A recent analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has raised concerns about the potential impact the Congressional tax bills could have on farm programs and the farm bill. In short, the concern raised is that if the tax bills increase the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years, existing statutory requirements for sequestration and Pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) would require automatic reductions to offset the deficit increases. [node:read-more:link]

Marijuana has deeply divided financially strapped Calaveras County, among many where growers are increasingly open about their operations and are starting to encroach on neighborhoods.DiBasilio estimates the county — population 44,000 and about the size of Rhode Island — has more than 1,000 illegal farms in addition to the hundreds with permits or in the process of obtaining them. [node:read-more:link]

A career State Department official speaking at a conference Thursday on behalf of the Trump administration backed a climate policy then-President Obama pursued shortly before he left office. The policy phases down powerful greenhouse gases found in a range of everyday appliances. [node:read-more:link]

Grants for solar energy manufacturing and arrays are being offered again in Pennsylvania. The Wolf administration announced this week that it had added back grants to the Solar Energy Program, which is designed to help finance solar energy projects and manufacturing in the state. The program is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Commonwealth Financing Authority. [node:read-more:link]

Low-income consumers in Canada are well educated on nutritious food choices but are unable to afford the best food for their families because of financial pressures, according to a new report. The results of the study conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto counter conventional opinions that low-income consumers make poor food choices because they don’t know what foods are healthy. The data indicate that money dictates the decisions made by these consumers rather than a lack of knowledge about which foods are healthier for their families. [node:read-more:link]

What would happen if U.S. farmers stopped producing animals for food and Americans went vegan? Noting some have called for a move toward veganism to address concerns about U.S. health, eating habits and climate change, researchers at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and Virginia Tech set out to explore the nutritional and greenhouse gas impacts of removing animals from U.S. agriculture.They found that a complete shift away from food animal production would present major challenges to meeting America's nutritional needs. [node:read-more:link]

Ohio's outline for sharply reducing what's making algae flourish in Lake Erie clearly shows that changes in farming methods are what's needed. The blueprint also has a long list of ways to do that, but some environmental groups say the state's updated plan still lacks clear direction about what should come next.The plan released Nov. [node:read-more:link]

Fresno, Calif.-based Gerawan Farming plans to appeal a recent ruling on labor contract mediation to the U,S. Supreme Court. On Nov. 27, the California Supreme Court upheld the Mandatory Mediation and Conciliation law, which allows state mediators to settle union contracts through binding mediation when parties can’t reach an agreement.“Today’s decision imposes the United Farm Workers on our employees, whether they want the UFW or not,” the company said in a statement. [node:read-more:link]

Monsanto went before an Arkansas judge on Friday to ask the court to stop the state’s plan to ban dicamba use from April through October. Dicamba has been a source of complaints from farmers across the state, who say the product has drifted to their fields and caused widespread damage. The state’s ban on dicamba is expected to go before a legislative panel for approval next month, but Monsanto says the action is necessary because farmers are already buying the product for the next growing season. [node:read-more:link]

Monsanto Co said on Thursday that Mexico’s agriculture sanitation authority SENASICA had revoked its permit to commercialize genetically modified soy in seven states, criticizing the decision as unjustified.Monsanto said in a statement that the permit had been withdrawn on unwarranted legal and technical grounds. The company said it would take the necessary steps to safeguard its rights and those of farmers using the technology, but did not elaborate.SENASICA officials could not immediately be reached for comment. [node:read-more:link]