Louisiana's Shelter at Home program is a key component of the housing recovery plan for flood victims, but it may not apply to potentially thousands of people because mobile homes are automatically excluded. The quirk in the program has prompted angry calls to state lawmakers and others in recent weeks as the program, which provides up to $15,000 for homeowners to be able to quickly get back into their flood-damaged homes, begins to ramp up. "I've watched people repair manufactured homes," said state Sen. Bodi White, a Central Republican who is running for mayor of Baton Rouge. [node:read-more:link]

FIGHT has erupted over the health claims behind the A2 protein in milk. The a2 Milk Company’s claim that its product is easier to digest because it contains only the A2 protein will be tested in court after it lodged a “misleading and deceptive” case against Lion Group in June for advertising on packaging that Pura and Dairy Farmers-branded milk “naturally contains A2 protein”. Lion launched a cross-claim last month alleging a2 had engaged in “misleading and deceptive conduct” and that its claims that consuming milk with only the A2 protein was beneficial “cannot be substantiated”. [node:read-more:link]

Is it really possible that New York State will ban school kids from eating sweet corn grown almost completely without insecticides and free from brain-damaging mycotoxins?  From time to time, elected boards of education and similar organizations have proposed some science-defying stances; resolutions against teaching evolution and accepting climate change stand out historically. Now, the New York State Parent Teacher Association (NY PTA) has earned an “F” in science 101 with proposals that would ban foods made using genetically engineering or that contain GE ingredients. [node:read-more:link]

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the Equipment Dealers Association (EDA) have released the results of surveys each organization conducted with their members about the levels of new and used agriculture equipment inventory currently on the market.  AEM's data results revealed that, since 2014, the ag equipment manufacturers surveyed believe that new and used inventory levels are decreasing overall. This trend is consistent with EDA's ag equipment dealer survey results for the second quarter of 2016. [node:read-more:link]

Sens. Thad Cochran (R., Miss.) and Jon Tester (D., Mont.) introduced legislation to amend a 95-year-old law to address technological advances now being used in livestock sales.  The senators’ bill (S. 3350) would amend the Packers & Stockyards Act of 1921 to ensure that the law’s protections are extended to online or video livestock auctions and to ensure modern electronic banking options.  “The Packers & Stockyards Act was written to protect the integrity of livestock sales and to promote competition. [node:read-more:link]

Minneapolis garnered national attention when it formed a first-of-its-kind partnership with local utilities to advance sustainable, efficient energy policy. Now, as communities across the U.S. increasingly push for influence over their energy futures, the Midwestern city offers a blueprint for what works and a taste of the challenges that come with cooperation. The Clean Energy Partnership, as it’s known, marked a pioneering approach to responsible energy policy. [node:read-more:link]

The falling price of renewable energy, efforts to address climate change and the proliferation of Big Data are key trends upending the way the power grid has operated for the last 100 years.  The past 240 years saw the industrial revolution shift our use of energy "from horse power to horsepower," he said. Instead of traveling with two horses and a wagon, a car with 300 hp is now taking us to the grocery store, and we can travel across the continent in a plane that’s the equivalent of 100,000 horses. [node:read-more:link]

A group representing New Zealand dairy companies has joined forces with overseas counterparts in a bid to get the World Trade Organisation to take action over what they allege is the dumping of dairy products on world markets by Canada.  The Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) - which represents all the main dairy companies in New Zealand - said it had asked the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to initiate proceedings against Canada if it continues with a planned extension to its dairy trade protections. [node:read-more:link]

The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) sets forth each nation’s tariff commitments. It is argued by many in agriculture that TPP is a good deal and needs all of our support. Others are more critical. The annex sections dealing with Japan appear to be fodder for those who have concern about the fairness of TPP regarding the United States. The section on rice, for example, does not appear to be great.  While Canada has four chapters regarding tariff eliminations and tariff rate quotas and Chile has two, there are eight such chapters related to Japan. [node:read-more:link]

The Canadian province of Manitoba, a big piglet exporter to the United States, has confirmed its first case in three months of the deadly PED hog virus, amid concerns that dirty trucks may be carrying the virus across the border.  Manitoba's government confirmed on its website the Sept. 14 case of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea on a sow farm. [node:read-more:link]