For 2018, annual farmland values in the Seventh Federal Reserve District were steady overall. Yet, values for “good” agricultural land in the fourth quarter of 2018 were up 1 percent from the third quarter, according to 183 survey respondents representing agricultural banks across the District. Although 75 percent of the responding agricultural bankers expected farmland values to be stable during the January through March period of 2019, nearly all of the rest expected farmland values to move down. [node:read-more:link]

Breweries would enjoy agritourism privileges similar to those of wineries and cideries on Oregon farmland under legislation that’s hit a snag over on-site hop acreage requirements. [node:read-more:link]

Judge’s novel approach is latest attempt to resolve long-running legal debate over cases that hinge on complex scientific questions.In a San Francisco courtroom this month, a jury will be asked to weigh a complicated question: Did Roundup weedkiller cause a man’s cancer? The jurors will assess the credibility of competing studies that delve into cell mutations, cancer epidemiology and genotoxicity. [node:read-more:link]

Researchers are looking for alternatives to traditional meat because farming animals is helping to drive up global temperatures. However, meat grown in the lab may make matters worse in some circumstances. [node:read-more:link]

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture approved new rules covering the locations of chicken farms relative to schools, homes and water sources, although the provisions will not affect current farms operating before October 2018. The new setback requirements call for chicken operations with fewer than 150,000 birds to be at least 500 feet from homes. Larger chicken farms must be established at least 1,000 feet away from houses. All chicken operations also now must be 500 feet from public wells, 100 feet from private wells and 200 feet from streams, officials said. [node:read-more:link]

For months, Clovis dairy farmer Art Schaap has been watching his life go down the drain. Instead of selling milk, he is dumping 15,000 gallons a day – enough to provide a carton at lunch to 240,000 children. Instead of working 24/7 to keep his animals healthy, he’s planning to exterminate all 4,000 of his cows, one of the best herds in Curry County’s booming dairy industry. [node:read-more:link]

Clean energy advocates in Pennsylvania are weighing whether to throw their support behind a proposed bailout for the state’s nuclear power plants. [node:read-more:link]

A case out of Missouri, Keller Farms, Inc. v. [node:read-more:link]

Brucella bacteria in raw milk from Miller's Biodiversity Farm in Quarryville, Pa., has affected an "unknown number" of people in 19 states, according to the CDC. RB51, the strain of brucella found in the milk, is resistant to the antibiotic rifampin. [node:read-more:link]

The agriculture industry is facing a workforce shortage and Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration hopes to address it with the Pennsylvania Farm Bill, a proposal that is being described as historic. This multi-faceted $24 million package includes a variety of measures aimed at cultivating future generations of farmers and providing assistance to help new and beginning farmers. Lawmakers hailed the Farm Bill proposal as the first time in generations that agriculture was given some focused attention in a governor’s budget proposal. [node:read-more:link]