Authorities have designated all of Scotland and England an Aviation Influenza Prevention Zone in order to protect commercial and backyard poultry flocks from the avian influenza outbreak that so far has affected 14 European and Asian nations in recent weeks. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has yet to be confirmed in any part of the United Kingdom, but officials at the Dept. for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are concerned enough to order poultry farm managers and others to keep birds inside for the next 30 days, according to several local media reports. [node:read-more:link]

Fifty-six percent of Iowa cattle producers voted in November to create a state checkoff program that will generate up to $1.6 million annually, the Iowa Department of Agriculture said.  Producers will pay 50 cents per head of cattle to support the state checkoff. The money will be used to promote Iowa beef, fund production research, expand international markets, consumer education and other activities, the Iowa Cattlemen's Association says. [node:read-more:link]

Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson says livestock producers can apply for a portion of $2 million in grants available for on-farm improvements, as part of the Agricultural Growth, Research and Innovation Program. [node:read-more:link]

Amazon is opening its first food store without checkouts! Walmart opens its first grocery pick-up and gas station concept!Lidl and Aldi are trading up and will each open 2,000 grocery stores!My previous predictions are quickly coming true—the food retail industry is rapidly changing due to new technology and new entries into the marketplace.  With big plans to operate smaller stores featuring a convenience food assortment at very low prices in many parts of the U.S., the roll out of these small stores by these retail behemoths will profoundly impact the traditional grocery chains. [node:read-more:link]

Washington says it’s the first U.S. state to sue the agrochemical giant over pollution from PCBs. Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the lawsuit at a news conference Thursday afternoon. The chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyls, were used in many industrial and commercial applications, including in paint, coolants, sealants and hydraulic fluids. PCB contamination impairs rivers, lakes and bays around the country. [node:read-more:link]

President-elect Donald Trump has selected fast-food executive Andy Puzder to run the Labor Department, which oversees OSHA, enforces wage rules and manages guest-worker programs on which many farms and others in the food industry rely.  Trump said Puzder “will fight to make American workers safer and more prosperous … and he will save small businesses from the crushing burdens of unnecessary regulations that are stunting job growth and suppressing wages.” Puzder is CEO of CKE Restaurants, which operates the Hardee's and Carl's Jr. [node:read-more:link]

President of Tyson Foods says company can offer customers ‘exactly what they want,’ and they want chicken raised without antibiotics.Hayes, who was named Tyson’s president in June and will take over as its CEO at the conclusion of 2016, discussed Tyson’s venture into NAE chicken while participating in the Bernstein Consumer Summit on December 7.“The consumer’s looking for certainly more antibiotic-free (chicken) and we have a line that is no antibiotics ever. [node:read-more:link]

The report that the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality issued in November intends to begin closing the door on questions over what happened with Pavillion’s water, but did not take into account outside science saying that door should not be closed so quickly.  An earlier article, published by Stanford University scientists in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, stated hydraulic fracturing had impacted drinking water in the Pavillion area, and called for further investigation. [node:read-more:link]

So here’s a good-news story about American stewardship of undeveloped land: Over the past five years, 9 million acres have been protected from development — a pace that averages about 5,000 acres per day — by private landowners assisted by nonprofit land trusts.The achievement brings the nationwide acreage protected with land-trust assistance to an overall total of 56 million acres, which is “double the size of all the land in national parks across the lower 48 states.” [node:read-more:link]

Our state places a high value on protecting rural lands from the northern creep of hustle and bustle, but what about the people? What about the communities that foster rural wisdom and make rural places interesting places to visit? Rural Mainers provide the Mainer flavor that enhances any tourist’s Maine experience and all of our collective experience. The people who espouse the sensibilities born of a more rural lifestyle are a vital natural resource and deserve at least as much conservation attention — politically and financially — as we give to rural land. [node:read-more:link]