the creation of seedbanks to help hedge against the spread of habitat destruction and impoverished sharecropping communities reclaiming land from corporate control to provide living-wage jobs in farm cooperatives and a more diverse, healthier vegetable selection than the dominant monocultures crowding the cereal aisle. [node:read-more:link]

“The Maschhoffs has a zero-tolerance policy for any abuse or mistreatment of its pigs,” the company said in a statement. The company added that it is reinforcing the animal care policy with its employees and production partners, in addition to making sure that “every farm manager” reviews the video and “fully understands the responsibility that comes with proper animal care.” For its part, Hormel released a statement suspending all of the Oklahoma sow operations of the Maschhoffs until “a thorough investigation” is completed. [node:read-more:link]

Syngenta-ChemChina; Dow-Dupont; Bayer-Monsanto. Three agribusiness mega-mergers are streaking for the goal line in 2017. The only obstacles for these combinations are U.S. and European Union regulators. Will any (or all) of them make it past these watch dogs? Farmers have been wary of these mergers, fearful of paying higher prices for seeds and chemicals. Supporters of the deals cite the staggering research, development and regulatory-approval costs of bringing products to the agricultural market. [node:read-more:link]

An investigation is already under way after this morning’s release of an undercover video from the activist group Mercy for Animals alleging abuse at a pig farm that supplies Hormel Foods Corp. The Maschhoffs LLC – one of the nation’s largest pork producers – announced on the company’s website that it is looking into “any animal care deficiencies” in light of the video, which the group said was filmed at a farm in Oklahoma. According to Mercy for Animals, the video shows animals being mistreated. [node:read-more:link]