While farmers might be experiencing some heartburn over the future of the federal Renewable Fuels Standard, Nebraska’s corn and ethanol leaders say they’re optimistic President Donald Trump and Congress will support ethanol, an important pillar of the state’s agricultural industry.
Category: Agriculture
Northey Highlights Avian Influenza Preparations Following Confirmation of the Disease in the U.S.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey has highlighted the continued biosecurity efforts by Iowa turkey, egg and broiler farmers and the preparations undertaken on the state and federal level following the confirmation of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Tennessee and low pathogenicity avian influenza in Tennessee and Wisconsin in the past week. Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus strains are extremely infectious, often fatal to domestic poultry, and can spread rapidly from flock-to-flock.
USDA clears Pitt research labs after animal complaint
The care and treatment of animals in research laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh is in full compliance with the Animal Welfare Act and U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations, the university said this week. Pitt issued a news release Thursday on the results of an unannounced USDA inspection from Feb. 28 through March 3 that was in response to a 17-page complaint from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Strawberries and these other foods have the most pesticides
Strawberries and these other foods have the most pesticides Eating pesticide-free may mean a diet with fewer strawberries, or at least eating their organic versions. Check out this story on thestarpress.com: http://usat.ly/2maTrdR Strawberries topped the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list of produce with the most pesticides.
The 2017 Dirty Dozen: Strawberries, Spinach Top EWG’s List of Pesticides in Produce
Strawberries remain at the top of the Dirty Dozena list of the EWG Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Producea , with spinach jumping to second place in the annual ranking of conventionally grown produce with the most pesticide residues. EWG’s analysis of tests by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that nearly 70 percent of samples of 48 types of conventional produce were contaminated with residues of one or more pesticides.
USDA’s Outlook Forum Examines How Deere and Rabobank are Planning for the Future
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 93rd Annual Agricultural Outlook Forum featured speakers from John Deere and Rabobank who presented perspectives on how their companies will meet the challenges and opportunities of the agricultural economy in 2017 and beyond.
Grants available to help promote speciality crops
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is reminding Iowans that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is accepting applications for grant funding through the Specialty Crop Block Grant program. The grants are available to support projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops grown in Iowa.
Bird flu found at Tyson Foods chicken supplier
Tens of thousands of chickens have been destroyed at a Tennessee chicken farm due to a bird flu outbreak and 30 other farms within a six-mile radius have been quarantined. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said 73,500 chickens were destroyed at the facility and will not enter the food system.
Bird flu found at commercial chicken farm in Tennessee, USDA says
A strain of bird flu has been found in a commercial chicken farm in Tennessee, the US Department of Agriculture and state government agencies said Sunday. The H7 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, was found in a flock of 73,500 chickens in Lincoln County, in the central part of the state on the border with Alabama, the USDA said.
U.S. confirms avian influenza in Tennessee chicken flock
FILE PHOTO: The Avian influenza virus is harvested from a chicken egg as part of a diagnostic process in this undated U.S. Department of Agriculture handout image. Erica Spackman/USDA/Handout/File Photo via FILE PHOTO: A Centers for Disease Control scientist measures the amount of H7N9 avian flu virus which was grown and harvested in an unnamed CDC laboratory in 2013.
IKEA’s DIY grow room, US DoD launches Code.mil, and more open source news
Joshua Allen Holm is a Grand Rapids, Michigan, based writer and technology consultant. As one of Opensource.com’s community moderators, he writes articles about open access, open education, and open source software.
40,000 Pounds of veal recalled due to possible E.coli contamination
Ohio Farms Packing Co. Ltd. has issued a recall of more than 40,000 pounds of veal products, the US Department of Agriculture announced Thursday.
Ohio company recalls more than 40,000 pounds of veal
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday that Ohio Farms Packing Co. is recalling several thousand boxes of boneless veal products for possible E. coli contamination.
6 weeks later, senators question delay on agriculture pick
In this Feb. 1, 2017, file photo, Agriculture Secretary-designate, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue attends a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump tapped Perdue to be his agriculture secretary six weeks ago, but the administration still hasn’t formally provided the Senate with the paperwork for the nomination.
Editorial: Immigrants needed
Chances are you didn’t suffer terribly from the recent Day Without Immigrants, a nationwide strike meant to demonstrate the economic impact of foreign-born workers. Energized by President Donald Trump’s promise to deport millions who live here without permission, immigrants took the day off to march and rally.
Six weeks later, senators question delay on Agriculture pick
In this Feb. 1, 2017, file photo, Agriculture Secretary-designate, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue attends a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump tapped Perdue to be his agriculture secretary six weeks ago, but the administration still hasn’t formally provided the Senate with the paperwork for the nomination.
Fully cooked breaded chicken bites shipped to Food Lion stores being recalled
Wayne Farms, LLC of Alabama is recalling approximately 12,610 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products that may be contaminated with bacterial pathogens due to a potential processing defect, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service . The USDA said cases of 2 clear plastic 5-pound bags of “Waffle Breaded Bites: Fully Cooked Breaded White Meat Chicken Bites” that were packaged on Dec. 1, 13 and 30, 2016 are being recalled.
Thursday, March 2, 2017: Marijuana oversight, Trump’s immigration…
The Feb. 22 Washington Post article that appeared in the BDN online about the discovery of seven Earth-like planets circling Trappist-1 made me think that we’re looking for life in all the wrong places. Indeed, the discovery of planetary systems is wonderful news, yet the one God and creator – Jesus Christ – stooped to our planet to seek us.
Illinois grain prices in country elevators
This is Wednesday’s report of the grain prices and trends prepared by the USDA and the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
Could Pres Trump’s Deportations Drive Up Ag Wages?
COULD PRES TRUMP’S DEPORTATIONS DRIVE UP AG WAGES? Feb. 28, 2017 Bloomberg reports: Across America’s orchards and crop fields, a shrinking supply of migrants has already driven pay up faster than in the broader workforce. President Donald Trump’s immigration policy may turbocharge that trend.
Business news in brief
The glut of corn that’s been driving down prices is finally starting to ease, and hedge funds are betting that will help spark a rally for the commodity. U.S. corn inventories are expected to drop before the 2018 harvest as farmers curb plantings and demand stays robust, the Department of Agriculture said Friday.
Chinese Soybean Demand To Go Up
China already buys about two-thirds of the soybeans traded on the planet. Over the next decade, the USDA expects global soybean trade to increase by 25 percent, of that about 85 percent will be because of Chinese purchases.
Will the ConAgra 100% natural case end up in the Supreme Court?
POM v Coke got there, but will another high-profile food litigation case – this time over GMOs and 100% natural labels on cooking oil – also end up in the Supreme Court? ConAgra Brands certainly hopes so, and has just asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to stay its recent mandate in the case so it can file a petition to the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari . The case in question* consolidates lawsuits in multiple states alleging ConAgra falsely advertised Wesson-branded cooking oils as ‘100% natural’ when they were made from GM crops, and has not gone well for ConAgra, with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently agreeing with a decision by a lower court to certify the consumer class in the case.
Many sources gather data, produce reports and have differing views on …
Drought is a deficiency in precipitation over an extended period, usually a season or more, resulting in a water shortage causing adverse impacts on vegetation, animals, and/or people. It is a normal, recurrent feature of climate that occurs in virtually all climate zones, from very wet to very dry.
Farming & Ranching for the Bottom Line
After focusing successfully on crop production for the past two years, the 2017 edition of “Farming and Ranching for the Bottom Line” will put more attention on beef cattle topics. The unique event, scheduled for February 28 at Bismarck State College, is a joint effort of the Area 4 Soil Conservation Districts, USDA’s ARS and NRCS, NDSU’s Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station, and BSC.
Fundraiser starts for urban farm resource center in Detroit
State economic development officials and a nonprofit urban farming group have launched a crowdfunded campaign to turn a vacant Detroit building into a community resource center. The campaign to raise $50,000 was launched Tuesday by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and Michigan Urban Farming Initiative.
John Stossel: Remember, ‘Repeal Obamacare!’? Now it’s, ‘No, Wait!’
Most Americans opposed Obamacare ever since the Democrats imposed it. But now that Congress actually might kill it, more say, “Wait, I like Obamacare!” People fight even to keep subsidies and guarantees that are obviously destructive.
Schumer: Feds backtracking on puppy mills online reports
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer says the federal Department of Agriculture under President Donald Trump has backtracked on animal welfare by deleting an online database of inspection reports on animal facilities such as dog breeding centers. The New York Democrat says Friday that the database helped expose puppy mills and other inhumane facilities.
The trade war comes to the prairie
Doyle Lentz has grown barley, wheat, soybeans and canola for decades on his land in North Dakota, a farm that has been in the family for generations. Just outside of Rolla, North Dakota, a town of about 1,300 people west of the Red River Valley, his rolling, fertile land might seem a world away from coastal ports, international business deals and the very idea of “globalism.”
New executive director looks to ‘Flood’ fair with new memories
Cheryl Flood had to be the first one – the first one – to ride the new LED Giant Slide at the Florida State Fair. It’s her favorite.
The Common Market earns Safe Quality Food Certification
Most school food service directors would love to fulfill their patrons’ desire for fresh, local food. But they also must adhere to high food safety standards which few small local farmers have the resources to meet.
James Cameron: a Wea re the biggest freakina idiot civilization in historya
The “Avatar” director told The Daily Beast his fear that Mr. Trump will undo all of former President Obama’s progress on climate change, and the effects could be catastrophic. “A lot of my work that’s not specifically on the Avatar films – my activism – is around climate, and sustainability, and sustainable land use, and sustainable agriculture, but climate is number one,” Mr. Cameron, 62, said.
UK fledgling drone sector expands into new markets
Amazon made headlines just before Christmas with its first UK commercial drone delivery: a 13-minute flight to drop off a television-streaming stick and a bag of popcorn to a customer near Cambridge. When Adam Bailey set up XYZ Kingfisher, a building and land surveying business, three years ago there were about 150 active companies offering drone services.
Hemp and Pot Restrictions Not Dying Fast Enough
I finally escaped Washington, D.C., last month, arriving by car with my girlfriend as new residents of Seattle early this month. I’ve welcomed most of the changes I’ve seen here-apart from the Lenin Statue near our apartment.
A gourmet Texas inn reboots the cowboy way
For generations, city slickers have lived out their Old West fantasies on Texas dude ranches. But the newly updated Inn at Dos Brisas, halfway between Houston and Austin, offers much more than dusty cattle drives and campfire cookouts.
Agawam mayor complains city wasn’t notified of USDA bird poisoning
A Massachusetts mayor says the U.S. Department of Agriculture waited too long to tell Agawam officials about a pesticide application that reportedly caused dead birds to fall from the sky. Mayor Richard Cohen asked for better communication from the USDA in a Jan. 12 letter to U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Richard Neal.
Trump admin orders EPA contract freeze and media blackout
WASHINGTON >> The Trump administration has instituted what it described as a temporary media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants. Emails sent to EPA staff since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday and reviewed by The Associated Press detailed specific prohibitions banning press releases, blog updates or posts to the agency’s social media accounts.
British meat sector ‘looks forward’ to dealing with President Trump …
The British red meat sector has said it ‘looks forward’ to dealing with new US President Donald Trump after his inauguration. With Mr Trump having been inaugurated yesterday , the British red meat industry is looking forward to ‘continued good progress’ towards opening up the American market to lamb and beef products; a market which could be worth A 20 million a year for Welsh red meat alone.
Florida, get ready for less perfect weather as 2016 marks record heat
Florida has never sent one of its own to the White House, but Donald Trump may be the closest the country has come to making a Floridian president. The Sunshine State could act as key proving ground for the new president’s policies on everything from immigration to healthcare reform to the economy.
How fake news might affect your favorite foods
The “certified organic” seal is synonymous with healthy living and clean eating. But what exactly does it mean? And who decides what is or is not certified organic? In the United States, food is certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture.