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Nearly 10K lionfish removed from Gulf so far
Pensacola News Journal | Posted onAugust 16, 2016 in Rural NewsThanks to participants in the Lionfish Challenge and Panhandle Pilot Program — both conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission — nearly 10,000 lionfish have been removed from Florida waters so far. Since the May 14 kickoff, 9,216 lionfish have been eradicated from the Gulf. Sixty-eight divers have entered the statewide Lionfish Challenge, which rewards divers for taking 50 or more lionfish.
Canada amends ‘raised without antibiotics’ definition
Watt Ag Net | Posted onAugust 16, 2016 in Food NewsCanada is now allowing the use of certain chemical coccidiostats in products labeled as raised without the use of antibiotics. On August 5, the Canadian government agency released a communication explaining the change of its criteria for raising natural, naturally raised, feed, antibiotics and hormone claims in labelling or advertising for meat, poultry and fish products.
California May Push For 15 Percent Of New Cars To Be Emission Free In 10 Years
CBS Sacramento | Posted onAugust 16, 2016 in Energy NewsWith the extension of California’s landmark climate change law stalled, a legislative plan is emerging to significantly up the ante on California’s commitment to electric vehicles by requiring that 15 percent of all new automobiles be emission-free within a decade. Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, D-Los Angeles, told The Associated Press on Friday that she’ll introduce legislation next week to ramp up the pressure on carmakers. Automakers that fail to sell enough electric vehicles would be required to make payments to rivals that do or pay a fine to the state.
Who owns the wind? We do, Wyoming says, and it's taxing those who use it
Los Angeles Times | Posted onAugust 16, 2016 in Energy NewsThe Wyoming legislature did something no other state has done, the concluded they owned the wind and with great efficiency for a conservative state not traditionally tilted toward burdening the energy industry, they did something no other state has done, before or since: They taxed it. In the four years since Wyoming began taxing power generated by wind turbines, it has collected a little less than $15 million in revenue.
Oil Is Seeping From A North Dakota Hillside
Bismarck Tribune | Posted onAugust 16, 2016 in Energy NewsThe North Dakota Department of Health is investigating an oil spill on a western North Dakota butte where oil is seeping out of a hillside. Karl Rockeman, director of the Division of Water Quality, said late Friday that oil was discovered to be seeping out of the hillside in multiple locations. The company has recovered 504 barrels, or 21,168 gallons, of oil and 120 barrels, or 5,040 gallons, of produced water from holes drilled into the subsurface of the site. The total size of the spill is still being determined. “It may be larger than that yet as well,” Rockeman said.
Dairy Farmers Seek U.S. Help to Cut Into Cheese Glut
The Wall Street Journal | Posted onAugust 16, 2016 in Agriculture NewsMilk prices for farmers have plunged to their lowest point since October 2009 as cheese stockpiles swell.Dairy farmers drowning in cheap milk begged agricultural officials on Friday to buy up tens of thousands of tons of cheese to help bail them out. Jim Mulhern, chief executive of the National Milk Producers Federation, asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to buy $150 million worth of cheese to protect struggling dairy farmers and provide 90 million pounds of food to needy Americans. “Dairy producers here in the United States need assistance,” Mr. Mulhern wrote to Mr. Vilsack.
Animal ag publications need not be the ag industry’s own worst enemy
Meatingplace (registration required) | Posted onAugust 16, 2016 in Agriculture NewsSometimes ag publications are the industry’s worst enemy. Bloomberg News published an article August 5, 2016, about vaccines becoming a bigger player in animal health, helping to lower the use of antibiotics used in animals raised for food. Beef Producer copied it word for word in its August 9, 2016, edition. It does not exactly state the truth, and implies that deaths from antibiotic resistant bacteria stem from animal ag use of the products. Some quotes follow from the article. “Farm animals are fed about 80 percent of the antibiotics in the U.S.
HSUS moves on from pork, eggs to target chicken; reaches out to CEOs
meatingplace.com | Posted onAugust 15, 2016 in Agriculture NewsA senior director of food policy for the Humane Society of the United States last week sent a letter to the CEOs of major broiler processing companies, asking for an audience, saying the organization’s focus is “likely to shift toward broiler welfare issues.”
Opinion: Trade Agreements: Good or Bad?
Agri-Pulse | Posted onAugust 15, 2016 in Federal NewsThose who forget the lessons of history are potentially destined to repeat the mistakes of the past. About 90 years ago, the U.S. economy was operating at full speed and labeled the “Roaring Twenties” in the post-World War I era. At this same time, Europe's economy was recovering from the wartime devastation and started producing again. Global overproduction emerged. This was particularly true for those in agriculture. Back then, agriculture and the rural economy was a larger part of the general economy.
How to give rural America broadband? Look to the early 1900s
New York Times | Posted onAugust 15, 2016 in Rural News"The Cooperative is doing it again, but now the light buld is the internet." said Mr. Creason, 82. Mr. Creason's experience with the electric co-op puts him at the leading edge of a trend unfolding in hard-to-reach rural spots natinwide.