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Agriculture News

Upper Midwest Land Values

Farm Policy News | Posted on January 14, 2017

Last month, in its third-quarter 2016 Agricultural Credit Conditions Survey, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis indicated that, “Following a trend from recent quarterly surveys, land prices and cash rents retreated from historic highs. The average value for nonirrigated cropland in the district fell by more than 3 percent from a year earlier, according to survey respondents. Irrigated land values fell 1 percent, while ranch- and pastureland values fell 5 percent, perhaps reflecting the more recent downturn in livestock prices.”  The Fed report also pointed out that, “Declining land prices were widespread across the region, with the exception of Montana where nonirrigated cropland prices increased 2 percent from a year earlier.


Ban on powdered gloves takes effect January 18

AVMA | Posted on January 14, 2017

Powdered gloves will no longer be permitted for use in veterinary medicine beginning January 18, under a rule issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  For veterinarians who already use non-powdered gloves, the rule will have no impact. In fact, the FDA indicated that Global Industry Analysts projected the share of powdered disposable medical gloves sales to decrease to only 2 percent in 2015, so many medical providers likely won’t feel an effect from the rule. Although veterinarians who do use powdered gloves may find themselves with unusable inventory after January 18, the good news is that the FDA’s economic analysis indicates the cost of non-powdered gloves should be similar to the cost of powdered ones. Additionally, as of early January, we are aware of at least one manufacturer offering replacement of unexpired powdered gloves with non-powdered alternatives. 


New Financing Helps Iowa Farmers Pass the Torch

Public News Service | Posted on January 14, 2017

More than one-third of farmland in Iowa is owned by people 75 and older, and increasing land prices can make it difficult to pass the torch to the next generation of farmers. A social impact company is working in Iowa to help make these transfers possible.  Through financing from Iroquois Valley Farms, fourth-generation farmer Jim Peterson of Knoxville purchased 320 acres from elderly owners whose family had owned the land since 1903. Peterson says it will be used for organic grains, cattle and sheep production, perhaps for many years to come. "I'm hoping that I can pass it down to several more generations and it will help with our children," he said. "And it will be farmed organically. I'm a firm believer in trying to get away from chemicals as much as possible."
Iroquois Valley Farms supports organic land management, providing land access opportunities to family farmers and creating values-based agriculture investment opportunities. This is the company's first investment in Iowa.
Practical Farmers of Iowa assisted in the transaction by connecting the sellers to Iroquois Valley Farms. And PFI's director of farm transfers Teresa Opheim says it's a good example of the type of creative financing options that are needed to help preserve Iowa's farming heritage.
 


Web site details Interstate Animal Movement Requirements

Interstate Livestock | Posted on January 14, 2017

Quick, accurate access to state import requirements for livestock.


500,000 Dutch dairy cows are staring down death because of the amount of dung they produce

Quartz | Posted on January 14, 2017

Half a million Dutch dairy cows have a pretty big problem. If the Netherlands can’t find a way to manage the dung they produce, European Union environmental rules mean they will have to be killed. If those cows are culled, it would remove roughly a third of the dairy cows in the Netherlands, which wouldn’t be good news for the dairy sector; the Dutch dairy industry had a production value (pdf) of €7 billion ($7.4 billion) in 2014, the last available year for records. The problem has to do with groundwater. The European Union has set rules on the amount of nitrate from fertilizer that’s allowed to seep into the soil. In 2006 the Dutch government secured an 11-year exemption from those rules. The exemption is set to end Dec. 31, but agricultural groups worry Brussels won’t renew the exemption because of concerns over another chemical: phosphate.


Nebraska agriculture leaders outline principles for property tax reform

KTIC Radio | Posted on January 14, 2017

Leaders of Nebraska agriculture organizations who represent tens of thousands of Nebraska farmers, ranchers, and livestock feeders have come together to outline principles to guide actions on comprehensive tax reform for Nebraska. The principles are targeted at addressing Nebraska’s current tax system, which has led to an imbalance and overreliance on property taxes to fund government services.  The Agriculture Leaders Working Group principles for tax reform state: 1. Tax reform, whether through legislation or ballot initiative, should seek a more balanced tax system to fund government services and education and benefit all property owners, including agriculture, residential, and commercial property. Collections from property, sales, and income taxes shall share the burden with none of the three individually exceeding 35 percent of the tax liability. 2. Agricultural property owners currently pay a disproportional amount of the total property tax liability. All future property tax relief produced at the state level must seek to reduce this proportional share. 3. Tax reform should encourage fiscal responsibility and be revenue neutral. Actions to achieve such measures may include new tax sources or modify existing revenue sources to provide dollar for dollar reductions in property taxes. 4. Reform must ensure adequate funding for high quality education for Nebraska students, but reduce the reliance on property taxes for educational funding.


Citrus Growers Optimistic About Genetically Engineered Trees

WFSU | Posted on January 14, 2017

Despite a decade of bad harvests, a Florida lawmaker says the state’s signature industry is recovering. Growers are optimistic new genetically engineered trees will survive the deadly citrus greening disease. A small bacterium is ravaging Florida’s citrus industry, killing thousands of trees and forcing many growers out of business. The crisis is spurring state regulators to invest in genetically engineered trees that are disease resistant. Researchers are beginning to see positive results, though it may take a few years for crop yields to catch up. That’s according to Republican Ben Albritton, a state representative and fourth generation citrus grower. “We’re putting trees in the ground now that are showing signs of resistance. Which means, instead of it really collapsing the tree over a three, four, five, six year period, it gives a much longer lifespan to the tree,” Albritton said.


Genetic engineering improves crops, helps the environment

Columbus Dispatch | Posted on January 14, 2017

When you have a garden, you know you want the best seeds and the most nutrient-rich soil. You water your garden faithfully, weed, and hope for the best produce possible.  With farming hundreds of acres, you have the same requirements — just on a larger scale. However, with farming, there’s a lot more at stake than a home garden. Your livelihood and future lies in your fields. And especially in our area, the water quality of Lake Erie and well-being of others may benefit from farmers continuing to bridge toward technological advancements that help us care even more for the environment on and around our farms. So, protecting yields and the environment is top of mind, which is why farmers choose to plant genetically engineered crops. To produce genetically engineered crops, scientists copy genes that have a desired trait in a certain plant to use in other plants. According to a recent survey of farmers by U. S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance and National Corn Growers Association, farmers believe people find pesticides (96%) and water usage (95%) to be consumers’ top concerns. Farmers reported that they grow genetically engineered crops as a way of addressing these concerns. The majority of farmers said genetically engineered crops allow them to minimize pesticide and herbicide use, and over three-quarters chose genetically engineered crops in conjunction with practices such as conservation tillage, which promotes better water quality and soil health.


Gene-silencing spray lets us modify plants without changing DNA

New Scientist | Posted on January 14, 2017

Don’t like the look of those roses in your garden? One day you might be able to buy a spray that changes the colour of their flowers by silencing certain genes. Farmers may use similar gene-silencing sprays to boost yields, make their crops more nutritious, protect them from droughts and trigger ripening. The technique could let us change plant traits without altering their DNA. “A spray can be used immediately without having to go through the years involved in development of a GM or conventionally bred crop,” says David Baulcombe at the University of Cambridge, who studies gene silencing in plants. One spray can also be used on many different varieties, he points out.  Companies like Monsanto are already developing gene-silencing sprays that get inside bugs and kill them by disabling vital genes.


Can CRISPR Technology Help Us Meet the Goals of “One Health”?

Biotech Now | Posted on January 14, 2017

The concept of “One Health” recognizes that the health of people, animals, and the environment are linked. Human population expansion and increased global migration have led to significant land-use changes and urbanization, all of which have an impact on the environment and increase the risk of disease transmission between animals and people. Although increased specialization within scientific disciplines and professions has greatly improved the health and well-being of people and animals, it has also led to silos that impede interdisciplinary communication. Tackling problems at the core of “One Health” requires equal amounts of “cross-silo” and “within silo” cooperation and collaboration. To address this issue, many leaders are encouraging all levels of government – local, state, and national – to develop efforts that facilitate such interdisciplinary communication.


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