Agriculture News
Alternative Policies to Address Emissions in U.S. Dairy Farming - See more at: http://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/submitted-articles/alternative-policies-to-address-emissions-in-us-dairy-farming#sthash.OYP0YWJc.dpuf
Choices magazine | Posted on December 22, 2016A sharp build-up of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) levels in the atmosphere has coincided with a general change in the earth’s ecosystem that is characterized by an increase in global average temperatures. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), average temperatures have risen 1.5°F over the past century and are projected to rise to 0.5°F to 8.6°F over the next one-hundred years (EPA, 2016a). Increasing temperatures have been accompanied by rising sea levels, flooding, extreme heat waves, drought, and frequent and intense storms. Scientists who study the myriad issues associated with these extreme weather events, such as their frequency, intensity, duration, and timing, have been able to draw a causal link between these severe weather events and climate change (IPCC, 2014; EPA, 2016). The Dairy industry is already subject to some environmental regulation. Agricultural operations where livestock are kept and raised in confined situations, defined as Animal Feeding Operations, are required to apply for and be issued permits from a designated regulatory authority within their state. Due to the risk of animal waste and wastewater being discharged into water bodies, such facilities are regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The NPDES is a program created under the Clean Water Act (1972) that seeks to protect the quality of groundwater and public health.
Purdue economists predict slow recovery for U.S. agriculture
Hoosier Ag Today | Posted on December 22, 2016Farm incomes will likely continue to slump next year with grain prices remaining at or near their lowest levels in about a decade, according to an analysis by agricultural economists at Purdue University. The Purdue Agricultural Economics Report 2017 outlook was published by the Purdue University Department of Agricultural Economics this month. It includes 12 sections by 11 different authors. U.S. agricultural exports are expected to recover slightly after two years of decline, but not nearly enough to offset increasing global grain stocks, says Chris Hurt, editor of the Purdue Agricultural Economics Report. “In the last three years, U.S. production has outpaced usage for corn, soybeans and wheat,” Hurt says. “Abundant inventories of grains and soybeans mean low prices.”
Fact Check: Corporate Farms Vs. Family Farms
Farm Policy Facts | Posted on December 22, 2016Farm policy opponents love to rail against “corporate farms.” These operations, they say, have run family farmers out of rural America. But is it true? Not according to a recent report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). It is true that modern-day farms in America are no longer one-or-two acre plots plowed by oxen and planted by hand — the inefficient, gothic scenes of yesteryear. Instead, farms now operate like small businesses that must borrow capital and use the latest technologies and farming practices to maximize efficiencies and offset stagnant commodity prices. But being an efficient small business doesn’t mean you are a “corporate farm.” In fact, the ERS found that 99 percent of U.S. farms were still structured as family farms in 2015, and they account for about 90 percent of farm production. The report further noted that the few farms organized as nonfamily corporations generally have less than 10 stockholders — in other words, they are more Main Street than Wall Street. Hardly the sinister tale being spun by farm foes. So how do agriculture’s political opponents spin arguments that paint such a different picture? It all boils down to the definition of a farm, and ERS sheds a lot of light about that topic, too. “USDA defines a farm as any place that produced and sold — or normally would have produced and sold — at least $1,000 of agricultural products during a given year,” the agency explained. Bear in mind, $1,000 in sales doesn’t translate to $1,000 in profit. It is simply a measure of revenue that does not consider expenses.
N.C. gives town wastewater grant to support Mountaire Farms expansion
Meatingplace (registration required) | Posted on December 22, 2016The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority has granted the town of Siler City $1.5 million to assist in providing expanded wastewater services in support of a 700-job expansion by Mountaire Farms. The Delaware-based poultry processor currently has five locations in the state. The grant supports a total capital investment of $70 million by the company. Mountaire Farms announced in May it entered into an agreement to acquire the former Townsend processing plant and an adjoining property in Siler City that it would renovate into a modern poultry plant.
My view: To feed the world, look to veterinarians
Deseret News | Posted on December 22, 2016In many countries, the cause isn't a lack of food — it's a lack of safe food. The risk of malnutrition caused by unsafe food is increasing, as human populations grow and continue to urbanize. This public health problem can be solved — not by doctors but by veterinarians. They're crucial to safeguarding the health of animals that are the foundation of the world's food supply. Unfortunately, well-trained veterinarians are in short supply worldwide. To improve global food safety, that has to change. The world's population will increase by 2.6 billion by 2050. Feeding these billions of new mouths will require a 70 percent boost in food production — including 200 million tons of meat. Increasing levels of urbanization will make it harder to meet the demand for animal protein. Seven in 10 people will live in cities by 2050. Even a minor disruption in the food supply for one densely populated megacity could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.
Nebraska broiler farming would surge with Costco plant
Watt Ag Net | Posted on December 22, 2016If Costco and Lincoln Premium Poultry plant comes into fruition, Nebraska broiler production would increase from 1 million head to 18 million. To support the plant’s production potential, an estimated 17 million birds would need to be raised by contract farmers in the area, reported KCUR. That would dramatically increase the amount of broilers raised in the state. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, the most recent census, about 1 million broilers were being raised in the state.
At USMARC, OIG audit refutes charges of animal abuse
Farm Forum | Posted on December 22, 2016It’s taken almost two years to clear the air, but a new USDA Office of Inspector General’s audit report about the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Nebraska paints substantially different picture than The New York Times described in a scathing report which alleged animal abuse and prompted calls for investigations. “Overall, we did not note evidence indicating a systemic problem with animal welfare at USMARC,” the OIG staff noted in a report. But USDA’s “watchdog” found that the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which oversees the facility, could improve its oversight and take steps to make its research ore transparent to the public.
Detroit urban farm awarded $500K grant, plans 'art-centered redevelopment'
Michigan Live | Posted on December 22, 2016Thanks to a national ArtPlace America grant, an urban farm in Detroit is making plans to expand with a dining hall, an Art Farm House, a farm-fresh convenience store and more. The Oakland Avenue Urban Farm expansion project will bring focus on "art-centered redevelopment" as artists and designers team up to create what officials are calling the nation's first "agri-cultural" urban landscape.Some of the project's prospective highlights include a vacant home transforming into a cafeteria and hostel, the creation of the Art Farm House, an exhibition space and "mini" art school, and the North End Superette, which is a farm-fresh retail space.
Poultry issues we need to speak up about
Meatingplace (registration required) | Posted on December 22, 2016If any progress is to be made, it will be because you kept telling your story in a direct, honest manner. If you are not already doing this, it’s past time to start! It’s the only way that the disconnect will shorten. Have no fear of difficult issues. They exist and will likely always exist. I recently told a friend that many GMOs were developed to reduce pesticide use and she just froze for a minute and then said, “Why don’t I know that?” Then it was my time to freeze as I also wondered why she didn’t know that if I did. I should have been talking more. You get the idea. The next issue is antibiotic use. For a multitude of reasons, antibiotic use is shrinking in the animal agriculture sector. When we talk about it, we must be careful to explain. First, I believe that a reduction in the use of antibiotics of importance in human medicine is an approach we can all live with, while no antibiotics ever is not acceptable.If we are to provide a humane environment for our animals, both pets and agricultural animals, we must treat them when they are ill. And, sometimes, the only treatments require use of antibiotics used for humans but many more can be treated with other compounds.
Iowa Farmland Values Decline, Cash Rent Issues
Farm Policy News | Posted on December 22, 2016“Iowa’s average farmland value declined for the third year in a row, down 5.9 percent to $7,183 an acre over the past year. It’s the first time since the 1980s farm crisis that land values have fallen three straight years, according to an Iowa State University report. An overview of the ISU report noted that, “In general, the results from the 2016 Iowa State University land value survey echo results from other surveys. The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Iowa land values down 5 percent from October 2015 to October 2016…The USDA reported Iowa farmland values down by 1.9 percent from June 2016 to June 2016.”