General Mills has made its largest contribution to help save pollinators, announcing a $2 million commitment that will add more than 100,000 acres of bee and butterfly habitat on or near existing crop lands.  The five-year agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Xerces Society, the world's oldest and largest pollinator conservation group, will focus its efforts in Minnesota, North Dakota, California, Nebraska, Iowa and Maine. The USDA and Xerces will match this donation with another $2 million toward the project. [node:read-more:link]

With only one scheduled day remaining in the General Assembly’s fall veto session, a deal has taken shape between Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office and Exelon Corp. that could pave the way for passage of the company’s proposed energy policy overhaul. Exelon has changed the proposal several time in recent weeks in attempts to address the concerns of environmental groups, consumer advocates and, in a forthcoming amendment, large manufacturers. [node:read-more:link]

While the Sioux nation has been in the spotlight almost daily for its opposition to construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, it has much more quietly been pursuing renewable energy development on the Standing Rock Reservation and other tribal lands across North and South Dakota.  Seven Sioux tribes in the Dakotas are developing what would be an enormous collection of wind farms on six reservations scattered across what is generally rated as one of the windiest areas in the country. [node:read-more:link]

Michigan’s 2008 law requiring utility spending on energy efficiency programs continued to exceed targets in 2015, surpassing goals for cutting electric and natural gas use by roughly 20 percent and proving to be a good investment for ratepayers. According to a state report, ratepayers will ultimately see $5.2 billion in savings since the program started. In 2015, utilities spent $262 million on various energy efficiency programs that will generate $1.08 billion in lifecycle savings for ratepayers. Or, for every dollar spent in 2015, customers are expected to see $4.35 in benefits. [node:read-more:link]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's  Food Safety and Inspection Service is proposing to amend the nutrition labeling regulations for meat and poultry products to parallel the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's final nutrition regulations, which were published on May 27, 2016. [node:read-more:link]

Pictured below is a retail package containing raw skinless/boneless chicken that was recently purchased in Denmark (DK) Europe. The labeling on the package is claiming to Danish consumers (where there’s an orange drawing of a chicken within a round circle): “Dansk Salmonelllafri Kylling,”when translated means - “Danish salmonella-free chicken.”  How would such a labeling declaration that claims the raw chicken one is purchasing is “salmonella free” be received in the states? [node:read-more:link]

USDA says that an already grim financial picture in the farm sector has actually gotten worse and will continue to do so. In its November update of its farm sector income forecast, USDA's Economic Research Service predicts a drop in farm income for the third consecutive year.  Net cash farm income is forecast at $90.1 billion, down 14.6 percent from 2015, and down from $94.1 billion seen in August. Net farm income, meanwhile, is seen at $66.9 billion, a 17.2 percent drop from last year. [node:read-more:link]

Total cattle imports from Canada and Mexico are down 19.8 percent year over year for the first ten months of the year including a 13.9 percent decrease from Canada and 24.3 percent fewer cattle from Mexico compared to one year ago. Total cattle imports for the year to date include slaughter cattle, which are up 10.9 percent through September.  Slaughter cattle account for 31.5 percent of total cattle imports so far in 2016, up from 22.7 percent of total imports for the same period last year. [node:read-more:link]

The NASS mission is to provide timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U. S. Agriculture. Crop yield forecasts tend to be our most well-known publications, but NASS measures agriculture in many different ways, ensuring that the full scope of agriculture is accounted for. NASS surveys the hog and pig industry, the total cattle herd and cattle on feed, fruit and vegetable production, and the vast overall economic impact of agriculture across Illinois and the rest of the United States. We even measure maple syrup! [node:read-more:link]

Gov. Scott Walker has directed three state agencies to come up with ideas on how dairy farms can use manure digesters to protect water quality. Walker announced during a stop in Kewaunee on Thursday that he has directed the Public Service Commission, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Department of Natural Resources to come up with recommendations by Dec. 1 on how dairy farms in environmentally sensitive areas can use digester technology. [node:read-more:link]