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Trudeau government considers reopening prison farms shut down in 2010

The Globe and Mail | Posted on July 14, 2016

Pat Kincaid credits the dairy cows on a now-shuttered prison farm in Ontario with teaching him the skills he needed to break a life-long cycle of crime and incarceration. The 65-year-old Kingston, Ont., resident, who has spent a total of 35 years behind bars for assaults, thefts and other property crimes, hopes other inmates get the chance to benefit from a program the federal Liberal government is now considering reopening.

“There’s not a program in jail, even today, that can teach those skills that the cows have taught me by working with them,” said Kincaid, who’s been out of prison for seven years. The 2010 closure of the country’s prison farms by the then-Conservative government — six in total operating at institutions in New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta — was highly controversial.


USDA Announces $210 Million to be Invested in Renewable Energy Infrastructure through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership

USDA | Posted on July 14, 2016

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is partnering with 21 states through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) to nearly double the number of fueling pumps nationwide that supply renewable fuels to American motorists. In May 2015, USDA announced the availability of $100 million in grants through the BIP, and that to apply states and private partners match the federal funding by a 1:1 ratio. USDA received applications requesting over $130 million, outpacing the $100 million that is available. With the matching commitments by state and private entities, the BIP is investing a total of $210 million to strengthen the rural economy.


VIlsack declares Nationa Farmers Market Week

USDA | Posted on July 14, 2016

VIlsack declares the week of August 7-13 as National Farmers Market Week.


USDA makes it easier to export U.S. meat to Cuba

meatingplace.com | Posted on July 14, 2016

FSIS last week set updated export requirements for exports to Cuba, including fresh and frozen pork, poultry, beef – and their related products – along with sheep and goat meat. The eligible listings include specific exceptions and several ineligible products under the poultry category based in some cases on the origins of the birds from 13 U.S. states processed before Oct. 20, 2015. Those birds may have been affected by last year’s avian influenza outbreak.   


House to vote on gmo labeling bill

Consumer Reports | Posted on July 14, 2016

The House of Representatives is expected to vote Thursday or Friday on a bill passed last week by the Senate that would nullify Vermont's geneticall modified organisms labeling law, which went into effect July 1, and prevent any state from enacting its own labeling law.


Brexit Could Bring Market, Policy Impacts for U.S. Grains

Hoosier Ag Today | Posted on July 11, 2016

Britain’s decision last month to leave the European Union could have both market and trade policy effects on the U.S. grain industry, though the U.S. Grains Council says exactly how the change could impact farmers’ bottom lines is among the many unanswered questions. The EU does not import large volumes of U.S. corn due to trade barriers related to biotechnology. Overall, the total value of all types of U.S. feed grain and related products that were exported in the 2014/2015 marketing year was about $745 million. Though the initial grain market impact eased quickly, USGC says follow-on effects on exports could be seen from a stronger U.S. dollar. Markets might also face negative impacts from Brexit on the euro area and, to a lesser extent, the global economy, affecting demand for grain and the meat it produces. However, the largest and longest-term impacts of the Brexit on grains could come from the trade policy arena, not the marketplace.


Russia extends ban on Western food

meatingplace.com | Posted on July 11, 2016

Russia has extended its ban on imports of Western food to the end of 2017.


U.K. Farmland's Bull Run Is Over After Brexit Puts Subsidies in Doubt

AgWeb | Posted on July 7, 2016

U.K. farmland, which for years has rivaled gold as a place for investors to park money in, is starting to lose its allure because of Brexit.  Farmland prices, which began falling in late 2015, should drop or at best stagnate in the next six to 12 months on concern about the industry’s future as the U.K. prepares to exit the European Union, said Simon Gooderham, who focuses on rural property at estate agent Cheffins. Many won’t risk buying land due to uncertainty over trade and EU subsidies farmers depend on, he said.


House vote sends food aid bill to Obama

Agri-Pulse | Posted on July 7, 2016

Legislation that will write into law President Obama's Feed the Future initiative and a new food aid program is headed to the White House for his signature. The House voted 369-53 Wednesday to give final congressional approval to the Global Food Security Act, which would ensure that both Feed the Future and the Emergency Food Security Program extend beyond the Obama administration.


Group drops $2,000 on Senate floor to protest GMO bill

The Hill | Posted on July 7, 2016

Members of the Organic Consumers Association threw money from the Senate gallery onto the floor to protest a vote on a bill to block states from issuing mandatory labeling laws for foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).  The protesters yelled "Monsanto Money" and "Sen. Stabenow, listen to the people, not Monsanto" while $2,000 fell to the floor. 


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