AgClips
Recent AgClips
Canada expands beef, pork trade with China
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onDecember 12, 2017 in Agriculture NewsCanadian officials announced Thursday that they’ve secured expanded access to China’s market for beef and pork exports.The announcement followed completion Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's trade mission to China.The notable agricultural developments include:The launching of a pilot project for the export of Canadian chilled/fresh meat (beef and pork) to China.
Idaho wheat groups to move forward with proposed rule change
Capital Press | Posted onDecember 12, 2017 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsA rule change proposed during the 2018 Idaho Legislature would give the Idaho Wheat Commission the ability to collect the names and contact information of all wheat farmers in the state.After being delayed for two years, a proposed rule change that Idaho Wheat Commission officials say will benefit Idaho grain farmers will be re-introduced during the 2018 legislative session.IWC and Idaho Grain Producers Association board members last week agreed to move forward with the proposed rule change, which would require first purchasers of Idaho wheat, such as elevators, to submit the names and cont
Members of ranch family sentenced to probation, fines on gun charges
Capital Press | Posted onDecember 12, 2017 in Federal, Rural NewsRanchers Terry and Mary Hunt and their sons Russell and Derek were sentenced to five years probation and fined after pleading guilty to federal charges related to illegally buying and selling firearms.
Dairyman overcomes challenges
Capital Press | Posted onDecember 12, 2017 in Agriculture NewsMany Californians in agriculture today have a laundry list of challenges facing them. Dairyman Richard Hughes has several, too.“I think the biggest challenge facing the dairy industry today is the fact that there is an over-supply of milk, due to large dairies,” he said.The excess supply tends to drive down milk prices, stressing many dairies, he said.“However, I would advise anyone who is really interested in getting into the dairy industry today to ‘Follow your dream,’” he said.Water is another challenge, and Hughes has built an answer to his need for it.
New discovery, more bees mark Michigan's first, full bee census
Science Daily | Posted onDecember 12, 2017 in Agriculture, Rural NewsThe first complete bee census in Michigan has confirmed a new species and revealed that the actual number of bee species in Michigan exceeded earlier estimates.
The Produce Safety Network: Supporting Regulators and Growers Across the Country
FDA | Posted onDecember 12, 2017 in Agriculture, Federal NewsWhen the Produce Safety Rule became final in November 2015, the FDA began building the Produce Safety Network (PSN) to support the efforts of farmers, state regulators, and other key stakeholders to implement the rule, which is aimed at preventing foodborne illnesses associated with produce. The PSN is comprised of produce safety experts from the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and specialized investigators from the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA).
Poultry processor sees N.J. town as its new home
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onDecember 12, 2017 in Agriculture NewsA poultry company is planning to open a processing operation in Vineland, N.J., that is expected to create about 40 jobs next year, according to local media reports. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority last month approved plans to issue $2.2 million in tax credits over 10 years to Vineland Poultry under its Grow NJ program
Wisconsin moving forward with drug-testing food stamp recipients
Wisconsin State Journal | Posted onDecember 12, 2017 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsGov. Scott Walker’s administration has finalized a rule that would require able-bodied adult recipients of food stamps to be screened and possibly tested for drugs.The move is the latest step in the ongoing battle over whether such testing is legal under federal law.Walker has framed the issue as addressing the state’s worker shortage and as a continuation of the state’s landmark welfare reform efforts begun in the 1990s under Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson.“Employers have jobs available, but they need skilled workers who can pass a drug test,” Walker said in a statement.
Conflicted Interests: State lawmakers often blur the line between the public's business and their own
Public Integrity | Posted onDecember 12, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsInvestigation found many examples of legislators supporting bills that benefited their employers, their companies or even their own wallets. State lawmakers around the country have introduced and supported policies that directly and indirectly help their own businesses, their employers and sometimes their personal finances, according to an analysis of disclosure forms and legislative votes by the Center for Public Integrityand The Associated Press.The news organizations found numerous examples in which lawmakers’ votes had the effect of promoting their private interests.
Court orders Smithfield to do more groundwater evaluation
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted onDecember 12, 2017 in Agriculture NewsA U.S. District Court judge in North Carolina has directed Smithfield Foods to proceed with an evaluation of potential groundwater contamination from swine waste at eleven hog facilities in the state, according to court documents. Judge Malcolm Howard ruled in favor of plaintiffs Waterkeeper Alliance and Sound Rivers, which had asked the court to order Smithfield’s Murphy-Brown unit to allow a consultant to conduct further data collection under terms of a 2006 consent decree.