Governor Terry McAuliffe announced two new projects. One doubles the amount of funding for the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development. Some of the money will be used for a new office and four new staffers. The second is a new program called the Virginia Farmers Development Fund. The fund will give out grants to help farmers grow their businesses domestically and abroad. His initial plan is to put a couple hundred thousand dollars into that grant. [node:read-more:link]

A poll from Morning Consult found that many Americans are in favor of barring immigration from certain parts of the world - even from countries bordering the US. [node:read-more:link]

For Zach Lester, co-owner of Tree and Leaf Farm in Va., farmers markets have traditionally been a gathering of the tribe as much as a collection of freshly harvested fruits and vegetables. They’ve been a place where true believers could make their weekly investment in the future of local and sustainable agriculture.  But in recent years, Lester has noticed a shift in the markets, where he once could expect to generate $200,000 or more a year in gross sales. “The customers have changed,” says Lester, who runs Tree and Leaf with his wife, Georgia O’Neal. [node:read-more:link]

An Idaho law that discourages undercover investigations at large-scale livestock farms is headed for a showdown in federal court, in a case that could have implications across the West.  Last summer, a district court struck down Idaho's so-called "ag-gag" law. [node:read-more:link]

In advance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) seventh annual Pollinator Week Festival, the USDA is announcing two initiatives in support of the President's National Strategy to Promote the health of Honeybees and Other Pollinators, announced just over one year ago. [node:read-more:link]

A federal court had denied a motion by Hanor Co. of Wisconsin to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Humane Society of the United States over ammonia emissions.  HSUS and Sound Rivers Inc. contend in the complaint that Hanor had refused to report its ammonia emissions, harming animals, the public and the environment. [node:read-more:link]

Minnesota will appeal a federal appellate court’s decision last week that Minnesota’s 2007 clean energy law illegally regulates out-of-state utilities.  Gov. Mark Dayton announced the appeal of a decision by a three-judge panel of the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The state is asking for a “rehearing.” Usually, that would entail an “en banc” review by the entire Eighth Circuit bench, which has more than 12 judges. Such court petitions aren’t easy to get accepted. [node:read-more:link]

Whether it’s building a relationship with a local banker or networking with housing practitioners in another county, personal and professional links may be the single most important element for rural community-based organizations working to change results in small towns. [node:read-more:link]

Gov. Paul LePage continues to challenge the federal government over how to administer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. In a letter sent late last week to Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the governor threatened that if the USDA won’t allow Maine to ban the purchase of certain foods – sugar-sweetened drinks and candy – he will end the state’s administration of the program. “It’s time for the federal government to wake up and smell the energy drinks,” LePage wrote. [node:read-more:link]

East of Athens, in Marathon County, Joseph Zaiger's herd of about 40 cows produces a type of milk that could shake up the dairy industry.  It's like conventional milk but doesn't have a beta-casein protein that some studies have said makes milk less digestible, almost intolerable, for a large number of people. [node:read-more:link]