More than one month after the bill was introduced, the House Agricultural Affairs Committee on Thursday finally voted on whether to advance a bill legalizing hemp in Idaho. The committee’s recommendation? Approval.With just two of committee’s 15 members voting no, the bill now heads to the House floor for consideration. [node:read-more:link]

The Minnesota Senate has approved expanding a zero-interest disaster loan program for farmers, just in time for producers whose buildings have been damaged by heavy snow this winter.The “Save our Farms” bill, authored by state Sen. Mike Goggin, R-Red Wing, whose district includes parts of Winona County, passed the Senate unanimously Thursday. It broadens eligibility for the Disaster Loan Recovery Program run by the state’s Rural Finance Authority. The proposal was one of many that were included in a massive budget bill vetoed by Gov. [node:read-more:link]

The statement is a bold one, especially as wolves have received a lot of negative attention in recent years. A recent study conducted by behavioral researchers, however, shows that dogs and wolves both work equally well with humans, albeit in different ways. The allegedly unequal brothers are thus much more similar than often assumed. [node:read-more:link]

In my years as CEO of two different power-supply electric coops, one in Kentucky and the other in Colorado, I came to deeply appreciate the hardworking coal miners whose tough jobs had always been so indispensable to power generation. I felt for those miners as the forces of regulation and economics shifted our coal-powered industry toward natural gas. Across coal country, proud and vibrant small towns suffered enormously as mines closed and good-paying jobs faded. They suffer still.The truth is that no amount of political rhetoric can alter a fundamental reality of the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

With up to two Illinois congressional seats and $1 billion or more in federal funding on the line if Illinois’ population is not correctly counted in the 2020 census, not-for-profit groups warn that changes to the census format this year could exacerbate an undercount in already hard-to-reach communities. According to the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture joins the nation in celebrating National Ag Day, which highlights agriculture’s crucial role in everyday life, and honors the farmers, foresters, scientists, producers and many others who contribute to America’s bountiful harvest. As part of this effort, USDA is launching a new Youth and Agriculture website to connect young people and youth-serving organizations with Department-wide resources that engage, empower, and educate the next generation of agricultural leaders. [node:read-more:link]

Despite limited research on the compound’s health benefits, hemp CBD has become a nationwide health food craze. Stressed-out people flock to cafes and restaurants that sell CBD cocktails and cookies, doughnuts and dog treats. Martha Stewart is advising a cannabis company on a line of CBD products for humans and pets. Congress recently primed the market for more growth when it legalized hemp farming and sales nationwide. But the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

This brings me to my big thought. One of the most discussed issues in animal agriculture today is the use of antibiotics. The concern being that they are being overused, unmonitored and dumped into the food chain. It made me pause and consider that maybe it is important to reiterate the process we take in treating sick cattle and the rules we are required to follow. [node:read-more:link]

Today, scientists worldwide are using gene editing to help solve a broad array of difficult challenges – seeking solutions to improve human nutrition and health, environmental stewardship and food insecurity. For example, one possible application is to treat sickle cell, an inherited disease that affects 100,000 people in the United States. It can cause severe pain, heart failure and early death. Imagine being able to prevent it. [node:read-more:link]