Soybean acres to exceed corn for the first time in 35 years

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Sam’s Club Chicken Recalled After Plastic Pieces Found in Meat

If you're a frequent Sam's Club shopper, you might want to check your pantry in light of a massive recall just announced by the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service . Nearly 100,000 pounds of canned chicken breast have been contaminated with large pieces of plastic, and the company who makes the product for Sam's Club is issuing a warning after customers found the nasty surprise in their meals.

Secretary of Agriculture Perdue Issues USDA Statement on Plant Breeding Innovation

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today issued a statement providing clarification on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's oversight of plants produced through innovative new breeding techniques which include techniques called genome editing. Under its biotechnology regulations, USDA does not regulate or have any plans to regulate plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques as long as they are not plant pests or developed using plant pests.

Congress pours money into fight against Louisiana’s wetland pest

The fight against an insect invasion that's killing coastal wetlands is receiving long sought-after help from the federal government. Congress plans to contribute $500,000 to help control or eradicate the tiny Asian insect, known as a scale, that's been destroying roseau cane, a sturdy, erosion-resistant reed that holds much of the lower Mississippi River Delta together.

Jeff Sessions Gets Time Magazine Cover Story, But No One Can Get Past That Photo

FEBRUARY 02: U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, a committee member, waits for the beginning of a meeting of Senate Environment and Public Works Committee February 2, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Committee chairman Sen. John Barrasso suspended the rules and passed the confirm of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to become the next administrator of Environmental Protection Agency with only Republican votes, after Democratic members have boycotted the meeting for a second day.

Hemp gains powerful ally to free it from marijuana ties

In this Aug. 13, 2015, file photo, hemp plants tower above researchers who tend to them at a research farm in Lexington, Ky. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday, March 26, 2018, he wants to bring hemp production back into the mainstream by removing it from the controlled substances list that now associates it with marijuana, its illicit cousin.

iphone fingerprint scanner

As security and encryption for mobile devices grow more sophisticated, the same techniques that keep users' data secure also make it nearly impossible for law enforcement to examine the contents of a phone without the user's permission. Even if the phone's manufacturer agrees to help officials unlock the phone, unencrypted data may not be available.

A chronological look at the evolution of data mining in Canadian politics

Canadians have long been the targets of data harvesting, from credit cards keeping tabs on users' shopping habits to the personal information on warranty cards being used by companies to advertise replacement goods. In recent years, the availability of big data and breakthroughs in computing technology have allowed advertisers and political actors to crunch huge amounts of data and, through social media, micro-target narrow demographics in their bid to either boost sales or expand their political power.

Experts call for transparency, oversight around how political parties mine data

For years, Megan Boler's research focused on the power of social media as a democratizing force, giving voice to the voiceless and empowering everyday people to come together and participate more meaningfully in how they are governed. But the University of Toronto social justice professor said that even in the heady days of the Arab Spring and Obama's social media-aided ascendency to the White House, there were slivers of concern about how the technology might be abused.

Deutz wins trip to Washington, D.C. for ag visit

Marshall farmer Allen Deutz took a pivot in his farming operation when he switched from dairy to beef cattle and went back to college for economics at South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D. As a student, he earned a trip to Washington, D.C. Feb. 22-23. "I also work at SDSU part-time as a graduate research assistant for Dr. Deepthi Kolady.

California farmers, winemakers kick dirt over Chinese tariffs

California's vintners and growers fumed Friday at the growing prospect that wine, nuts, fruit and other Golden State exports would become collateral damage in a trade battle between President Trump and China. The $47-billion industry, which largely backed Trump, has been buffeted repeatedly as the Trump administration has halted or reopened trade talks and proposed punitive tariffs aimed at protecting American jobs.

Illustration on Federal contracting by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

President Obama has been out of office for 14 months now, but his ability - and that of his allies still in government - to steer gargantuan federal contracts to his friends seems not to have diminished. Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced it was looking to purchase cloud computing services for its 3.4 million users and their 4 million devices.

Partnerships key to success at NGFA

The past few months have made tremendous demands on members, officers and staff of the National Grain and Feed Association, who have taken leading roles in establishing partnerships, some unconventional, to address pressing tax, trade and other issues facing the grain trade, growers and the food industry as a whole, said John Heck, outgoing NGFA chairman and senior vice-president, The Scoular Co., Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. The NGFA proved up to the task by demonstrating "strength and success through collaboration," Heck asserted in his address to members of the NGFA at their annual meeting in Scottsdale on March 20. The most pressing immediate challenge was forwarding "a stakeholder-led" solution to resolve the Section 199A tax issue.