AgClips
Recent AgClips
California Assembly bill to expand broadband in rural areas moves forward
The Reporter | Posted onMay 1, 2017 in Rural NewsA $330 million package will expand broadband access and digital literacy to communities deprived of a reliable internet connection, thanks to Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Solano. Assembly Bill 1665, joint-authored by several bipartisan Assemblymembers, including Aguiar-Curry, Eduardo Garcia, D – Coachella and Brian Dahle, R – Bieber, passed out of the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee with a 12-0 vote.“People don’t start businesses in areas where they can’t even send an email,” Aguiar-Curry said.
FARM FILE: Sonny’s big adventure
Ft Wayne News Sentinel | Posted onMay 1, 2017 in Agriculture NewsThose Wisconsin dairy cows at the center of another trade kettle now boiling between the United States and Canada, a friend suggests, aren’t really black-and-white Holsteins.They’re tiny, yellow canaries, he opines, and their tweets—not President Donald J. Trump’s—are a warning that America’s reign as the world’s ag export superpower is fading and U.S. farmers and ranchers are ill-prepared for what comes next.
Spending Plan Includes Reassurance for Legal Pot
Roll Call | Posted onMay 1, 2017 in Federal Newsusinesses selling marijuana in states where it is legal just got some reassurance from Congress that they don’t have to worry about a federal crackdown anytime soon. The spending bill that will keep the government open until September includes the extension of a policy that prohibits the Department of Justice from using federal money to interfere with states’ medical marijuana laws.
Florida Legislature cuts all funds for Florida Forever land conservation program
Treasure Coast Palm | Posted onMay 1, 2017 in Rural NewsLawmakers Friday tentatively agreed to defund the state's main land conservation program to free up money for a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee to curb discharges, and other legislative priorities. On the chopping block is Florida Forever, which acquires land for trails, natural spaces and conservation areas. That's not final until the Legislature passes a state budget by the May 5 end of session, and things still could change, state Sen. Rob Bradley said.
Farms caught in Canadian trade dispute find buyers for their milk
US News and World Report | Posted onMay 1, 2017 in Federal NewsJust days before they might have had to close, most of the Wisconsin dairy farms caught up in a trade dispute with Canada have found buyers for their milk, enabling them to stay in business. At risk had been some 58 farms ranging in size from 80 to 3,000 cows. There’s also a “Plan B” in the works, said Gefvert, of Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. No details have been released, and the plan is only tentative.
Which production attributes are most important to consumers?
Beef | Posted onApril 28, 2017 in Food NewsA press release from UI detailed the study’s findings, which ranked the top seven specific on-farm practices in consumers’ purchasing decisions, including: 1. Animals were not administered growth hormones.
2. Genetically modified organisms were not used in the production of this product (non-GMO). 3. Animals were humanely raised.4. Animals were not administered antibiotics.5. Animals were raised in a free-range (or cage-free) environment.6. Animals were grass-fed (or raised on a vegetarian diet).
First cloned cat ‘like any other’ 15 years later
The Eagle | Posted onApril 28, 2017 in Agriculture NewsAt the end of a long gravel road in East College Station, the world's first cloned cat -- now 15 years old -- lives in what longtime Texas A&M Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science researcher Duane Kraemer describes affectionately as a "kitty barn." CC, also known as Copy Cat, was born in December 2001, the result of the 87th attempt at cloning a cat by Kraemer's lab at Texas A&M after several years of trying.Kraemer, who recently retired from the university, said the success was simply the product of his team's work in pushing the boundaries of what is possible to accomplish.
Ohio Farm Bureau applauds CAUV reforms proposed in House budget
Circleville Herald | Posted onApril 28, 2017 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsMuch needed reform of Ohio’s CAUV formula has been included in the Ohio House’s biennial budget proposal, which is good news for Ohio’s family farmers, according to the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. The budget proposal would address nonfarm influences from the formula that tend to artificially raise CAUV values. It would also ensure that farmers are not penalized for adopting conservation practices that protect water quality.
Cornell Researchers Set to Use GMO Moths to Control Pests
Courthouse News | Posted onApril 28, 2017 in Agriculture NewsResearchers at Cornell University hope to tackle a small pest and a big problem that has plagued agriculture since the 1800s: controlling the destructive diamondback moth through genetic engineering. The diamondback moth is a small creature, about the length of two grains of rice, but they are capable of inflicting billions of dollars of damage on cabbage and broccoli crops every year. In fact, the moth is Enemy No. 1 when it comes to the cabbage and broccoli family.
Florida teacher accused of calling ag students ‘murderers’
Capital Press | Posted onApril 28, 2017 in Agriculture NewsA Florida teacher stands to lose his job after school officials said he bullied and harassed Future Farmers of America students who are raising livestock to be sold for slaughter. Middle school teacher Thomas Roger Allison Jr., 53, has been placed on unpaid leave from Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks near Ocala for calling the students who are raising livestock “murderers,” according to a Marion County school district letter documenting the case. Allison is also accused of harassing the group’s teacher adviser and encouraging his honors science students to harass FAA members.