Agriculture News
Animal rights activists disrupt 2017 Pa. Farm Show opening ceremony
Penn Live | Posted on January 12, 2017Animal rights activists interrupted Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's opening speech Saturday at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.
2016 a big year for agribusiness mergers and acquisitions
Watt Ag Net | Posted on January 12, 20172016 was a busy year for mergers and acquisitions in the poultry, pig and animal feed industries. Here is a review of the more than 100 deals WATTAgNet reported on last year. Aviagen Turkeys acquiring France’s Le Sayec. Zoetis to sell some animal health brands, manufacturing unit. Pestell Minerals & Ingredients acquires Agri-Feed Products Ltd. Pancosma & Associates acquires Btech. BRF finalizes acquisition in Qatar. Packaging companies Hamer, Fischbein Americas merge. Alltech completes acquisition of Masterfeeds. Nutreco completes acquisition of Micronutrients.. see many more in article
Destructive beetle infests Maui coffee farm
Washington Times | Posted on January 12, 2017A beetle that can destroy up to a third of a coffee berry crop has made its way to Maui. The state Agriculture Department confirmed the coffee berry borer has infested a 13-acre farm on the island. Department entomologists said the farm’s infestation indicates the beetle has been there for some time.
Improved Restricted Class B CDL Policy Provides Greater Flexibility For Agricultural Retailers
WBIW | Posted on January 12, 2017The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) announced new seasonal options available for the Restricted Class B Commercial Driver's License (CDL), which will provide greater flexibility for producers and agricultural retailers. The new policy will take effect on Feb. 1, 2017. "During the planting and harvest seasons, those in agriculture have enough to worry about without making it tougher for them to get the proper CDL," said BMV Commissioner Kent Abernathy. "This new policy gives them more flexibility." Prior to this policy change, those in agricultural transport were only able to haul seasonal loads during predesignated periods of time. During planting season in particular, this put some producers and agricultural retailers at a disadvantage who, regardless of climate or their specific operations, were unable to haul loads before April 2. Under this new policy, drivers will be able to custom tailor their Restricted Class B CDL license to their own needs and will no longer be restricted to predesignated periods of time.
Monsanto Didn't Cause Farmer Suicides In India
American Council of Science and Health | Posted on January 12, 2017Of the many lies spread about Monsanto over the years, perhaps none is so malevolent as the claim that the seed giant is to blame for farmer suicides in India. This falsehood, spread by anti-biotechnology activists like Vandana Shiva but debunked a couple of years ago, is still parroted by credulous left-wing outlets such as Think Progress and supposedly credible news sites like Deutsche Welle. Now, a thorough study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health has concluded that Monsanto's cotton is "unlikely to be an important factor" in the suicides. The author conducted a qualitative analysis by searching for relevant literature and news stories.
Oklahoma Wildlife Department plans to provide more hunting, fishing opportunities through new 'walk-in' program
The Oklahoman | Posted on January 12, 2017More land for hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing will be available to Oklahoma sportsmen and women beginning Sept. 1. That's when the Oklahoma Land Access Program begins through the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, a program that pays private landowners to allow public access to their properties for recreational use such as hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing. Where the properties will be and how many there will be remain to be seen. State wildlife officials have been negotiating with private landowners, but no legal agreements have been finalized. “We have a list of interested landowners,” said Jeff Tibbits, the Wildlife Department's biologist for the Oklahoma Land Access Program. “We have received a lot of interest. We are waiting to sign people up just for the time being. “We are still meeting with landowners. That is going to wrap up this month. We are meeting with landowners in central Oklahoma, southeast Oklahoma. Those are the two remaining meetings. We are gathering their thoughts and feedback to try and make this program successful for landowners. “If a property offers good hunting and fishing opportunities, we are interested in it.”
Ag Outlook Faces Headwinds
Feedstuffs | Posted on January 12, 2017Low commodity prices in late 2016 put downward pressure on farm income, farmland values and credit conditions such as repayment rates for farm loans. Exports may have helped give a boost to some agricultural commodity prices over the summer, but it only tempered the headwinds facing the U.S. agriculture industry, according to the latest ag outlook report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Mo.
Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program Certifies 300th Farm
Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Posted on January 12, 2017The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) has surpassed 300 certified farms, marking a year of strong growth with a milestone. This voluntary program works with farmers and landowners to identify and mitigate risks to water quality on a field by field basis. The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program has certified 306 farms representing virtually every kind of agricultural production from all across the state. The 306 farms certified by the MAWQCP represent over 175,000 acres of working lands. To date, these farms have generated 531 new best management practices that are keeping 14.7 million pounds of soil on Minnesota fields annually, and keeping 9.7 million pounds of sediment and 6,086 pounds of phosphorous from entering our lakes, rivers, and streams annually. After being certified, each farm is deemed to be in compliance with new water quality laws and regulations for 10 years. Certification is also an approved practice farmers can use to comply with the new state buffer law. Certified farmers and landowners can use their certification status to promote their businesses as protective of water quality.
Flesh-eating screwworm appears outside Florida Keys in stray dog
Miami Herald | Posted on January 12, 2017For the first time in more than three decades, New World screwworm has been found on Florida’s mainland. A stray dog was found in Homestead with the flesh-eating parasite last week and the worms in its body were confirmed as screwworm. The dog has been treated and is in good health. It wasn’t known if someone from the Keys abandoned the dog or if it got infested in another way.
Bird flu confirmed in Fergus Co. duck
Great Falls Tribune | Posted on January 12, 2017Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported Monday that a hunter-harvested mallard duck in Fergus County has tested positive for the H5N2 Avian influenza virus. This is the first recurrence of the highly contagious “bird flu” disease since 2015, when close to 50 million chickens and turkeys in the U.S. either died or were put down in response to the outbreak. “The mallard duck appears to have a similar strain as the 2014/2015 outbreak that affected domestic birds nationwide,” the MFWP news release states. “Testing of the sample is ongoing at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories. No human health issues have been reported for this strain and no illnesses or moralities in domestic poultry in Montana have been detected.”