Residents recovering from substance abuse in rural Nevada will be getting new options for transitional housing through a new federal program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture named Nevada as one of four states chosen for a pilot program that would turn vacant USDA properties in rural areas as housing for people who are recovering from opioid, painkiller or other substance abuse disorders. [node:read-more:link]
Monroe and Ontario counties were among fifteen New York counties designated Monday as primary natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to recent drought-related losses. [node:read-more:link]
A federal judge in the Eastern District of Oklahoma has dismissed a poultry grower's breach of contract claim against OK Foods after the company severed ties with the grower amid concerns over animal welfare standards. [node:read-more:link]
Although U.S. poultry industry optimism about current conditions remained high during the third quarter of 2016, expectations for future conditions and profits took a tumble. Oversupply was the primary reason cited for a weakening of future conditions. As one respondent noted, “(We’re) waiting on a surplus of total meat to roll through, especially pork and imported beef. Chicken egg sets are still too high.” [node:read-more:link]
To achieve the livestock-friendly designation, counties voluntarily apply to the NDA, which evaluates applications to determine if the county is taking measures to support livestock development, such as through its zoning regulations pertaining to livestock. The first counties applied to enter the program in 2005, and currently 37 of Nebraska’s 93 counties have achieved the designation. [node:read-more:link]
A federal lawsuit affecting over 600 Yakima Valley farm workers will head to trial. the lawsuit originally filed in 2014 says that Mercer Canyons out of Alderdale, Washington failed to inform previous local employees about higher paying jobs. Mercer Canyons, one of the largest fruit and vegetable growers in the state applied for a federal temporary agricultural worker program called H-2A that allows employers to bring in foreign workers if they can prove that there are no local or U.S. [node:read-more:link]
Cows outnumber people 2-to-1 in New Zealand, but when 500 bovines go missing it’s sure to draw attention. That’s what happened to a dairy farmer in the town of Ashburton. [node:read-more:link]
Four investors have signed on to support a new startup business accelerator that will further establish Central Iowa’s reputation as a global leader in cutting-edge agriculture technology. The Greater Des Moines Partnership and the Cultivation Corridor announced today that they will form an Ag Tech Accelerator (The Accelerator) with the support of investors DuPont Pioneer, Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company, John Deere and Peoples Company. Each investor company has committed to support the Accelerator in the amount of $100,000 for the first year. [node:read-more:link]
In recent months we’ve posted a number of times on the “U.S. Model” of domestic energy and economic growth – coupled with greenhouse gas reductions. Let that sink in: The United States is simultaneously the world’s No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas and the world leader in reducing emissions. Energy growth and climate progress together. That’s the U.S. Model. It’s important to grasp the impacts of the U.S. model – and also how it came about. [node:read-more:link]
Some are calling recent clean-energy actions by New York, Massachusetts and Iowa “game-changers.” That might very well prove true in the medium-term. But we can say with confidence that they are immediate game-advancers. Why? Energy markets are affected by policy, but they are driven by price. The underlying business reality is that the real cost of wind power has dropped below that of new fossil-fuel generation. [node:read-more:link]
