Agriculture News
Georgia exits the poultry price discovery business
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on February 24, 2017The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s announcement Tuesday that it would not publish its proposed Georgia Premium Poultry Price Index (GPPPI) means it no longer will oversee price discovery efforts in Georgia. “Due to a lack of participation from Georgia poultry companies, we are ceasing all price discovery efforts,” spokeswoman Julie McPeake said.
Land O’Lakes, Inc. Issues Drone Challenge to Tech Innovators
Land O Lakes | Posted on February 24, 2017Land O’Lakes, Inc. is calling on innovators from the tech industry to enter the Land O’Lakes Prize: Drone Challenge, a crowdsourcing competition designed to develop proposed solutions that enable scalable, autonomous drone usage in precision agriculture. A prize of $140,000 will be awarded to a grand prize winner who is found to meet all the requirements of the challenge, and two $5,000 prizes are available to two runners up. Winners will retain intellectual property rights to the solutions they develop to help farmers use drone technology more effectively.
Idaho sanctuary cities bill opposed by farm groups rewritten
Capital Press | Posted on February 24, 2017An immigration related bill opposed by many Idaho farm groups has been amend ed and reintroduced in the Idaho Legislature. The new legislation initially appears to be more palatable to farm groups. The original legislation, House Bull 76, sought to prevent so-called sanctuary cities from being established in Idaho. But it also included a provision that ag groups believe would have required law enforcement officers to hold anyone arrested for up to 48 hours for further checks if they could not prove legal residence. Several of the state’s largest farm groups worried that provision and others in the original bill would send a message to the state’s immigrant work force that they aren’t welcome in Idaho. After consulting with ag industry leaders, Rep. Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell, crafted a different bill that drops the provisions dealing with enforcement action that farm groups were concerned about.
Voluntary pooling biggest issue in CA milk marketing proposal
Capital Press | Posted on February 24, 2017California dairy co-ops and milk producers have a lot to evaluate in USDA’s recommended proposal for establishing a federal milk marketing order for the state, which has long operated under a state order. The biggest difference in the two is that California’s order regulates all milk prices, and all processors must pay those minimum prices established for different utilizations. In federal orders — and the proposed order for California — only Class I, milk for fluid consumption, is regulated and manufacturers of dairy products can choose whether to participate in the pool and pay minimum prices. Participation in the pool results in a blend price to producers based on minimum prices and utilization. Co-ops and producers wanted mandatory pooling to be a part of the federal order.
Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman
Animal Agwired | Posted on February 23, 2017Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman will preview at Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas before it airs worldwide on Discovery Channel in August. Based on a book by the same name, the Discovery Impact film weaves together the stories of a Montana rancher, two Kansas farmers and a handful of Gulf fishermen who feed the world while stewarding the land and water they work. “The men and women profiled in the book and film work tirelessly to protect America’s natural resources, make their operations more productive and resilient and leave a legacy for their children.
Fearing loss of workforce, Farm Bureau, dairymen promote study of immigrants’ impact
Idaho Statesman | Posted on February 23, 2017The Trump administration’s immigration rhetoric and proposals potentially pose a crippling blow to the state’s agriculture industry and overall economy, agriculture leaders said. “The economic vitality of rural Idaho stands on the shoulders of foreign-born laborers,” said Bob Naerebout, executive director of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, which estimates those workers make up more than 85 percent of the state’s 8,300 dairy employees. Naerebout and others at an Idaho Farm Bureau news conference Tuesday touted a new national study that gauges the economic impact of immigrants in each state. In its Idaho breakdown, New American Economy notes that Idaho’s immigrant population — around 103,000 — grew by 15.1 percent between 2010 and 2014, and that Hispanics, the state’s largest immigrant group, represent $1.1 billion in annual income and paid $84.6 million in taxes in 2014.
EU regulators set to clear Dow, DuPont deal: sources
Reuters | Posted on February 23, 2017Dow Chemical (DOW.N) and DuPont (DD.N) are set to win EU antitrust approval for their $130 billion merger, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, one of three mega deals in the agrochemicals industry. The deal, which still needs approval from U.S. and other regulators, has faced intense scrutiny from the European Commission. Of particular concern is combining the two companies' agricultural businesses which sell seeds and crop protection chemicals, including insecticides and pesticides. The EU competition enforcer had expressed concerns about whether the merged company would still be incentivized to produce new herbicides and pesticides in the future. This month, DuPont offered to sell a portion of its crop protection business and related research and development, while Dow agreed to sell its acid copolymers and ionomers business to South Korea's SK Innovation if the merger goes ahead.
Rising Demand for Organic and Non-GMO Grains Outpaces U.S. Production
PR Newswire | Posted on February 23, 2017Imports of organic grains, particularly corn, from countries such as India, Ukraine, Romania, and Turkey surged in 2016 to meet the burgeoning U.S. demand for organic food products. Organic corn imports more than doubled from 2015 to 2016 and accounted for nearly one-half of the U.S. organic corn supply. The domestic shortfall for organic soybeans was even greater, with roughly 80 percent of soybeans supplying the U.S. organic market imported in 2016. Animal feed for organically raised dairy, beef, pork and poultry products, and ingredients used in organic consumer packaged goods are the two principal markets for organically produced grains. For U.S. farmers to satisfy this growing appetite for organic foods, analysts estimate between one and five million U.S. acres would have to be transitioned to organic production.
Washington pot growers seek right-to-farm protection
Capital Press | Posted on February 23, 2017Washington marijuana growers want to take another step toward joining mainstream agriculture, though their presence may raise questions about taxes and labor law. Cannabis advocates are championing legislation to insert marijuana into the state’s right-to-farm law. The law bars new neighbors from claiming dust, odors and noise from an existing farm’s lawful operations are a nuisance. Outdoor marijuana farms in particular need protection from disgruntled neighbors, the advocates say.
Health Insurance Woes Add To The Risky Business Of Farming
NPR | Posted on February 23, 2017There are many challenges to farming for a living: It's often grueling work that relies on unpredictable factors such as weather and global market prices. But one aspect that's often ignored is the cost of health care. A University of Vermont researcher found that nationally, most farmers cited health care costs as a top concern. Shoshanah Inwood is a rural sociologist at UVM. She has been studying the aging and shrinking farm population, and what components are needed to build a prosperous farm economy. Inwood says she hadn't thought about health care in particular as a factor until she conducted an unrelated survey in 2007 of farmers working the land in areas facing population growth and development pressures. The survey asked, "What are the issues affecting the future of your farm?"