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Recent AgClips
What you need to know about Endangered Species Act and how to comment
| Posted on January 4, 2023 in NewsThe proposed Endangered Species Act Workplan regulations are complicated and could impact everything from spray drift to surface runoff.
John Hart | Dec 09, 2022
Healthcare Access in Rural Communities
| Posted on January 4, 2023 in Rural NewsAccess to healthcare services is critical to good health, yet rural residents face a variety of access barriers.
New water rule creates more confusion for agriculture
| Posted on January 4, 2023 in NewsThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers issued their final Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule on Dec. 30.
The new water rule will replace the Navigable Waters Protection Rule put in place during the Trump administration.
Agricultural groups, including Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), are disappointed in the rule.
SARL Members and Alumni News
Maryland 50% renewable by 2030, but republican governor wants more
electrek | Posted on May 23, 2019Maryland’s bill mandating 50% renewable energy by 2030 is set to become law on Friday. The bill will do so without the signature of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. Why won’t Hogan sign the bill? It’s probably not what you think. Like a number of critics, Maryland’s GOP governor doesn’t believe the bill does enough to combat climate change, and it gives no guarantees of Maryland jobs.
Rural and urban economies can improve with cooperation
Wisconsin State Journal | Posted on May 23, 2019Data revealed Thursday at MadREP’s “State of the Madison Region Economy” event highlighted significant challenges facing the seven counties outside Dane while also breaking down research reports on the region’s target economic sectors: agriculture, food and beverage; advanced manufacturing; health care; information communications technology; and bioscience.“Our rural areas are significantly under-performing compared to Dane County,” said MadREP President Paul Jadin, who presented the region’s next five-year economic development strategy.There are many reasons for that, not the least of whic
Opportunity Zones Skip Over Hard-Hit Rural Places
Nonprofit Quarterly | Posted on May 23, 2019Shelterforce is right on the money in their article, “Pushing Opportunity Zones to Fulfill Their Promise.” The piece urges urban leaders across the country to set guiding principles to make sure this new tax incentive, called the “most significant community development program to pass in a generation,” leads to equitable development and not displacement of low-income residents and people of color.
Colorado to reward companies for hiring remote workers in state’s far-flung areas
Denver Post | Posted on May 23, 2019Companies have relocated thousand of jobs to Colorado since the Great Recession, many drawn by the state’s job growth incentive tax credit program (JGITC), which provides a state tax credit based on payroll taxes paid. But most of those positions have landed in metro Denver or now and then in nearby cities like Fort Collins or Colorado Springs. That Front Range concentration has frustrated economic development officials to no end. The Hickenlooper administration rolled out even more targeted and generous incentive programs to convince employers to go rural.
Oregon Legislature approves environmental 'rollback' bill
Capital Press | Posted on May 23, 2019Critics and proponents agree that recently passed legislation intended to shield Oregon from federal “rollbacks” of environmental regulations is meant to send a message. While supporters claim House Bill 2250 signifies the state government’s stand against weakening protections for air, soil and water at the federal level, opponents argue it amounts to an expensive but empty political stunt.The bill was approved by the Senate 16-12 on May 14 after passing the House two months earlier. It’s all but assured of being signed into law by Gov.
Agriculture News
Inflation Reduction Act increases agricultural conservation program funds
| Posted on August 22, 2022The Inflation Reduction Act recently signed into law by President Biden not only extended the Affordable Care Act, but also infused funding to several agricultural conservation programs familiar to producers. Economists with the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University in College Station have compiled a briefing paper evaluating the effects of the bill on agriculture.
| Posted on August 17, 2022
One week after lawsuits challenging a Massachusetts law similar to the Proposition 12 law in California were stayed, a federal court issued a separate stay order to block enforcement of Question 3 for now.
California restaurants sue over law they say will drive up cost of bacon, pork
www.sanluisobispo.com | Posted on December 27, 2021A coalition of California restaurants and retailers is suing the state to block a law scheduled to take effect Jan. 1 that they argue could drive up the cost of bacon and create supply chain backlogs for the pork industry. The lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court centers on Proposition 12, a 2018 ballot measure that prohibits the production or importation of pork raised from pigs kept in confined spaces. It requires in part that breeding sows be kept in a space no smaller than 24 square feet.
Ransomware Disrupts Meat Plants in Latest Attack on Critical U.S. Business
| Posted on June 2, 2021By Julie Creswell, Nicole Perlroth and Noam Scheiber
June 1, 2021
Dent Recognized Nationally For Work To Help Farmers, Ranchers, Pesticide Industry
| Posted on March 30, 2021SARL would like to congratulate Representative Tom Dent on being selected as CropLife America’s State Leadership Award winner for 2020! The State Leadership Award honors an individual who demonstrates outstanding leadership in the area of state legislative or regulatory issues and promotes initiatives that preserve, protect and advance the ability of farmers to provide a safe, affordable and sustainable food supply.
Federal News
AgriLife Extension policy expert updates on potential changes
| Posted on December 21, 2022Changes in the new farm bill will mostly be about money.
U.S. SENATOR TINA SMITH ANNOUNCES SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT TO HELP MINNESOTA VETERANS PURSUE CAREERS IN AGRICULTURE
| Posted on December 21, 2022WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/19/22] — U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, announced $750,000 in federal funding to support training, mentorship and other opportunities for veterans looking to transition into agricultural careers. The investments will create jobs and strengthen Minnesota’s agricultural workforce by providing hands-on training and mentorship for veterans pursuing opportunities in agriculture and agribusiness.
Inflation Reduction Act increases agricultural conservation program funds
Morning Ag. Clips | Posted on October 2, 2022The Inflation Reduction Act recently signed into law by President Biden not only extended the Affordable Care Act, but also infused funding to several agricultural conservation programs familiar to producers. Economists with the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University in College Station have compiled a briefing paper evaluating the effects of the bill on agriculture.
USDA farms out economists whose work challenges Trump policies
Politico | Posted on May 23, 2019The Agriculture Department is moving nearly all its researchers into the economic effects of climate change, trade policy and food stamps – subjects of controversial Trump administration initiatives – outside of Washington, part of what employees claim is a political crackdown on economists whose assessments have raised questions about the president’s policies.
USDA researchers quit in droves as Trump administration plans relocation
The Washington Post | Posted on May 23, 2019A plan to move Agriculture Department researchers out of Washington has thrown two small but influential science agencies into upheaval. Federal employees at the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) have quit in unusually large numbers since August, when Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced he would relocate the offices.
Rural News
Healthcare Access in Rural Communities
| Posted on January 4, 2023Access to healthcare services is critical to good health, yet rural residents face a variety of access barriers.
Immigrant families forgoing food, housing in fear of Trump's visa plan
Newsweek | Posted on May 23, 2019Immigrants in the United States and their families are forgoing essential welfare benefits like public housing, food stamps and Medicare over fear of persecution, a new study has found. One in seven immigrants avoided public benefit programs in 2018 out of concern they would risk their future green card status, the Urban Institute found.Last week, President Donald Trump proposed changing the nation’s legal immigration system to limit green cards given to migrants who rely on welfare benefits or who are not financially independent.
Rural and urban economies can improve with cooperation
Wisconsin State Journal | Posted on May 23, 2019Data revealed Thursday at MadREP’s “State of the Madison Region Economy” event highlighted significant challenges facing the seven counties outside Dane while also breaking down research reports on the region’s target economic sectors: agriculture, food and beverage; advanced manufacturing; health care; information communications technology; and bioscience.“Our rural areas are significantly under-performing compared to Dane County,” said MadREP President Paul Jadin, who presented the region’s next five-year economic development strategy.There are many reasons for that, not the least of whic
School Meals Expansion story
AP News | Posted on May 23, 2019In a story May 16 about school meals programs in Oregon, The Associated Press reported erroneously the number of public school students in Oregon. There are about 580,000 students, not 400,000. A corrected version of the story is below:Oregon OKs largest expansion of federal free lunch program. Oregon is spending $40 million to dramatically expand the federal free breakfast and lunch program, ensuring that more than 60 percent of its 58,000 public school students will be included, the only statewide effort in the country
Opportunity Zones Skip Over Hard-Hit Rural Places
Nonprofit Quarterly | Posted on May 23, 2019Shelterforce is right on the money in their article, “Pushing Opportunity Zones to Fulfill Their Promise.” The piece urges urban leaders across the country to set guiding principles to make sure this new tax incentive, called the “most significant community development program to pass in a generation,” leads to equitable development and not displacement of low-income residents and people of color.
Energy News
Maryland 50% renewable by 2030, but republican governor wants more
electrek | Posted on May 23, 2019Maryland’s bill mandating 50% renewable energy by 2030 is set to become law on Friday. The bill will do so without the signature of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. Why won’t Hogan sign the bill? It’s probably not what you think. Like a number of critics, Maryland’s GOP governor doesn’t believe the bill does enough to combat climate change, and it gives no guarantees of Maryland jobs.
Ohio House Republicans overhaul ‘clean-energy’ bill to focus on nuclear, coal subsidies
Cleveland.com | Posted on May 23, 2019Ohio House Republicans on Wednesday dramatically transformed a controversial “clean-energy” subsidy bill, turning it into a bailout plan for both nuclear and coal power plants owned by Ohio companies. The changes to House Bill 6, made by the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee, would also end Ohio’s much-disputed renewable-energy and energy-efficiency mandates for utilities after this year, which cost residential electricity users an average of about $4.60 per month.
Indiana utilities are in midst of identity crisis as customers take power into own hands
Indy Star | Posted on May 23, 2019The changes came slowly, then seemingly all at once. Next door, your neighbor installed solar panels. You started seeing more and more electric vehicles. When you drove north on I-65, you hit a patch of farmland dotted with large windmills.
Renewable Fuel Standard Saves Consumers 22 Cents on Every Gallon of Gas
Hoosier Ag Today | Posted on May 23, 2019The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has lowered gas prices by an average of 22 cents per gallon in recent years and saved the typical American household $250 annually, according to a study published by economist and energy policy expert Dr. Philip K.
Trump EPA did not await court ruling to loosen biofuel rules for refiners - documents
Reuters | Posted on May 23, 2019The Trump administration made it easier for oil refineries to get waivers from the nation’s biofuel law at least four months before a 2017 court decision it often cites to justify the move to the corn lobby, and the move was motivated by a desire to save the oil industry money. The timing and motivation for the Environmental Protection Agency’s policy change, revealed through court documents and an interview with a former top agency official, have not been previously reported.
Food News
Atlanta creates first food forest in Georgia, largest in U.S.
Atlanta Journal Constitution | Posted on May 23, 2019Atlanta residents will have greater access to fresh food thanks to a public “food forest.”City Council, on a unanimous vote, approved the transformation of 7.1 acres of property near the Lakewood Fairgrounds and Browns Mill Golf Course into a public park and garden. The food forest is the first in Georgia and the largest in the United States.The Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill has been in the works since November 2016 when the city accepted an $86,150 grant from the U.S. Forest Service Community Forest and Open Space Program.
School Meals Expansion story
AP News | Posted on May 23, 2019In a story May 16 about school meals programs in Oregon, The Associated Press reported erroneously the number of public school students in Oregon. There are about 580,000 students, not 400,000. A corrected version of the story is below:Oregon OKs largest expansion of federal free lunch program. Oregon is spending $40 million to dramatically expand the federal free breakfast and lunch program, ensuring that more than 60 percent of its 58,000 public school students will be included, the only statewide effort in the country
These Missouri Poultry Producers Include Dispatches From The Farm In Every Egg Carton
KBIA | Posted on May 23, 2019One of Campo Lindo’s most defining qualities is a personal note included in every carton of eggs that leaves the farm. Carol writes those notes every two week; she began doing it when the farm started selling its eggs through grocery stores. “I just missed the communication that I had with our customers,” Carol says. “So I was like, ‘Well, I'll just start putting a little note, at least it's one-way communication,' but what's turned out really cool is a lot of times people take the time, they'll send a little email or phone call.
National Pork Board Uncovers What Diners Crave and Why
PR Newswire | Posted on May 23, 2019The National Pork Board released its latest findings from the comprehensive Insight to Action research, this time examining trends in consumer behavior related to dining out.
CBD entering food and drink at an 'astounding pace,' report says
Food Dive | Posted on May 23, 2019A new Rabobank report found that CBD has been entering food and beverage products — beer, coffee, cocktails, jelly beans and others — at an "astounding pace." However, the substance remains illegal in foods and beverages on a national level, and it may not be approved for several more years barring congressional action, according to the report.Meanwhile, the market appears poised for more CBD-infused products, and Rabobank said the demand is likely to continue.