Agriculture closes offices in Conn., other states after threats

The Agriculture Department said Tuesday it had closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats that it considered serious. USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick said in a statement that the department had received "several anonymous messages" late Monday that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities.

Is Earth getting a long distance call?

Donald Trump is the Republican nominee, which is frightening.We must make sure his hateful rhetoric does not even come close... Donald Trump has gone too far with his attacks on Gold Star parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son Army Capt. Humayun Khan... A Donald Trump White House would be a disaster, and this goes way beyond any ideological difference.

China, US Face Off In New Space Race: Mars 2020

China and the U.S. recently announced plans to send rovers to Mars in 2020, signaling the start of a new space race. China's plans to land a solar-powered rover on Mars in July or August of 2020 while NASA intends to launch its own $2.1 billion dollar nuclear isotope powered Mars 2020 rover the same month.

Donald Trump seeks support in Iowa warning ‘war on the American farmer,’ by rival Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump warned Saturday of a "war on the American farmer," telling a crowd in Iowa that rival Hillary Clinton "wants to shut down family farms" and implement anti-agriculture policies. Trump's speech at the annual "Roast and Ride" fundraiser for Republican Sen. Joni Ernst came just hours after Clinton received her first national security briefing as the Democratic presidential nominee.

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."