The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) on Thursday petitioned the USDA to require labels on packages of processed meat and poultry that would warn consumers that eating those products is associated with colorectal cancer.  In its petition CSPI cites findings of the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), “which concluded in 2015 that processed meat is ‘carcinogenic to humans.’”  [node:read-more:link]

 Anti-hunger advocates and agriculture groups are criticizing Gov. Andrew Cuomo's opposition to legislation that would give farmers a tax break for donating surplus fruits, vegetables and other locally grown products to food banks to address New York state's growing hunger problem. The Democratic governor vetoed the bill this week. It's the second year the bill has passed the Legislature only to be blocked by Cuomo. He says that while he supports the idea, the measure would reduce state revenue and should be handled in the state budget process. [node:read-more:link]

California officials crafting a new conservation plan for the state’s dry future drew criticism from environmentalists on Thursday for failing to require more cutbacks of farmers, who use 80 percent of the water consumed by people. Gov. Jerry Brown ordered up the state plans for improving long-term conservation in May, when he lifted a statewide mandate put in place at the height of California’s drought for 25-percent water conservation by cities and towns. [node:read-more:link]

Funding for weed biocontrol and predator control is on the chopping block at the Oregon Department of Agriculture as the state prepares for a budget shortfall.  The agency plans to eliminate state funding for USDA’s Wildlife Services program, which kills coyotes and other predators that prey on livestock. The move would save more than $460,000. [node:read-more:link]

New Idaho lawmaker Megan Blanksma hopes to shine a spotlight on the lack of technology infrastructure in rural Idaho, which she says places farmers and ranchers at a competitive disadvantage.  “I want to try to see what we can do to push out this technological infrastructure into rural areas and improve it,” said Blanksma, a Hammett farmer. [node:read-more:link]

A California congressman wants to tighten controls on school districts purchasing imported foods for lunches.  A bill by Rep. John Garamendi, a Democrat, would add teeth to a current law allowing districts to use food that wasn’t produced in the United States if they obtain a waiver from the USDA. Schools can look overseas for items such as canned fruits and vegetables if the cost of domestic products is significantly higher, but districts don’t always bother seeking the waiver, according to Garamendi’s office. [node:read-more:link]

Here are several notable highlights from the report: 1. Overall cash receipts are expected to decline in 2016, but this decline is not universal across all commodities. Turkeys, rhe, cotton, miscellaneous oil crops and tobacco could see increases of more than 10%. 2. Direct government farm program payments could rise by $2.1 billion in 2016, a 19.1% increase from a year ago. 3. Total farm sector equity is down $79.9 billion, or 3.1%, in 2016. [node:read-more:link]

adly, it seems the fewer who farm, the louder the opposition against this noblest profession has become. As eloquently said by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in his 1956 address at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.: “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.” Critics are easy to find in this world. [node:read-more:link]

Consumer demand is pushing the pendulum toward cage-free egg production, but just how far that pendulum will swing remains to be seen.  For hens, the trend toward cage-free housing certainly has some benefits. If you’ve ever been in a cage-free poultry operation, you can observe birds exhibiting many of the same natural activities you’d expect to see wild birds demonstrate — short flights, dust bathing, wing flapping, running around and grooming, to name a few. The birds appear happy. [node:read-more:link]