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Polluted water pours into sinkhole at fertilizer plant

Hurricane Matthew’s heavy rains are predicted to soak much of Florida, and that could complicate efforts to manage the pollution flowing into a sinkhole that opened up beneath a fertilizer plant’s massive pile of toxic waste. The plant’s owner, Mosaic Co., is pumping out water through a well while preparing to plug the huge hole under one of its gypsum stacks. But million s of gallons of contaminated water have already drained into Florida’s main drinking-water aquifer. So far, the company and state environmental officials say no contamination has migrated off Mosaic’s property. [node:read-more:link]

Should Iowa Beef Checkoff be reinstated?

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association today announced that eligible beef producers can request an absentee ballot to participate in the referendum on whether the $.50 per head Iowa beef checkoff should be reinstated. The referendum will be held on November 30, 2016.  Any individual, firm, corporation, partnership or association that has owned or acquired cattle during year prior to the referendum (December 1, 2015 – November 30, 2016) is an “Eligible Beef Producer” for the purposes of this referendum. [node:read-more:link]

USDA rejects more Vietnamese catfish

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has rejected another shipment of Vietnamese catfish because it tested positive for residues of banned chemicals.  FSIS officials tested a 40,000-pound shipment of catfish and discovered traces of malachite green, a veterinary drug used to treat sick fish, FWW said in a statement.  FSIS officials were not available for immediate comment. This is not the first time catfish imports from Asia were rejected since FSIS took over inspection of foreign catfish shipments from the FDA on April 15. [node:read-more:link]

Canada ratifies Paris climate change deal in boost for Trudeau

Canada's Parliament ratified the Paris agreement to curb climate-warming emissions, bolstering Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's bid to tackle climate change after a decade of inaction by the previous government.  Legislators voted 207-81 to formally back the deal, which is designed to encourage a move away from fossil fuels. Trudeau's Liberals hold a majority of seats in the House of Commons and the result was never in doubt. [node:read-more:link]

Veal group says USDA not holding Dutch to same antibiotic standards

The USDA is not holding veal imports from the Netherlands to the same standards as U.S. veal producers when it comes to antibiotic use and pathogen testing, the American Veal Association (AVA) asserts.  “The AVA is concerned the agency has failed to fully assess the Netherlands’ inspection and production system for veal in making its determination that the Dutch system is equivalent to the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Supporting rural broadband & economy

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $32 million in loans and grants that will promote economic development and provide access to broadband in more than 80 rural American communities. Vilsack, who is chair of the first-ever White House Rural Council, convened the forum with rural policy, business and nonprofit leaders to discuss pertinent issues facing rural communities, including opportunities for economic growth and strategies for improving health care and housing. [node:read-more:link]

Effingham school board buys cattle farm for ag students

he Effingham County Board of Education is buying a working cattle farm for $1.2 million to use as an agriculture center.  Honey Ridge Plantation is three miles south of Guyton, less than a mile off Georgia Highway 17 in Pineora, on paved Honey Ridge Plantation Road.  The 310-acre farm will be paid for with education sales tax dollars.  The board voted 4-0 on Aug. 18 to purchase the property. The school system has 60 days from the contract date to inspect it and do a new survey, title search and environmental study. Closing will take place within 30 days of the inspection period. [node:read-more:link]

Where is Ebola hiding and when will it be back

There was a certain kind of quiet hopefulness when, in late April this year, the last Ebola patient of the West African epidemic -- a two-year-old boy -- walked out of a treatment facility in Monrovia, Liberia. With the smoldering embers of the outbreak fading, there was cause for celebration. But there remains the impotent fear of the unseen: Ebola is still out there, lurking. We just don't know where it's hiding or when it will be back. And if we're going to stop Ebola in the future, we have to find its hiding places. [node:read-more:link]

New partnership leverages more than $400 million for rural facilities

A new private-public partnership with USDA, private foundations, and banks will help rural community development organizations take advantage of more than $400 million in federal loans to build community facilities like health clinics, schools, and child-care centers. The Uplift America fund, which was announced today, will provide private grants to help community development financial institutions manage and invest USDA Community Facilities loans. The organizations receiving the loans via USDA will, in turn, re-lend the money locally to facilities projects. [node:read-more:link]

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