A ban on single-use plastic bags passed the state Senate Tuesday, progress for an idea proposed in the Legislature as early as 2013. The bill would ban stores from giving out single-use plastic carryout bags, giving them until 2020 to use up existing stocks, and require an 8-cent charge for other bags handed out. [node:read-more:link]
What Is Ag Day? It's a day to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture. Every year, producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless others across America join together to recognize the contributions of agriculture.When Is Ag Day?Ag Day is celebrated on March 14, 2019. National Ag Day falls during National Ag Week, March 10-16, 2019.Who Hosts Ag Day?The Agriculture Council of America hosts the campaign on a national level. [node:read-more:link]
I believe we are facing a critical juncture in our state. Are we going to bury our heads in the sand and ignore the shrinking populations of rural Iowa or are we going to finally put forth serious efforts toward tackling the issue head on? I have been working on a piece of legislation that identifies communities in rural Iowa that don’t need a handout but instead need to be treated fairly. [node:read-more:link]
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the initial down-select list of 136 Expressions of Interest received from parties in 35 statesvying to become the new homes of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). USDA is following a rigorous site selection process to identify the new locations with involvement from USDA, ERS, and NIFA leadership. [node:read-more:link]
Maryland’s senators approved a bill that would ban polystyrene foam food containers and cups starting next year.If the bill eventually becomes law, Maryland would be the first state to enact a ban on the products. Some local governments in Maryland — most recently Anne Arundel County — have banned them. [node:read-more:link]
It’s taco night at the Lindskoog household in this suburban community 20 miles west of Boise. Nate Lindskoog has seasoned the red meat sizzling in his cast-iron skillet with a mixture of chili powder and Himalayan pink salt. In a few minutes, he will wrap it in corn tortillas and top it off with lime-soaked avocados. The 36-year-old father of six isn’t making carne asada with meat he bought from a butcher or at the grocery store. [node:read-more:link]
New York lawmakers are planning to introduce a bill that would allow children as young as 14 to get vaccinated without their parents' consent. Proposed by Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy and Sen. Liz Krueger, the bill would enable older children to protect themselves from preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis and human papillomavirus in the event their parents opt out of vaccinating them. [node:read-more:link]
Connecticut Sen. Bob Duff’s (D-Norwalk) proposed Senate Bill 20 would ban the import, sale and possession of what he calls “the Big Six” African species; African elephants, lions, leopards, black rhinoceros, white rhinoceros and giraffes. The Joint Committee on Environment voted 24-5, sending the bill to the Senate Floor for a possible vote at any time. [node:read-more:link]
Amend KRS 217.035 to include any food product that purports to be or is represented as meat or a meat product that contains any cultured animal tissue produced from in vitro animal cell cultures outside of the organism from which it is derived. [node:read-more:link]
The Trump administration’s latest budget recommendation for USDA looks a lot like proposals that failed to pass a Republican-controlled Congress for two years running. [node:read-more:link]
