AgClips
Recent AgClips
These Kids Are Suing the Federal Government to Demand Climate Action. They Just Won an Important Victory
Time | Posted onNovember 13, 2016 in Energy NewsA group of young Americans suing the federal government to demand increased efforts on climate change won a notable battle, as a federal court rejected the government’s request to dismiss the case. The ruling paves the way for the 21 plaintiffs—who range in age from 9 to 20—to take their case to trial in federal court. A ruling in their favor could be a landmark decision on climate change, though it would almost certainly be appealed to a Supreme Court that is set to become more conservative in the wake of Donald Trump’s win.
Hawaii buys 635 acres of conservation land on Oahu
Biz Journals | Posted onNovember 13, 2016 in Rural NewsThe state Department of Land and Natural Resources has purchased 635 acres in Aiea in Central Oahu from Bishop Museum. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although funding for the acquisitions came from the state’s Legacy Land Conservation Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Recovery Land Acquisition Program.
In Opioid Epidemic, Prejudice Persists Against Methadone
Pew Charitable Trust | Posted onNovember 13, 2016 in Rural NewsWhen Rebecca Schmaltz found out she was pregnant with her second child, she tried to quit heroin cold turkey. She stopped injecting for a day or two, became sick with withdrawal symptoms, and relapsed. She kept trying, though, to kick the habit on her own. Finally in her fourth month of pregnancy she passed out from severe withdrawal symptoms and ended up in a hospital. When she woke up, she learned a doctor had given her methadone to eliminate her symptoms, which can be life-threatening to the fetus.
Michigan legislature gives final approval to autonomous vehicle bills
Michigan Free Press | Posted onNovember 13, 2016 in Rural NewsIn an attempt to position Michigan as the center of research for autonomous vehicles, the Legislature gave final approval Thursday to a package of four bills that allows for the testing of driverless cars in the state. Without any discussion or debate, the House of Representative passed the package with overwhelming majorities. The Senate concurred this afternoon with technical changes made by the House and sent the bills to Gov.
Cook County, home to Chicago, approves sugar tax in growing trend
Reuters | Posted onNovember 13, 2016 in Food NewsChicagoans and other residents of Cook County will see soft-drink prices rise after a new tax on sugary beverages was narrowly approved by county officials on Thursday, aimed at both addressing health issues linked to sugar consumption and trimming a budget shortfall. Cook County, with about 5.2 million residents, is the most populous municipality so far to implement a tax on sugary drinks. Voters in San Francisco and two other northern California cities, Oakland and Albany, approved similar measures on Tuesday. The Cook County tax will be a penny per ounce.
Massachusetts farms impacted by new law to change animal confinement
WWLP | Posted onNovember 13, 2016 in Agriculture NewsOn Tuesday, Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly approved a new law banning farmers from restrictively confining hens, pigs, and calves; 78% of voters said ‘Yes.’ Diemand Farm was prepared for a yes vote and will change with the law. “We will have to work to accommodate the new requirement to enlarge the cages or go with a cage-free system entirely,” said Brian Bailey of Diemand Farm in Wendell. Bailey said they’ve kept their chickens in cages for efficiency and sanitary reasons, and to protect them from hurting each other.
AFTER DEADLY POLICE ENCOUNTERS, VOTERS OK CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT
AP | Posted onNovember 13, 2016 in Rural NewsAmid a national push for greater police accountability, voters in several major cities have approved measures to create or strengthen civilian oversight of law enforcement. The trend reflects growing public demand for independent reviews of misconduct claims after deadly police encounters in cities such as Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore and New York spotlighted police use-of-force and interaction with minorities. Voters in New Orleans, Honolulu, Miami and San Francisco passed plans Tuesday to bolster existing civilian oversight programs.
These Colorado Veterans Are Finding Peace On The Farm
KUNC | Posted onNovember 13, 2016 in Agriculture NewsBen and Leticia Ward’s farm in Fountain, Colorado, just outside Colorado Springs, doesn’t look like an army base. But it’s not hard to uncover whiffs of military influence at Little Roman Farm. A stack of sturdy fiberglass bins next to a greenhouse seem benign, ready to be put to use as brooding bins for chickens or an aquaponics system to grow veggies and fish at the same time. The bins once housed Joint Direct Attack Munition, or part of a system that controls “smart bombs.” “It was purged courtesy of the U.S. Army,” Ben Ward says. “Thanks, U.S. Army.
Regulators overhaul wind, solar power rules for federal land
The Hill | Posted onNovember 13, 2016 in Energy NewsFederal regulators made final a rule Thursday overhauling how wind and solar power companies lease public land. The rule from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) creates a competitive bidding process for the first time for renewable energy on federal land for oil, gas and coal companies use. It also gives incentives for companies to put their wind turbines or solar panels in areas that do not conflict with wildlife, among other changes. The rule is the first significant overhaul of wind and solar standards for federal land.
USDA: Midsize farms hold their own
Capital Press | Posted onNovember 13, 2016 in Federal NewsThe number of midsize growers in the U.S. has dropped slightly but the category hasn’t experienced as much change as other farm sizes, according to USDA. Farms in the midsize category, with roughly $350,000 to $1 million in annual revenue, declined in number by 5 percent between 1992 and 2012, according to a recent USDA study. To compare, large farms with more than $1 million in revenue more than doubled in number, while small commercial farms — those with revenues between $10,000 and $350,000 — declined in number by 22 percent.