The worst oil bust since the 1980s is putting Texas and other oil producing states on the hook for thousands of newly abandoned drilling sites at a time when they have little money to plug wells and seal off environmental hazards. As U.S. rig counts plunge to historic lows, and with at least 60 oil producers declaring bankruptcy since 2014, energy-producing states are confronting both holes in their budgets and potentially leaking ones in the ground. [node:read-more:link]

A bill that would require the labeling of all genetically modified foods in Canada has been introduced in that country’s Parliament.  Bill C-291, proposed by MP Pierre-Luc Dusseault, is not the first to be put forth for consideration. All previous attempts have fallen short. [node:read-more:link]

FDA director says the percentage of in-house environmental samples that are positive for SE has declined, but the rate of human illnesses attributed to eggs hasn’t improved. Out of 1,355 FDA inspections of U.S. registered egg farms, only 10 farms received warning letters from the agency.  Unfortunately, just as the reduced percentage of Salmonella-positive broiler carcasses after chilling hasn’t seemed to reduce human cases of Salmonellosis, neither has the reduction in SE contamination on layer farms. [node:read-more:link]

If you've ever wondered just how big of a role dairy farming plays in Wisconsin, consider this... last year, the dairy industry contributed more than 43 billion dollars to Wisconsin's economy. The majority of these farms providing us with all the milk, cheese, and butter that we crave are owned by individuals and families.  However, this year farmers have been feeling a bit of an economic squeeze. In April of this year, the price of milk dropped more than forty percent since September of the previous year, causing many farms to operate at a loss. [node:read-more:link]

No matter how much progress is made on the research level, it may be a while before farmers can get the industry running. There is legislation working its way through Congress to remove hemp from the definition of marijuana, thereby legalizing its industrialization. [node:read-more:link]

CEO of American Soybean Association says if Senate doesn’t act to stop Vermont’s GMO labeling law, years of technological advances would be lost.  According to Censky, 90 percent of all soybeans, corn, sugar beets and cotton have been produced with the use of biotechnology, which has been proven safe to the consumers. That is because they offer so many benefits.“Ag biotechnology has helped farmers to make both insect pest control and weed management safer, while safeguarding crops against disease. [node:read-more:link]

Roughly one year ago, Elanco Animal Health participated in the White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship and also released its 8 step plan for antibiotic stewardship.  On June 16, the company dedicated its new Vaccines Innovation Center, and at the dedication, Elanco’s president talked about the company’s past, present and future commitment to doing its part to battle antibiotic resistance. So far, the company is working diligently toward meeting the goals it set out to achieve. Simmons stated that the company is doing away with all growth promotion uses of shared-class antibiotics. [node:read-more:link]

Cage-free eggs are winning support because of concerns about animal welfare, but the former specialty product may be less environmentally sustainable than conventionally raised eggs. After his remarks at the Egg Industry Center's Issues Forum, Carlos Saviani, vice president of the World Wildflife Fund's food team, fielded questions from the audience.  “It’s going to require a lot more acres of soybean and corn (and) a bigger footprint for the actual farms themselves. I remember Dr. [node:read-more:link]

Combi, or combination, -style housing can offer the best of both worlds to producers uncertain about the long-term appeal of cage-free eggs. However, the systems run the risk of eventual rejection by North American welfare certifying bodies or consumers. As the U.S. egg industry weighs housing changes spurred by the rapid shift to cage freee production, Egg Industry is publishing a series of articles discussing the pros and cons of three types of cage-free housing systems: aviaries, floor systems and combination, or combi, systems. This article focuses on combi systems. [node:read-more:link]

It began on a whim: a challenge from a friend to branch out into politics and run for office. It blossomed into a decade-long career of fighting for local farmers, statewide education funding and mental health provisions for prisoners.  Now Tara A. Sad, of Cheshire House District 1, is readying her exit from New Hampshire politics. The Democratic representative from Walpole won’t run for re-election to the statehouse. For Sad, political enthusiasm has never been in short supply. [node:read-more:link]