The Department of Natural Resources took a major step on Wednesday to toughen standards for manure spreading after years of complaints over polluted wells and pressure from interest groups that have been pushing officials to protect Wisconsin’s most vulnerable soils. The Natural Resources Board voted 7-0 to add new restrictions on spreading across eastern Wisconsin — a region prone to manure contamination of groundwater and drinking water.The action is the first big step by the administration of Gov. [node:read-more:link]

Colorado could have nearly 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030, according to one estimate.  Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Wednesday released broad plans to foster growth in the state’s already booming electric vehicle market, saying he believes the keys to economic development and cleaner air lie — at least in part — outside of the internal combustion engine. “They say it takes a village,” Hickenlooper told reporters while flanked by a host of electric vehicles in downtown Denver. “Really, it takes a lack of silos to get an electric vehicle framework in place. [node:read-more:link]

In a feat that raises questions about how close the cloning of humans may be, scientists in China announced on Wednesday they have successfully cloned two long-tailed macaque monkeys. The cloning of primates was long thought to be fundamentally more difficult than horses, sheep and other mammals and therefore much further away.  "It’s a significant advance. Nobody has previously been able to create a cloned non-human primate,” said Arnold Kriegstein, director of the stem cell center at the University of California at San Francisco.  [node:read-more:link]

Last year, 2.3 million people attended Iowa’s 105 volunteer-driven, youth-oriented county and regional fairs. That means a lot of people in close contact with farm animals — and, as a result, the chance for outbreaks of zoonotic disease. “I see fair officials doing due diligence to reduce the risk of visitors getting sick,” notes Iowa Sen. Dan Zumbach, who, like many farmers, has been a 4-H leader and is active on his county board. [node:read-more:link]

Last March, AB InBev announced every single bottle of beer it brews will be done with renewable energy by 2025. The company is making progress on that pledge and by this spring, every bottle of Budweiser brewed in the U.S. will be made with renewable electricity. This week the brand is unveiling a new symbol it will be putting on each bottle produced with 100% renewable energy. [node:read-more:link]

The Department of Energy announced a new competition Wednesday to "re-energize innovation" in the U.S. solar manufacturing market, following the president's decision earlier this week to place tariffs on imported solar panel technology. The challenge-based "American Made Solar Prize" would award $3 million to U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Wind power is forecast to surpass hydroelectricity for the first time as the nation’s top source of renewable electricity sometime in the next year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Wednesday. The sector is expected to produce 6.4 percent of utility-scale electricity in 2018, and 6.9 percent in 2019, propelled by a construction boom of new turbines across the country.Few new hydropower plants are in the works, so new electricity generation depends on how much rainfall and water runoff pools in existing dams and reservoirs. [node:read-more:link]

The newest Meat MythCrusher video featuring Texas A&M nutrition expert Kerri Gehring, explains the benefits in the diet of meats such as hot dogs, bacon, sausage and deli meats and the many nutrients that these products deliver.  The Meat MythCrusher video is the 52nd in the series jointly produced by the North American Meat Institute and American Meat Science Association.“The Dietary Guidelines for Americans say that processed meats can fit within a healthy dietary pattern, said Dr. Gehring. [node:read-more:link]

A federal judge in North Carolina has ordered the owners of a warehouse and distribution company to pay $105.5 million to Cargill Inc. after a jury found they fraudulently overcharged the agricultural giant. In its complaint against WDS Inc. and owners Jennifer Maier and Brian Ewert, Cargill accused the defendants of directing employees to mark up pricing on purchase order requests beyond what the parties had agreed upon, over a period of many years. [node:read-more:link]

A study by the Renewable Fuels Association seeks to combat concerns raised by opponents of the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS. Bob Dinneen, the group’s president and CEO, says oil companies and others claimed the program would cause an increase in food prices. He says the analysis of the RFS program shows that hasn’t happened.“Overall, food price inflation in 2007 was 4% and in 2017 it was 1%,” Dinneen said. “The 20 year average is 2.5%. [node:read-more:link]