NPPC Study Shows Loss Of Foreign Workers Would Hurt Agriculture

NPPC STUDY SHOWS LOSS OF FOREIGN WORKERS WOULD HURT AGRICULTURE Apr. 5, 2018 Source: National pork Producers Council news release Given a tight labor market, particularly in rural areas, the loss of foreign-born workers would lead to a drop in agricultural jobs, according to a study commissioned by the National Pork Producers Council. Economists with Iowa State University , using a study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, determined that a reduction in the foreign-born workforce - prompted by a change in immigration policy - would not be offset by native-born workers and permanent residents.

U.S. floats talks after China strikes back in trade fight

President Donald Trump's administration said on Wednesday talks with Beijing could resolve an escalating U.S.-China trade fight after China retaliated against U.S. proposals to slap tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods by targeting key American imports with similar duties. Just 11 hours after the Trump administration proposed 25 percent tariffs on some 1,300 Chinese industrial, technology, transport and medical products, China responded with a list of similar duties on key American imports including soybeans, planes, cars, beef and chemicals.

American Farm Groups Plead With Trump to Back Off China Trade Conflict

Farm groups pleaded with the Trump administration to back away from a trade conflict with China that will hit hard in states that are key components of the president's political base and where there are pivotal elections in November. Donald Trump 's plan to slap tariffs on 1,333 of the country's products -- from semiconductors to lithium batteries -- by announcing duties on on a variety of agriculture products including soybeans, the second-most-valuable U.S. crop.

China Announces 25% Tariff On U.S. Soybeans, Other Ag Products

BREAKING: CHINA ANNOUNCES 25% TARIFF ON U.S. SOYBEANS, OTHER AG PRODUCTS Apr. 4, 2018 Oklahoma Farm Radio Network reports: Most U.S. Ag products that are exported to China may soon have a twenty five percent levy added to their imported prices- as farmers and ranchers are now sitting right in the middle- fully exposed- between two economic heavyweights as they are charging full speed towards a very nasty trade war. On Tuesday- as part of the U.S. response to China's unfair trade practices related to the forced transfer of U.S. technology and intellectual property, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative published a proposed list of products imported from China that could be subject to additional tariffs- $50 Billion worth.

Dairy program features improvements

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency is encouraging dairy producers to consider enrolling in the new and improved Margin Protection Program for Dairy. In a statement released earlier this week, the FSA said the program will provide better protections for dairy producers from shifting milk and feed prices.

FBI finally cracks its oldest mystery from a 4,000-year-old severed mummy’s head

Case closed! FBI finally cracks its oldest mystery after successfully extracting DNA from a 4,000-year-old severed mummy's head that was originally discovered in 1915 The FBI successfully uncovered the identity of a 4,000-year-old mummy's head, after deliberating for years whether it belonged to an Egyptian governor or his wife. The mummy's severed head was found in 1915 by a team of American archaeologists working in the ancient Egyptian necropolis of Deir el-Bersha.

EPA chief’s job not assured after Trump’s praise – and ire

Esta foto del 3 de abril del 2018 muestra al admnistrador de la Agencia de ProtecciA3n Ambiental de Estados Unidos, Scott Pruitt, mientras hace declaraciones en Washington. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, center, winks at National Automobile Dealers Association president and CEO Peter Welch, right, as he takes the podium to speak at a news conference at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, Tuesday, April 3, 2018, on his decision to scrap Obama administration fuel standards.

EPA to roll back Obama-era fuel economy standards

Environmental regulators announced on Monday they will ease emissions standards for cars and trucks, saying that a timeline put in place by President Barack Obama was not appropriate and set standards "too high." Automakers applauded Monday's decision, arguing that the current requirements would have cost the industry billions of dollars and raised vehicle prices due to the cost of developing the necessary technology.

Urban gardens need to be given more consideration

With a greater frequency of extreme weather events occurring around the world, Secure Your Food program director Derek Melting Tallow says it is time for cities like Lethbridge to begin thinking about emergency management in a different way. "Extreme weather events are occurring at such a frequency and intensity that it is affecting food production worldwide," he says.

Perdue: On the road again, to visit Mastronardi in Michigan

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, , visits with Lef Farms President Henry Huntington at the greenhouse company in Loudon, N.H., in early September during a "Back to Our Roots" RV tour. Perdue and USDA staff are again traveling in an RV this week, with plans to visit Mastronardi Produce in Coldwater, Mich.

Companies Very Positive About USDA Deregulating Plant Development Technology

COMPANIES VERY POSITIVE ABOUT USDA DEREGULATING PLANT DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY Apr. 2, 2018 Wired.com reports: FOR YEARS NOW, the US Department of Agriculture has been flirting with the latest and greatest DNA manipulation technologies. Since 2016, it has given free passes to at least a dozen gene-edited crops, ruling that they fall outside its regulatory purview.

USDA recalls thousands of pounds of ‘high-risk’ beef

PFP Enterprises is recalling approximately 7,146 pounds of raw beef products that were produced and packaged without the benefit of federal inspection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Saturday. The frozen and fresh beef items were produced on March 23-24, 2018.

Swampy McSwampface: EPA Chief Ruining Environment Living in Polluter Lobbyist Condo

As key figures of the Trump administration face mounting concerns about conflicts of interest, a growing number of critics are calling for the resignation of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt after ABC News revealed that last year he rented a D.C. condo owned by the wife of a top energy lobbyist, in what some are describing as "a sweetheart deal." "This deal stinks like the swamp Scott Pruitt is mired in.

High School Switches To ‘Africentric Math’ To Attract Black Students [VIDEO]

A Canadian high school switched to "Africentric Math" to attract black students to go into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields, according to Canadian Broadcasting's Wednesday report. Nova Scotia's Auburn Drive High School math teachers are skipping their previous eurocentric approach to teaching mathematics so black students will gain more interest in the subject, the CBC reported .

Trump officials prepare to undo fuel-efficiency targets despite some automakers’ misgivings

Top Trump administration officials are engaged in a heated debate over how to undo federal fuel-efficiency targets for cars and light trucks, as manufacturers voice concern that a major rollback of an Obama-era rule could go too far and fracture the nation's auto market. The internal negotiations over relaxing carbon-emission limits for cars and SUVs slated to be sold in model years 2022-2025 underscore the challenge officials face in trying to fulfill President Trump's 2017 promise to ease the regulatory burden on Detroit.