Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday signed legislation letting political candidates raise unlimited money for super political action committees just a day after the Legislature approved the controversial plan. With Snyder’s blessing, political candidates can now raise unlimited money for super PACs that could then pour unlimited amounts of money back into committees that a candidate creates or that support the candidate.Snyder, a Republican, and other GOP supporters say the new law squares Michigan with a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court’s decision. [node:read-more:link]

Iowa has about 5,000 more pig confinements and cattle lots across the state than originally believed, a report to the federal government last month shows. That's nearly 50 percent more animal feeding operations than the state initially inventoried."It's clearly too easy for confinements to slip under the radar," said Jess Mazour, an organizer at Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. [node:read-more:link]

The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission denied a petition that would have made it tougher for animal feeding operations to be built in Iowa. Petition supporters sought to strengthen the state's master matrix — a scoring system designed to give local residents input on proposed animal feeding operations — saying the changes would better protect people living near livestock facilities from odor and water pollution.But opponents said the petition would make it so difficult to get a passing score, it would result in a statewide moratorium on livestock facilities. [node:read-more:link]

In New York state, New Yorkers in downstate counties will soon benefit from cleaner air due to the increased use of Bioheat fuel in heating oil. Legislation signed Sept. 13 by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo requires Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties to follow New York City’s lead by blending at least 5 percent biodiesel (B5) into all home heating oil sold by July 1, 2018. [node:read-more:link]

The U.S. Climate Prediction Center (CPC), a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), says that the Pacific Ocean equator temperatures have at least a 50% chance of cooling to La Nina values by December. Accordingly, the CPC issued a La Nina watch Sept. 14. In issuing the watch, CPC details noted an emphasis on subsurface cooling in the equator region waters of the Pacific. [node:read-more:link]

Bureaucrats in 42 states, often aided by outside consultants, have weakened the integrity of efforts to find errors in the way food stamp recipients are found eligible, and in whether those eligible are receiving the right level of benefits, a Senate panel heard. So far, two states — Virginia and Wisconsin — have paid a combined $14.1 million to settle allegations they violated the False Claims Act in administering their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs, and several others are under investigation, according to a U.S. [node:read-more:link]

In his new book, Ted Genoways follows a family farm and the ways they’re impacted by geopolitics. Trade wars with China. Arguments over a border wall with Mexico. Strained relations with South Korea. They all might sound like issues for politicians and the CEOs of multinational corporations, but among the Americans who have a vested interest in foreign affairs are a more unlikely group: family farmers in rural Nebraska. Rick and Heidi Hammond and their daughter, Meghan, are one such Nebraskan family. [node:read-more:link]

Swiss agrochemicals giant Syngenta, recently taken over by ChemChina, said there should be a wide-scale debate on what constitutes "sustainable agriculture" in face of a number of current controversies over pesticides.

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The deadline for compliance with the new-look Nutrition Facts panel is likely to be early 2020, 18 months after the original July 26, 2018, compliance date, according to FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb. [node:read-more:link]

The European Union court ruled in favour of an Italian activist farmer who has defied his nation's laws by planting genetically modified corn. Italy has prosecuted Giorgio Fidenato for cultivating the corn on his land, citing concerns the crops could endanger human health. But the European Court of Justice ruled Wednesday that a member state such as Italy does not have the right to ban GM crops given that there is no scientific reason for doing so. [node:read-more:link]