Category: Agriculture

Nat’l Pork Producers Council: Another “Midnight” Regulation Dumped On Farmers

NAT’L PORK PRODUCERS COUNCIL: ANOTHER “MIDNIGHT” REGULATION DUMPED ON FARMERS Jan. 19, 2017 Source: Nat’l Pork Producers Council news release In another poke in the eye to agriculture, the Obama administration tomorrow will issue a regulation that adds animal welfare standards to the nation’s organic food production law. The National Pork Producers Council will work with the Trump administration and Congress to repeal yet another “midnight” regulation.

‘The Trump effect’ on Canadian food prices: Sad

PENNY PINCHING Canadians can expect to pay up to five per cent more on food in 2017 due to a number of factors: weather, a weak loonie, rising energy costs and a certain controversy-courting president south of the border. Canadians’ food costs are expected to go up by as much as five per cent in 2017, and consumers have incoming U.S. President Donald Trump at least in part to thank for the price hike, according to a recent report.

Trump taps former Georgia governor for agriculture secretary

After weeks of speculation , former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue was selected to serve as President-elect Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary, according to an official knowledgeable of the nomination but not authorized to speak publicly. Some agriculture leaders see Perdue, who grew up on a farm and earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine, as a strong supporter of farmers and ranchers who understands the issues facing rural America.

USDA calls for comment on organic check-off proposal as demand for organic outstrips supply

The US Department of Agriculture’s call today for public comment on the Organic Trade Association’s application to create an organic check-off program comes at a time when sales of organic products in the US are soaring but hampered by limited domestic supply. “The popularity of organic products has never been higher,” according to the trade association which estimates organic product sales reached $43.3 billion in 2015, “up a robust 11% from the previous year’s record level and far outstripping the overall food market’s growth rate of 3%.”

EPA rejects $1.2B in mine-spill claims

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that it will not repay claims totaling more than $1.2 billion for economic damages from a mine waste spill the agency accidentally triggered in Colorado, saying the law prohibits it. Attorneys for the EPA and the Justice Department concluded that the EPA is barred from paying the claims because of sovereign immunity, which prohibits most lawsuits against the government.

Vilsack leaving USDA early, no Trump replacement named

Secretary Tom Vilsack left the Agriculture Department a week before his tenure ends and before President-elect Donald Trump has chosen his replacement. Vilsack, who has led USDA for eight years and was President Barack Obama’s longest-serving Cabinet secretary, told employees in an email that Friday is his final day.

USDA analysis says ethanol sharply cuts greenhouse gas emissions

Jan 12 The U.S. government on Thursday said that ethanol is better for the environment than previously expected in a report boosting the country’s biggest biofuel a week ahead of a new administration that has some in the industry concerned. The report, the first of its kind from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to examine the actual impact of ethanol, said the biofuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent relative to gasoline.

The US government is letting farmers charge more money for food that’s ‘transitioning to organic’

The US Department of Agriculture on Wednesday took a step toward increasing the production of organic foods – which has not kept pace with demand – by launching a program to certify farmland that growers are in the process of switching to organic. Obtaining certification under the program will allow farmers to sell products raised in accordance with organic guidelines for higher prices than conventionally-grown goods, according to the Organic Trade Association, an industry group.

Duck waterslide, chicken hatchery at Pa. Farm Show

The first show that begins the second century of Pennsylvania Farm Shows is welcoming back the birds, after a year when fear of spreading the deadly avian influenza kept all forms of poultry away from the exhibition. “The birds are back,” shouted Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture spokesman Will Nichols.

Duck waterslide, chicken hatchery at Pa. Farm Show

The first show that begins the second century of Pennsylvania Farm Shows is welcoming back the birds, after a year when fear of spreading the deadly avian influenza kept all forms of poultry away from the exhibition. “The birds are back,” shouted Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture spokesman Will Nichols.

Duck waterslide, chicken hatchery at Pa. Farm Show

The first show that begins the second century of Pennsylvania Farm Shows is welcoming back the birds, after a year when fear of spreading the deadly avian influenza kept all forms of poultry away from the exhibition. “The birds are back,” shouted Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture spokesman Will Nichols.

‘Pressing concern’ to manage water in Middle East troublespot

There is a “pressing concern” to manage Euphrates River water, a key resource for a “politically volatile” area of the Middle East, US officials said, in a face of another sub-par rice crop in Iraq. Iraq, which until the mid-1970s relied on home-grown rice to cover most domestic demand, has seen buy-ins soar, becoming one of the top 10 biggest importers.

Here comes the sun power? Not for a while

DIXON – It could be another 2 or 3 years before a solar farm comes to the Dixon Municipal Airport. The City Council reviewed the findings of an airport feasibility study in October that gave recommendations on how to make the facility a more sustainable operation, including generating more revenue by leasing a portion of land to a company to develop a solar farm.

USDA: Emerging Markets Account For Most Of The Growth In Agricultural Exports

USDA: EMERGING MARKETS ACCOUNT FOR MOST OF THE GROWTH IN AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS Jan. 3, 2017 Source: USDA news release Growth in demand for food, and by extension for agricultural imports, is particularly sensitive to growth in per capita incomes in developing countries, where relatively large shares of rising incomes are typically spent on increasing both the amount and diversity of foods consumed. In contrast, consumers in more developed countries, where per capita incomes and food intake are already relatively high, are less likely to spend as much of new income on increasing the amount of food they eat.

Cattlemen Hopeful Trump Administration Will Have Fewer Regulations

CATTLEMEN HOPEFUL TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL HAVE FEWER REGULATIONS Jan. 3, 2017 Drover’s reports: As 2016 comes to a close the Obama administration is finalizing what policy it can before president-elect Donald Trump makes his way into the White House. A common theme for the new administration that might be a boon to agriculture is deregulation.

Ted McKinney Re-Appointed As Sec’y Of Indiana Ag, Comments On 2017 Goals

APPOINTED AS SEC’Y OF INDIANA AG, COMMENTS ON 2017 GOALS Jan. 3, 2017 Hoosier Ag Today reports: In the Governor Eric Holcomb administration which takes office next month, Ted McKinney will continue as Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. McKinney knows the incoming governor well, and continuity from the Pence years will be helpful for the ag department.

U.S. scrambles to clear egg exports to bird flu-hit Korea

U.S. officials are urgently seeking an agreement with South Korea that would allow imports of American eggs so farmers can cash in on a shortage caused by the Asian country’s worst-ever outbreak of bird flu. The two sides are negotiating over terms of potential shipments after South Korea lifted a ban on imports of U.S. table eggs that it imposed when the United States grappled with its own bout of bird flu last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Northey reviews Iowa top 2016 agriculture issues

“Iowa farmers saw record production for both corn and soybeans again in 2016, however low prices are making profitability a real challenge on both the crop and livestock side. Despite the economic challenges, farmers are by nature optimistic and we continue to see investments in the future and new and innovative technologies that will allow them to be even more productive while also reducing environmental impact,” Northey said.

Weather Will Not Allow Wheat Price To Decrease

This December is characterized by almost complete lack of snow cover in the agricultural fields of the States of Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado – the key winter wheat states in the country: Snow cover protects wheat when the temperature dips below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, this temperature is forecasted in the United States for the next two weeks.

UPDATE 1-U.S. scrambles to clear egg exports to bird flu-hit Korea

U.S. officials are urgently seeking an agreement with South Korea that would allow imports of American eggs so farmers can cash in on a shortage caused by the Asian country’s worst-ever outbreak of bird flu. The two sides are negotiating over terms of potential shipments after South Korea lifted a ban on imports of U.S. table eggs that it imposed when the United States grappled with its own bout of bird flu last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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The W.K. Kellogg Foundation gave nearly two million dollars to the John Podesta-founded Center for American Progress and a closely affiliated organization called Washington Center for Equitable Growth that also lists John Podesta as a founder. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is the namesake nonprofit arm of the Kellogg Company, which weeks ago pulled advertising from Breitbart News, declaring in an official statement that Breitbart is not “aligned with our values as a company.”

Obama Food Stamp Boom: 10.7 Million Added to Rolls32% Jump

As President Obama prepares to leave office, his legacy will include an increase in the number of Americans using food stamps. The number of food stamps recipients went up by 10.7 million people, a 32 percent jump, since President Obama took office in 2009, according to data released by the Department of Agriculture .

First Nations Development Institute Receives $200,000 USDA-NRCS Grant for Ag and Food Training

First Nations Development Institute has received a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service grant of $200,000 for a broad effort to increase the capacity of Native American farmers, ranchers and tribal communities so they can advance their farming or ranching businesses, or so tribal communities can work more effectively to improve local control of community food systems. Under the grant, First Nations will conduct various in-person trainings and workshops, plus online webinars, for Native farmers, ranchers, tribal departments, nonprofit organizations, food entrepreneurs and others that will focus on business-management systems and techniques.

Zoetis Receives USDA License For CYTOPOINT

Zoetis Inc . today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has granted the company a license for CYTOPOINTa , the first monoclonal antibody therapy approved to help provide sustained control of the clinical signs associated with atopic dermatitis in dogs.

USDA Blog: ‘Minneapolis School Embraces Family-Style Dining’

“What if school lunchtime was more than just a wait in line and a race to find a seat and eat, but instead was more like a traditional family meal a time when friends gather to enjoy their food, engage in meaningful conversation, build relationships and gain important life skills?” That’s the question posed by the principal of a Minneapolis public elementary school in a blog posted Tuesday on the Agriculture Department website. The principal explains that her school decided to abandon the typical chaotic and impersonal lunchroom experience and create a family-style dining program.

Disaster Food Assistance Available to Sevier County Wildfire Victims

The Tennessee Department of Human Services in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services will begin accepting applications on Thursday, December 22 for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits available to eligible residents or those who work in Sevier County that have been impacted by the recent wildfires. D-SNAP provides temporary food assistance benefits loaded onto an EBT card.