Agriculture News
Arkansas Farmers Again Lose Access to Dicamba
Ag Web | Posted on May 2, 2018Monday the Arkansas Supreme Court reinforced a ban on dicamba products in the state, halting another judge’s ruling that would exempt some farmers from the ban. Justices stayed a Clay Country judge’s order that prohibited the state Plant Board from enforcing the dicamba ban. The freeze on the dicamba ban was permitted and Judge Tonya Alexander said farmers “face the immediate, irreparable harm to their crops” without the product, Arkansas Online reports. This freeze lasted less than two weeks before the Supreme Court overruled.
New York Governor Demands Immediate End to ICE Enforcement Actions
Growing Produce | Posted on May 2, 2018Following reports of an increase in aggressive tactics in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids throughout New York, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo last week issued a cease and desist letter to halt the enforcement actions or he says he will commence legal action. Cuomo specifically cited the recent detaining and jailing of an employee at a dairy farm in Rome, NY in his letter: “On the morning of April 18, farmer John Collins heard a commotion on his property. Upon investigation, he discovered plain-clothed ICE agents aggressively questioning one of his farm workers while pushing him up against a window. Concerned for his employee and aware that the man’s young children who had been waiting for the school bus were now watching their father being assaulted, Mr. Collins approached your agents to determine what was happening on his privately owned property and to video what was taking place with his cellphone. He was handcuffed and his cell phone was thrown on the ground. Your agents did not have a warrant to enter Mr. Collins’s property nor did they identify themselves or their purpose for being there. They handcuffed him and threatened to arrest him for properly exercising his constitutional rights.”
Judge upholds Klamath River injunction
Capital Press | Posted on May 2, 2018Judge William Orrick has denied a request by Klamath Basin irrigators to suspend a court injunction that is holding up the irrigation season for farmers and ranchers. A federal judge in San Francisco will not suspend or modify a court injunction aimed at protecting threatened coho salmon from a deadly parasite in the Klamath River.The ruling, handed down late Monday by Judge William Orrick, further delays the start of irrigation season for local farmers and ranchers heading into what is expected to be a difficult drought year.Scott Cheyne, assistant director of the Klamath Irrigation District, said the holdup is already having a negative effect on agriculture across the basin — wheat fields are stunted, ranchers are worried about growing enough forage for cattle, and row crops, such as garlic, are especially under stress.
Jack Block: Farmers Worry
OFW Law | Posted on May 2, 2018Farmers, ranchers, and the whole ag industry have a lot to worry about. Start with farm income – our income has been cut in half over the last 3 or 4 years. There are some hopeful developments. The drought in Argentina and a production shortfall in Brazil may help to lift some of our prices. Brazil’s corn production dropped from 94.5 million tons to 89 million tons. Argentine corn and soybean production took an even bigger hit. I see in Agri-Pulse Daybreak that Brazilian livestock producers want their government to lift tariffs on U.S. corn imports. Amazing! Do they really need our corn? North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) – negotiations with Mexico and Canada will resume on May 7. There is optimism that they will end soon on a positive note. President Trump sent his top team to China to work through our trade conflict with that country. My fingers are crossed! Weather and trade have the power to make or break our industry.
New USDA website created to promote rural prosperity
Hoosier Ag Today | Posted on May 1, 2018Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today unveiled a new interactive webpage to identify best practices for building rural prosperity. “Rural communities need forward-thinking strategies to build strong, resilient futures,” Hazlett said. “USDA’s Rural Development Innovation Center is focused on identifying unique opportunities, pioneering new, creative solutions to tough challenges, and making Rural Development’s programs easier to understand, use and access.”The webpage highlights effective strategies that have been used to create jobs, build infrastructure, strengthen partnerships and promote economic development in rural America.
Wisconsin produced record 3.37B pounds of cheese in 2017
Minnesota Star Tribune | Posted on May 1, 2018Wisconsin strengthened its hold as the nation's top cheese maker by producing a record 3.37 billion pounds last year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Wisconsin accounted for about 26 percent of the 12.7 billion pounds of cheese produced in the U.S. last year.Wisconsin saw a 7 percent increase in Hispanic cheese production, a 5.5 percent increase of American cheese and a 3.7 percent increase in Italian cheese, Wisconsin State Journal reported . The state's overall cheese production increased 3.6 percent over the last year.Cheddar production reached more than 700 million pounds, the highest total since 2000, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The production amount is a 6.5 percent increase from last year. Wisconsin makes 20 percent of the nation's American cheese, according to the NASS.Increased Parmesan and mozzarella production pushed Italian cheese numbers to a record 1.7 billion pounds, the service said. The state produced 218 million pounds of Parmesan, an increase of 26.6 percent from last year. Mozzarella production increased by 1.5 percent to just over 1.1 billion pounds. Wisconsin produces 31.6 percent of the nation's Italian cheeses.Wisconsin's overall processed cheese production increased by almost 2 percent. But numbers show the state saw production decrease by 12.5 percent for processed cheese foods and spreads. There was also an 8.4 percent drop in Swiss cheese production.
Private equity firms reported to be eyeing bid for Elanco
Watt Ag Net | Posted on May 1, 2018Several private equity firms are said to be considering a bid for Elanco, the animal health division of Eli Lilly and Co., as the company considers its options for the unit. Bain Capital, Advent International Corp. and Carlyle Group L.P. are among the firms that may look to bid for Elanco. According to a JPMorgan Chase & Co. estimate from December, the business could be valued at $14 billion to $16 billion. In October, Eli Lilly launched a strategic review of Elanco to review alternatives that could enhance its profitability. Potential options for the future of Elanco Animal Health could include an initial public offering, merger, sale or retention of the business, the company stated. At the time, Eli Lilly said it would provide an update on the strategic review of Elanco no later than the middle of 2018.This week, Eli Lilly reported that Elanco’s first-quarter sales fell 1 percent from last year to $761 million, mostly because of a decline in sales to the livestock industry, which is increasingly turning to more natural animal health solutions and away from drug-based therapies.
New York to spend $2.2M to help farms reduce impact on climate
SYracuse.com | Posted on May 1, 2018New York state is investing money in nearly three dozen local farms to help them curb carbon emissions and prepare for climate change. The office of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that the state will spend $2.2 million on the program, now in its fourth year.The money will go to 34 farms around the state. The program is intended to fund efforts to make farms more water and energy efficient, and to help them prepare for droughts or severe weather.Some farms will spend the money on cover crops to prevent erosion and suck up carbon. Others will use the funds for efforts to capture methane from manure.
Veterinarians want data, targets for antimicrobial use
AVMA | Posted on May 1, 2018Veterinarians in North America and Europe are under pressure to reduce antimicrobial administration on swine farms. Determining which uses are judicious and measuring outcomes are difficult, according to speakers at a March 3-6 meeting of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians in San Diego. They described challenges related to collecting data that could be used to set policy and link changes in antimicrobial use with outcomes in prevalence of drug resistance, as well as those related to policymaking swayed more by opinion than research.Dr. Mark White, an independent pig veterinary consultant, clinician, and president of the Pig Veterinary Society of the British Veterinary Association, said he has attended years of hostile meetings of other groups on antimicrobial use and questions on which ones are appropriate. He noted that public figures in medicine and politics, in Europe and the U.S., have warned of a post-antimicrobial apocalypse, nightmare bacteria, and deaths by common infections. At a policy level, the debate has shifted from a scientific one to a sociopolitical one, he said."We've got to reduce, we've got to refine, we've got to replace the use of antibiotics in farm animals," he said.For swine veterinarians, those changes need to occur while preserving pig health, Dr. White said."Whatever we're going to do—reducing, refining, replacing, using antibiotics more responsibly—that's another term that's thrown about—but the bottom line is reducing how much we use," he said. "We will have to do that without damaging pig health and welfare, without damaging productivity, and, obviously, without damaging the supply chain."
Ohio Gov. Kasich charting new direction on Lake Erie, water quality
Farm and Dairy | Posted on May 1, 2018The Kasich administration and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency are poised to take a stronger regulatory approach to cleaning up the state’s waters, including the open waters of Lake Erie. Three weeks after declaring the western portion of Lake Erie impaired, the Ohio EPA, on April 16, released a study showing “no clear trend” of a nutrient loading decrease in most of the state’s watersheds, citing agriculture and other nonpoint sources as the main contributor. The study, known as the Nutrient Mass Balance Study, also found that the state is far from reaching its target of a 40 percent reduction in phosphorus loading into lake Erie, set in a 2012 agreement between the U.S. and Canada. Up until now, the state has been focused on voluntary efforts by farmers and private landowners, as well as new regulations that require farmers to be certified to apply fertilizer, and to avoid applying to frozen and snow-covered ground. But more regulations could be coming, as state leaders say they need more evidence.