Governor Brown signed SB 1062, the ban the “bullhook” bill on August 29th.   Starting January 1, 2018 it will be illegal to use the elephant guide tool in California.  Many of you have written letters and made calls to urge the legislators to make the right choice and allow responsible animal owners to use all of the tools available to them including the guide.  It is unfortunate that politics and animal extremist agendas get in the way of people trying to care for their animals properly. [node:read-more:link]

A judge has denied the State of Oregon’s motions to dismiss a lawsuit by Linn County that seeks $1.4 billion over state forest management practices.  Linn County Circuit Judge Daniel Murphy also said he’s inclined to certify the case as a class action — which would include other counties in the litigation — though he’s postponed ruling on that matter.  According to Linn County’s lawsuit, filed earlier this year, insufficient logging on state-owned forestland has cost 15 counties more than $1.4 billion. [node:read-more:link]

An unusual legislative approach will be used to implement changes to Idaho’s crop residue burning program. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality officials say the changes are necessary to avoid a large reduction in the number of allowable field burning days in Idaho. The federal standard for ozone was tightened in October, which means the number of burn days in Idaho for farmers who use that tool to control diseases and pests and increase stand health would be reduced by a third to half under Idaho’s current crop residue burning program. [node:read-more:link]

Consumers prefer gene-disrupting “RNAi” biopesticides over genetically engineered crops, but they don’t much like either technology, according to a recent study.  Researchers from the University of Arkansas conducted the study by asking consumers about their “willingness to pay” for conventional rice sprayed with insecticides, rice that’s genetically modified to withstand pests and rice treated with an RNAi biopesticide. The biotech rice and RNAi biopesticide described to consumers aren’t commercially available, so those possibilities were hypothetical. [node:read-more:link]

Providing small-town residents with big-city conveniences is costly for retailers and delivery services.  E-commerce hasn’t just reached rural America, it is transforming it by giving small-town residents an opportunity to buy staples online at a cheaper price than the local supermarket. It also provides remote areas with big-city conveniences and the latest products. Contemporary fashion, such as Victoria Secret bathing suits or Tory Burch ballet flats are easily shipped. Consumers increasingly are shopping online instead of driving, often long distances, to stores. [node:read-more:link]

Recent talks on the health of the area’s agricultural economy have spurred recommendations that will be forwarded to federal officials. A wrap-up session was held in St. Joseph and brought together agricultural leaders from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Organizers said a St. Joseph session presented an opportunity for collaboration, allowing each state to report feedback from producers and financial experts. They said the findings will be useful in setting outreach and policy priorities. [node:read-more:link]

EPA violated the Freedom of Information Act by releasing personal information, including phone numbers and email addresses, of the owners of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), a federal appeals court ruled. The unanimous decision by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis is a big victory for the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Pork Producers Council, which sued EPA three years ago after it released CAFO information to environmental groups. The court reversed the decision of U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Those opposed to the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement say trade deals like this cost jobs in America. But the facts do not back that up. When managing plants in Indiana, Ohio, and other Midwestern states close and relocate their operations to Mexico or China, trade deals like TPP and NAFTA get the blame. But the actual figures do not back up that claim, according to John Hardin, Indiana farmer and member of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. “For every three jobs that are lost to foreign trade competition, 7 jobs are lost to automation. [node:read-more:link]

It turns out that bacteria may transfer to food that has fallen on the floor no matter how fast you pick it up. Rutgers University researchers disproved the widely accepted notion that it's okay to scoop up food and eat it within a "safe" five-second window. Donald Schaffner, Rutgers professor and extension specialist in food science, found that moisture, the type of surface and contact time all contribute to cross-contamination. In some instances, the transfer begins in less than one second. [node:read-more:link]

Looking for new business opportunities to counter a drop in revenues, the Alaska Railroad Corp. this month will become the first railroad in the U.S. to ship liquefied natural gas, in a demonstration project that could help deliver cheaper energy to Fairbanks. The state-owned railroad has signed an agreement to borrow two LNG containers from a company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, owned partly by Hitachi in Japan. [node:read-more:link]