Senate Judiciary Committee To Hold Hearings On Ag Company Mergers

SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE TO HOLD HEARINGS ON AG COMPANY MERGERS Aug. 24, 2016 Des Moines Register reports: Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said Tuesday he will hold a hearing next month to discuss a wave of consolidation among seed and chemical producers, including the merger of Dow and DuPont. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said he is calling the hearing because some producers have expressed a "great deal of concern" about the mergers.

ChemChina Clinches U.S. Security Nod for Syngenta Purchase

China National Chemical Corp. received approval from U.S. national security officials for its takeover of Swiss agrochemical and seeds company Syngenta AG, seen as the biggest regulatory hurdle that the $43 billion acquisition faces. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. has cleared the transaction, the companies said in a statement Monday.

Garden Q&A: What organic means; what are the moth-looking insects in…

I was in the grocery store and started wondering, what am I really getting when I buy organic fruits and vegetables? What makes one onion organic, and another not? The United States Department of Agriculture answers your question this way: "Organic agriculture produces products using methods that preserve the environment and avoid most synthetic materials, such as pesticides and antibiotics," and "a are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives." The key words in that rather long definition are "according to federal guidelines."

Trump team talks trade, labor with U.S. farm groups

Advisers to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump pledged to U.S. agricultural groups that he will give growers and states a say on national farm policy should he be elected, two association leaders said on Friday. Eleven groups representing farmers, seed companies and other players in the sector met for the first time with Trump's top agricultural advisers in Washington on Monday to make recommendations on policy, following a similar meeting with representatives of rival Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in June.

We Need To Keep Ringing the Bell’: An Interview with Dolores Huerta

In 1965, Huerta helped organize the United Farm Workers' national grape boycott, which caused grape growers in California to sign a three-year collective bargaining agreement, raised the consciousness of the nation about deplorable working conditions for farm workers, and launched a movement to improve those conditions that continues to this day. Huerta, eighty-six, has been engaged in the struggle for justice for most of her life.

USDA aids Maine organic farmers, helps vets learn farming

Rep. Chellie Pingree says a pair of United States Department of Agriculture grants will help Maine's young farmers learn their craft. One is a grant of nearly $600,000 to Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport to expand the farm's organic dairy farmer training program.

Author explores impact of mothers on household finances

Children are not only expensive - they can turn the financial lives of many mothers, especially single moms, upside down, complicating financial planning or making it harder to keep up with the bills that go along with parenting. Washington, D.C.-based author Kimberly Palmer said she began wondering why men get magazines and books on investing and getting rich while women are targeted for lectures on pinching pennies at the grocery store and saving $10 on their next sweater purchase.

Allen Harim celebrates the grand re-opening of its Harbeson, Del. facility

Allen Harim, a leading producer and processor of chicken on Delmarva, hosted Delaware Governor Jack Markell, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, U.S. Rep. John Carney and a prestigious group of state and local dignitaries in a ribbon cutting ceremony to re-open its newly renovated Harbeson, Del. chicken processing facility.

Andrews council seeks $3.6 million in USDA funding for water and sewer improvements

Andrews Mayor Frank McClary, at left, takes notes while Councilwoman Marva Session and Councilman Eddie Lee listen to USDA representative Rusty Craven, at right, during the Aug. 8 meeting. Photo by Eileen Keithly/South Strand News The town of Andrews has applied for $3.6 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to make improvements to the town's sewer and water systems.