AgClips
Recent AgClips
Myth about hormone use in poultry still spreading
Watt Ag Net | Posted onOctober 27, 2016 in Food NewsNo matter how much those in the poultry industry want it to, the phrase “hormone-free chicken” just doesn’t seem like it will go away. But the problem is, the myth about hormone use in poultry production is at least partially being perpetuated by the companies that market poultry products. General Mills, the parent company of soup maker Progresso, is one of those companies guilty of that. In September, General Mills issued a press release stating that it is “now using only 100 percent antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken breasts in all of its 36 chicken soup varieities.”
USDA, Pa., reach agreement that will free up money for farmland preservation
Reading Eagle | Posted onOctober 27, 2016 in Agriculture NewsAn agreement between the federal Agricultural Conservation Easement Program and Pennsylvania's nation-leading farmland preservation program will give the state access to millions of federal dollars to preserve the best and most threatened farmland. Pennsylvania has been without a cooperative agreement with the U.S.
Farmworker lawsuit over unionizing could reshape NY agriculture
North Country Public Radio | Posted onOctober 27, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe battle lines are drawn over a lawsuit that could reshape agriculture in New York State. Civil rights advocates are suing to give farm workers the right to form unions and bargain collectively. The state’s largest farm lobby has signed on in opposition, after Governor Cuomo wouldn’t. The case centers on an incident at a dairy farm in Lewis County. New York’s constitution guarantees every worker the right to organize. But a state law, the Employment Relations Act, excludes agricultural workers.
State regulators cool to Kansas City utility’s electric vehicle plans
Midwest Energy News | Posted onOctober 27, 2016 in Energy NewsEfforts to expand electric vehicle infrastructure in the Kansas City are hitting a roadblock amid pushback from state regulators. Early in 2015, Kansas City Power & Light announced it would install about 1,100 electric-vehicle charging stations in the greater Kansas City area. At the time, it apparently was the largest such undertaking in the country. The utility indicated that it wanted to give a nudge to the electrification of vehicles – a potential boon for KCP&L and electric utilities in general. But KCP&L is backing away.
How a relic could drive future utility regulation in Mo.
E & E Publishing | Posted onOctober 27, 2016 in Energy NewsCould a nearly obsolete technology of the past — the humble pay phone — hold lessons for how utility regulators answer a key policy question about the future of utilities? The Missouri Public Service Commission's staff thinks so. The PSC is expected to vote today on an Ameren Missouri pilot project to build and operate six electric-vehicle charging stations between St. Louis and Jefferson City, Mo., in an effort to spark the EV market by helping eliminate so-called range anxiety.
Heroin's face: Indiana woman, unconscious from overdose, with baby nearby
USA Today | Posted onOctober 27, 2016 in Rural NewsPolice in Hope, Ind., found the woman unconscious from an overdose Saturday. She was sprawled behind the steering wheel of her car, head tilted back, sunglasses over blonde curls pulled into a ponytail. Needle still in hand. Her 10-month old son crying in the back seat. This child, the local town marshal said, is the face of the most helpless victims of Indiana's drug crisis.
HSUS loses farmers on advisory council.
Agri-Pulse | Posted onOctober 26, 2016 in Agriculture News
Bayer CEO defends planned acquisition of Monsanto
Wall Street Journal | Posted onOctober 26, 2016 in Agriculture NewsBayer AG Chief Executive Werner Baumann Wednesday defended the company’s planned $57 billion acquisition of U.S. agrochemical group Monsanto Co. amid concerns the deal could face an uphill battle with regulatory authorities over antitrust issues. “This step is entirely logical,” Mr. Baumann said of the merger with Monsanto. “The two companies are a perfect fit and complement each other ideally.” Mr. Baumann said the German pharmaceuticals and chemicals giant would submit its application to EU regulatory authorities in the first quarter of 2017 and to U.S.
Ohio farmer/state rep wants to get rid of ‘gotcha’ moments in food inspections
Sentinel Tribune | Posted onOctober 26, 2016 in Energy NewsOHio House Representative Brian Hill, R-Zanesville,is serving his second term and chairs the Agriculture and Rural Development committee. He is the last active farmer in the House. One focus of his is House Bill 551, along with the latest water quality laws. House Bill 551 is geared toward those who conduct inspections of retail food establishments and food service operations.It is very unusual because both the restaurant association and those inspectors (normally at odds with each other) both came to us,” Hill said.
Global Egg to purchase Cargill egg facility in Canada
Watt Ag Net | Posted onOctober 26, 2016 in Agriculture NewsGlobal Egg Corporation has agreed to purchase Cargill’s egg processing facility in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. Terms of the sale are not being disclosed. The majority of the facility’s 53 employees will be offered positions with Global Egg. Displaced employees will receive severance and other support from Cargill. Consummation of the transaction is anticipated to conclude this fall. Cargill has owned the facility since 2006.