AgClips
Recent AgClips
Now Your Pets Might Infect You With Superbugs
NBC news | Posted onAugust 18, 2016 in Agriculture NewsPets might be a source of drug-resistant superbugs, Chinese researchers reported. They found a pet shop worker infected with a much-feared antibiotic resistant strain of E. coli may have been infected by dogs at his store that carried the same strain. The 50-year-old man with a kidney inflammation had an infection with E.
New Study Shows Neonicotinoids Pose Little Practical Risk To Bees
Growing Produce | Posted onAugust 18, 2016 in Agriculture NewsWhile neonicotinoid pesticides can harm honeybees, a new study by Washington State University (WSU) researchers shows that the substances pose little risk to bees in real-world settings. The team of WSU entomologists studied apiaries in urban, rural and agricultural areas in Washington, looking at potential honeybee colony exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides from pollen foraging. The results were published in the Jpurnal of Economic Entomology.
New use of wireless holds promise for rural broadband
Daily Yonder | Posted onAugust 18, 2016 in Rural NewsFor all the talk about fiber being the future of broadband, an increasing number of rural communities are finding a prominent seat at the table for wireless technology as well. Now that Google has dropped both oars in the wireless waters, expect communities to follow suit. “For the entire broadband industry, Google has definitely made things interesting,” says Joel Mulder, vice president of sales at eX2 Technology, which designs and installs broadband networks. The potential of wireless is especially apparent for rural areas.
Cancelling Atrazine Would Cost Farmers $2.5 billion
Hoosier Ag Today | Posted onAugust 18, 2016 in Agriculture NewsThe Environmental Protection Agency released its draft report on ecological risks of Atrazine in June of this year as part of its re-registration process for the herbicide. If the assessment recommendations are allowed to stand, farmers would essentially lose access to atrazine, and that would cost farmers a lot of money. The National Corn Growers Association says the EPA report could cost the industry up to $2.5 billion in yield losses and increased production costs, all at a time when incomes are down sharply.
Weekly Ethanol Production Ties All Time Record
Hoosier Ag Today | Posted onAugust 18, 2016 in Energy NewsAccording to EIA data, ethanol production averaged 1.029 million barrels per day (b/d)—or 43.22 million gallons daily. That is up 11,000 b/d from the week before and tied for the largest total on record. The four-week average for ethanol production remained unchanged at 1.012 million b/d for an annualized rate of 15.51 billion gallons.
Appeals court sides with states on muni broadband limits
Daily Yonder | Posted onAugust 18, 2016 in Rural NewsA federal court had high praise for municipal broadband networks in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Wilson, North Carolina.
Research pets to be put up for adoption in NY
The Journal News | Posted onAugust 17, 2016 in Rural NewsNew York cats and dogs used for research by colleges and universities will soon be put up for adoption after their work is completed, according to a law signed Tuesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The new law requires higher education institutes and laboratories that partner with them to make "reasonable efforts" to offer research animals for adoption, either through a private placement or a partnership with a local shelter or adoption agency. The law, which will take effect in 30 days, is meant to prevent animals that are suitable to become pets from being euthanized.
Secretary Vilsack Awards $17.8 Million to Cultivate the Next Generation of Farmers and Ranchers, Sets Stage for Continued New Farmer and Rancher Support
USDA | Posted onAugust 17, 2016 in Federal NewsIn a meeting with new and beginning farmers at Iowa State University today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new investment of $17.8 million for 37 projects to help educate, mentor, and enhance the sustainability of the next generation of farmers. The investment is made through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Beginning Farmer and Rancher DEvelopment Program (BFRDP). Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $126 million into projects targeting new and beginning farmers and ranchers through BFRDP.
Massachusetts pressured to expand conservation tax credit
Eagle Tribune | Posted onAugust 17, 2016 in Rural NewsA tax break for landowners who shield property from development has a nearly three-year wait because of a state cap that environmentalists say is undermining conservation efforts. Landowners who set aside property under the state program can get income tax credits for 50 percent of their land's value. A landowner may claim up to $75,000 in tax credits, but the program is capped statewide at $2 million per year. Environmental groups want to raise the limit to $5 million, if not eliminate it.
Attempting to understand Trans Pacific Partnership
Farm Futures | Posted onAugust 17, 2016 in Federal NewsFor the next few weeks, I am changing course in writing about environmental issues in agriculture and will attempt to provide some background on the Trans Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim countries of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States and Viet Nam. The proposed TPP was signed on February 4, 2016, in Auckland, New Zealand. It took seven years of negotiations and needs to be ratified within two years after initial signatures.