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| ::May 4-May 11,
2012
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Agriculture News |
Rural Communities |
Federal and International |
Virginia now targets forestry and ag for incentive money The state offers grant and loan money to help grow business in the state, so lawmakers figured it was time to provide the same type of funding to promote development in agriculture. Farming and forestry are Virginia's two largest industries, and the new incentive program will make $2 Miln available to them over the next two years to help them become even bigger. The legislation that creates the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund that could be used by farmers who want to build a silo, expand a barn or do something else to grow their operations. The Staunton News-Leader CT House passes lemon law for pets Under the bill, a pet shop that sells a dog or cat that becomes ill or dies of an illness that existed at the time of sale must reimburse the consumer up to $500 for veterinarian bills. The same penalty would apply if the animal is diagnosed with a serious congenital defect within six months of sale. It also requires pet shops to post signs about the lemon law and prohibits businesses from requiring the return of the animal for reimbursement. State Rep. Diana Urban, said the bill aims to protect people from the expenses of caring for a sick pet that was bred in an "animal mill." Theday.com Staten Island pol targets cosmetic cruelty to animals Saying that she was "sickened" by a TV program about cosmetic procedures for pets, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis has introduced a bill that would make it a misdemeanor to subject a dog, cat or other companion animal to piercings, tattoos and unnecessary appearance-altering surgeries. Staten Island Live Alabama Immigration Debate Heats Up A year after approving the toughest state anti-immigration legislation in the country, Alabama lawmakers want to revise the law to make it easier to comply with and enforce. But their efforts have rekindled the same emotional fight that was so contentious in the first place. The ambitious law touches many parts of everyday life in Alabama. It affects police, businesses, schools and churches and those they serve. Many parts of the law are on hold, but most accounts are that it has had an immediate and profound impact: Immigrants and many in their communities have either fled or gone into hiding. Stateline The new regulatory environment for Louisiana agriculture Enforcement agents from EPA visited four 4 operations and issued compliance orders due to CWA violations. The EPA is using satellite imagery and other data sources to identify operations to conduct their inspections. As an immediate response, I issued letters advising our poultry farmers to re-visit their nutrient management plans and to make sure that they are in compliance with the best management practices and conservation measures set forth in their plans. The EPA informed the LDAF that in addition to poultry and egg producers, they intend to examine all forms of CAFOs. One of the most significant concerns to Louisiana agriculture is the impending threat of the development of TMDLs and nutrient criteria for the Mississippi River Basin. LDAF Colorado facing a mass exodus of lawmakers The Colorado legislature is bracing for a historic exodus brought on by a combination of term limits, new legislative boundaries and political aspirations for higher office. Denver Post NH bill increases landowner liability protections New Hampshire landowners who open their property to the public would get beefed up liability protection under a bill before a Senate committee. The House-passed bill says any landowner, lessee or manager of property open to hunting, fishing, trapping, camping and other recreational activities is not responsible to keep the land safe for entry. The bill would not protect landowners from malicious acts or if the injury happened while performing services for money. The bill was prompted by a lawsuit that was later dropped by a Manchester man hurt while scouting hunting locations. Fosters Daily Democrat New index ranks Vermont tops in locally grown food More than half of consumers now say it's more important to buy local than organic. Vermont has 99 farmers markets and 164 CSAs, with a population of fewer than 622,000. Iowa, Montana, Maine and Hawaii rounded out the top five. Times Union California Chefs to Wield Their Spatulas in Fight Over Foie Gras Ban A collection of some of California’s best-known chefs began a full-course press on the state’s legislators on hoping to prevent a long-simmering ban on foie gras from taking effect on July 1. The group, the Coalition for Humane and Ethical Farming Standards, delivered a charter statement to lawmakers in Sacramento, advocating a wide variety of new animal-friendly commitments, including cage-free birds and hand feeding, to replace the current law. NYTimes.com NY lawmakers aim to strengthen animal cruelty laws At a public hearing the New York State Senate Agricultural Committee heard testimony from law enforcement about their opinion of current animal cruelty laws - and whether they're strict enough. Right now, dog fighting and animal cruelty are only considered to be violations of the "agriculture and markets" law. They feel animal cruelty laws are extremely outdated and want to get justice against anyone who harms animals. The Philadelphia Examiner Transparency – Transparency – Transparency In this age of continuous information, reacting to an ongoing incident was insufficient as that is too late. We have to get the information out before an incident occurs. How do we do that? Virtually every speaker made a suggestion as they weighed in on the need for transparency in agriculture, especially animal agriculture. Meatingplace.com The owners of Double H Farms of Grandview signed an agreement in which they will pay Dept of Ecology $90,000 and clean up four more potential dumping sites on the farm without admitting any wrongdoing. In exchange, Ecology is dropping all penalties and legal disputes related to alleged violations on the farm of Ecology's dangerous waste regulations. Both parties are stipulating to a dismissal of the farm's appeal of Ecology's $165,000 penalty at the state's Pollution Control Hearings Board. The farm is a cherry orchard and vineyard. Double H paid the Dept of Agriculture $25,000 last summer to end that department's portion of the case while admitting no fault. Capital Press U.S. likely to adopt Britain’s hog production practices A pork producer from the U.K. says that U.S. hog farmers should prepare to operate without gestation stalls. Speaking at the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit, Mike Sheldon, who raises hogs in Great Britain, said that legislation in England sent his gestation stalls to the scrap yard at least a decade ago. “We became seriously uncompetitive for a short period of time in Europe, now the rest of Europe is about to go through that process that we’ve already had to endure and move out of close confinement stalls themselves. Brownfield Veal farmers move calves to group pens Five-years after the Board of Directors of the American Veal Association voted unanimously to adopt a resolution calling for all U.S. veal farms to transition to group pens, a recent survey reveals that 70 % of veal calves raised by AVA members will be housed in group pens by the end of 2012. The resolution, adopted by the AVA on May 9, 2007, took a leadership position on farm animal housing by calling for the veal community to transition all veal farms to group housing by December 31, 2017. Drovers Prices for Hogs Wallow in the Mud The 26% decline in lean hog prices over the past nine months has frustrated traders, farmers and meat processors, who have long anticipated a rebound. It also has shown little benefit to consumers, who still are paying record prices. The high cost is deterring U.S. consumers from buying pork products as demand from places such as China and South Korea also slows. Also, supplies are likely to be more plentiful than usual thanks to the mild U.S. winter, which caused hogs to add on more pounds than usual. That has all combined to drive down lean-hog prices at a time when prices typically would be rising Wall Street Journal New study blames dairy farms for much of LA’s smog Dairy cows may be a bigger contributor to smog in the Los Angeles area than many people thought, according to a new study conducted by scientists from the University of Colorado and the NOAA, found that dairy farms and motor vehicles are about equally responsible for a sizeable fraction of the smog over LA. A large portion of the smog is ammonium nitrate, consisting of small particles from the interaction of ammonia and nitrogen oxide gas. Both cows and automobiles are responsible for ammonia, but it’s the automobiles that produce nitrogen oxide. Dairy Herd CME Change Affects Elevator Pricing, USDA Report Days 22-Hour Trades Unsettling. Grain buyers and elevators are going have to deal with issues of the settlement price in the CBOT open pit as well as a closing price on electronic trading nearly three hours later under the push for 22-hour electronic trading of grains and oilseeds. Moreover, grain merchandisers could be faced with making quick market calls on USDA report days as electronic trading rolls right through release of production and stocks reports. DTN Dairies dry up in Seattle's shadow Less than 50 years ago, about 150 dairies thrived in Pierce County. Today there are two. Brian Anderson grew up on the farm his father started in 1967, so he's been dairying all his life. But the industry has been vanishing around him. "This is now a suburb of Seattle," he said. "Some land is now in warehouses and housing developments. Some is just sitting empty, and the county bought up some for wetlands." Capital Press Frost takes toll on Erie region fruit crops Seasonal frosts killed fruit buds that were coaxed out early by summerlike temperatures throughout the Erie region. Temperatures from late March through April dipped to freezing or below more than a dozen times. Grapes, the region's largest fruit crop, took the brunt of the frost damage. While there's no estimate yet of how much of the 2012 crop has been lost, it's shaping up to be the worst frost damage in 35 years. The damage is significant from Ohio through Pennsylvania and New York, even in Ontario Goerie.com Erratic weather devastating Mich. fruits A disaster is unfolding in Michigan orchards as erratic spring weather causes some of the biggest losses in decades of cherries, apples and other fruits Yahoo.com HA:Groups consider appeal of court's fish-farm ruling Two groups opposed to floating fish farms are considering an appeal of a ruling by U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway that a federal agency was within its authority to grant an ocean aquaculture permit to a private research venture. Chicago Tribune Asparagus left in the field shines light on immigration A recent story about Washington farmers who abandoned their asparagus fields because they couldn't find enough workers to harvest the crop shines a light on the immigration debate. Tri-city herald CA: Water shortages pit trout against vineyards The competition between farmers and fish for precious water in California is intensifying in wine country, The journal Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, link higher death rates for threatened juvenile steelhead trout with low water levels in the summer and the amount of vineyard acreage upstream. The researchers found that juvenile steelhead trout are particularly at risk during the dry summer season typical of California's Mediterranean climate. Of the juvenile steelhead trout present in June, on average only 30 % survived to the late summer. In years with higher rainfall and in watersheds with less vineyard land use, the survival of juvenile trout over the summer was significantly higher. University of California Farm Credit ranks shrink due to mergers When Bob Boyle was hired by the Farm Credit System three decades ago, the network had separate lenders for real estate loans and operating loans. Due to consolidation, farmers today don't have to seek out different lenders for each loan type, said Boyle, regional VP for Northwest FCS. "You have one office with a broad menu of products and services," he said. In the past decade, mergers in the Farm Credit System have shrunk the number of ag lenders within the network by 25 percent. Capital Press Alfalfa: Dwindling Acres Could Decrease Production Totals With an unseasonably warm winter and early spring, the outlook for this year's alfalfa-producing season is looking favorable for most Midwest growing states. However, the number of alfalfa acres continues to dwindle. DTN One Whopper of a Kansas Wheat Crop Possible Whether or not the Kansas wheat crop comes in near 404 mb or 440 mb, it will be viewed as large at a time when world supplies of wheat remain cumbersome. The end result could be a market that struggles to rally over the balance of 2012, with the cash market possibly losing ground to the futures market. DTN Why Biotech Food Labeling Is Met with Resistance The California voter initiative is likely to meet fierce resistance from agricultural and business interests, who predict it will prove costly both for growers and consumers. Opponents warn the measure constitutes a “right to sue” initiative that will undercut sales of numerous food items that have been consumed safely for years. Biotech.org Will Brazil import U.S. soybeans It's been over a decade since Brazil, the world's #2 soybean producer, has had to import the soybeans from the US. That streak could end as early as this year because of South America's worsening crop shortages. Due to a drought in the first months of the year, southern farmers in Brazil rushed to sell their soybeans taking advantage of high international prices. Agriculture.com Agriculture the big thing in next 20 years Agriculture is going to be the big thing in the next 20 years. The best thing you can do is to become a farmer, that is where the money is going to be made. It has been a disaster for the last 20 years, but farmers are going to be driving the Lamborghini in the next 20 years, stock brokers are going to be driving taxis. The smart ones will learn how to drive tractors so they can work for the smart farmers. Anything to do with agriculture -- seeds, tractors, fertilizer, water -- is going to be extremely profitable over the next 20 years. Economic Times NM: Horse rescuers overwhelmed with animals After undercover video of supposed alleged abuses at an animal auction went public, horse rescue organizations are suddenly swamped with animals. Because of the controversy over the video, auction houses around the state are refusing horses. That means horse rescues are filling up fast. "there are probably 800 horses right now in the state of New Mexico that need to be rescued or need to be taken to a sale barn," said Walkin' N Circles Executive Director Charles Graham. KASA.com Wild horse caretaker says reviving slaughter will help industry Jim Smith rumbled down a dusty road in his truck to check on the herd of wild horses he has been looking after near this tiny Ozarks town for more than two decades. The herd, which got its start when horses were abandoned during the Great Depression, is growing again as tough times have pushed owners who can no longer afford to feed their horses try to give them a fighting chance in the wild. Mr. Smith, who runs a trail-riding operation and captures many horses to limit the herd size and protect the newly abandoned "dumpouts" from harm, thinks there is a solution that makes many people uncomfortable: the slaughterhouse. "The horse industry has gone to hell in a handbasket," said Mr. Smith, "An old horse, a crippled horse, an unwanted horse, they all cost the same to feed, and nobody wants them, so they keep dumping them off here. Until there is a place to take them, it's not going to get any better." Wall Street Journal HSUS releases video shot at Wyo. pig facility In a news conference this morning, the Humane Society of the United States unveiled its most recent video, captured surreptitiously, of “cruel treatment of animals and inhumane conditions” at a Wyoming Premium Farms facility. Meatingplace.com Tyson denies connection to Wyoming facility Contrary to the impression left by HSUS, there is no connection between this Wyoming farm and the pork that we process. Tyson Foods does not buy any of the hogs raised on this farm for our pork processing plants. We do have a small, but separate hog buying business that buys aged sows that are subsequently sold to other companies and are not used in Tyson’s pork processing business. We do not condone for any reason this kind of mistreatment of animals shown in the video. Virtually all of the hogs Tyson buys for our processing plants come from thousands of independent farm families who use both individual and group housing. We require all hog farmers who supply us to be certified in the pork industry’s Pork Quality Assurance Plus program, which incorporates rigid animal well-being standards. Brownfield Pork Efforts to Address Carbon Footprint-Webinar Description of tools designed for producers to begin to assess greenhouse gas emissions and manage resource efficiency in sow and grow-finish production. Extension.org USDA has estimated annual production costs and returns and published accounts for major field crop and livestock enterprises. Cost and return estimates are reported for corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, grain sorghum, rice, peanuts, oats, barley, milk, hogs, and cow-calf. These cost and return accounts are "historical" accounts based on the actual costs incurred by producers. USDA This product brings together data on fertilizer consumption in the United States by plant nutrient and major selected product, as well as consumption of mixed fertilizers, secondary nutrients, and micronutrients. Share of crop area receiving fertilizer and fertilizer use per receiving acre, by nutrient, are presented for corn, cotton, soybeans, and wheat. Additional data include fertilizer farm prices and indices of wholesale fertilizer price. USDA Animal Agriculture in Decreasing Resources and Increasing Regulation A recent survey of America's young farmers and ranchers revealed that 97.2 % planned to farm and ranch for life; and 90 % said they would like their children to follow in their footsteps. World population continues to grow, and many countries look to the US as a key source for animal protein. This challenge for U. S. farmers and ranchers to help meet increasing global demand for meat is occurring simultaneously as agricultural land and resources dwindle and as regulations impacting animal agriculture increase. Animalagriculture.org More Details of Sacred White Calf Slaughter, Locals Push for Hate Crime Status Lakota Ranch owners found the carcass of a their prized white buffalo calf that had been killed and skinned. Investigations by the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers are proceeding, but cautiously. “They’re trying to keep it low-key,” said Little Soldier, who revealed that there is a suspect. Indian Country Today Challenges in Genetically Engineered Crop Regulatory Process A new innovation can completely reshape an industry-- inspiring both optimism and debate. The development of genetically engineered crops in the 1980's ignited a buzz in the agricultural community with the potential for higher crop yields and better nutritional content, along with the reduction of herbicide and pesticide use. GE crops grew to play a significant role in the U.S., with more than 160 Miln acres of farmland used to produce GE crops in 2011. However, the development of new GE crops has recently slowed to a trickle due to litigation over field testing and deregulation. University of Minnesota researchers Esther McGinnis, Alan Smith, and Mary Meyer set out to determine the cause of these litigation responsible for slowing GE progress in the U.S. Science Daily Agricultural Bacteria: Blowing in the Wind A new study has uncovered a less obvious, but still troubling, effect of wind: Not only can it carry away soil particles, but also the beneficial microbes that help build soil, detoxify contaminants, and recycle nutrients. Science Daily Reuters Characteristics of small-scale U.S. livestock operations Nearly 9 of 10 operations had beef cattle and almost half had more than 1 type of livestock. About 1/2 of small-scale operations were lifestyle farms in which the operator's primary occupation was off-farm. About 1/4th were farming occupation farms; and about 1/4th were retirement farms. The primary operator was at least 65 years old on 37% of small-scale livestock operations and at least 65 years old on 30% % of all U.S. farm operations. A total of 9% of small-scale livestock operations had a female primary operator compared with 14% % of all U.S. farm operations. A total of 4% % of primary operators on small-scale livestock operations were of Hispanic origin compared with 2.5% of operators on all U.S. farm operations. Drovers Arizona water uncertainties change farm lending practices The uncertainty of future water supplies and energy costs in central Arizona has led farm lender Farm Credit Services Southwest to take a harder look at loan collateral risks. Last fall, FCSSW conducted a study on Arizona water trends and related issues facing agriculture and how these changing issues could impact the lender’s future loans to farm and ranch customers. Western Farm Press Another downward revision in milk prices This USDA issued another downward revision of its estimated average milk prices for 2012. The agency now predicts that the all-milk price will average $16.90 to $17.40 per hundredweight this year, compared to last month’s forecast of $17.25 to $17.75. Dairy Herd Farm theft rising rapidly across US The recent theft of a massive quantity of corn feed from a central Alabama mill underscores why farmers should take special safeguards against farm theft, especially in these hard economic times, cautions one expert. A clutch of thieves managed to steal some $175,000 worth of feed corn from an Alabama mill the equivalent of 25 tractor trailer loads. Western Farm Press Soy-Crop Bust Spurs China to Drain U.S. Bins U.S. soybean stockpiles are poised to drop to the lowest relative to consumption since at least 1965 after the worst drought in five decades decimated crops across South America, driving China to buy more from Midwest farmers. Bloomberg Why Cattle Prices Are at an All-Time High You can expect the price of steaks and hamburgers to be higher this summer. The reason is that cattle prices are nearly double what they were last year. The drought that struck Texas in 2011 caused the state cattle industry to lose over three Biln dollars. With little rain, grass simply didn’t grow, and ranchers had to buy hay at record-high prices from as far away as Montana. Many ranchers sold off their herds, which resulted in the largest decline in the beef cow inventory in Texas history. State Impact Texas Study Says Today’s Corn Plants Use Nitrogen Efficiently Purdue University research findings indicate that today's hybrid corn varieties more efficiently use nitrogen. The researchers recently reviewed 72 years of public sector research data. Although modern hybrids take up more total nitrogen per acre during the growing season than they did before, the amount of grain produced per pound of nitrogen accumulated in corn plants is substantially greater than it was for corn hybrids of earlier decades. So, in that sense, the efficiency of nitrogen utilization has gradually improved. National Hog Farmer Iowa Partnership Provides Water Quality Test Kits The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has partnered with Iowa State Extension to place water quality testing kits in 20 counties, according to the Iowa Manure Management Action Group. The kits are available for livestock producers to use to check water quality in streams below their feedlots and cow yards. The test kits will come with an instructional video and a fact sheet on water quality testing and impacts. The results of this water testing are confidential and livestock producers are not required to share the information. The testing can help producers identify if runoff is reaching a stream and the potential impact on aquatic life. National Hog Farmer Open Letter to Oprah: Come to My Farm and See Why Biotech Crops Make Sense Come to my farm. Visit the land that I’ve worked since I was a boy. See this place so that you’ll never again let bad articles on agriculture tarnish the pages of your magazine or the pixels on your website. If you accept this invitation to have a firsthand look at how an Iowa farmer produces healthy food in an economically and environmentally sustainable way, you’ll perform an important service to your readers and viewers–because right now, they’re receiving a very mistaken impression about what we grow and what everyone eats. In the May issue of O: The Oprah Magazine, Rachel Mount discusses genetically modified food. She asks a fair question: “What impact do GM foods have on our health?” But her answer–“no one really knows”–is absurd. The American Dietetic Association, the American Medical Association, the Research Council of the National Academies of Science, and the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization all agree that GM foods are safe and nutritious. Truth about Trade and Technology Illegal
trees put California citrus industry at risk Everyone involved with the citrus industry should
be aware
by now that a citrus tree in the L.A. area, and an associated Asian
citrus
psyllid, were found to be infected with a tree deadly bacterial
disease. Parts of this diseased tree appear to have been propogated
from material uncerified material. When Huanglongbing infects a tree,
bacteria, eventually, are found throughout the tree including shoots and buds.
Bringing in an illegal bud and propagating a new branch or tree of a favorite
pummelo from a country in Asia, no matter how sweet the fruit; or a lime from
Mexico, no matter how much it reminds one of home or a fun vacation; or
possibly even a citron from an arboretum in Europe, no matter how good the
fruit smells; puts the entire California citrus industry at extreme risk. Western Farm Press Bollworms,
other pests, showing up very early in Arkansas crops The lack of prolonged winter weather followed by a spring
that broke many high temperature records was bound to have an effect on
Mid-South crops. That has certainly proven out with the early arrival of the
insect complex. These pests are
at least a month ahead of schedule. Delta Farm Press Purdue
entomologist says “expect the unexpected” Black Cutworms aren’t the only pests Indiana farmers are
facing already this spring. Purdue
University entomologist John Obermeyer says because of the unusual spring
– he isn’t surprised by the insect development earlier than normal this year. Brownfield Network Conservation
efforts are working Each one of us plays a small role in the bigger conservation
picture. Backyard practices like using less fertilizer and chemicals on lawns,
to bigger practices like farmers no-tilling and sowing cover crops, all add up
to make Ohio a better place, with clean water and productive soils. That clean
water and productive soil allows a diversity of fish and macroinvertebrate
populations, as well as habitat for wildlife and crop fields that feed all of
us. Farm and Dairy How
Can Corn Prices Move In Three Directions At Once? New crop futures, old crop futures, and the basis for cash
corn each have a mind of their own, and while you are addressing one head-on,
another may come around to bite you in the tailgate. Farmgateblog.com BPI closes three plants permanently Beef Products Inc., the manufacturer of lean, finely textured beef, also called “pink slime” in the media, is permanently closing three manufacturing facilities effective May 25. The three facilities are located in Amarillo, Texas; Garden City, Kan.; and Waterloo, Iowa. The company cited decreased demand for its products as the reason for the closings. Meatpoultry.com |
Iowa community preserves short line rail track In northern Iowa, a group of farmers have banded together to buy nearly 30 miles of railroad track to assure they can get their grain to the ethanol market. Short line tracks are being idled across the country as railroads concentrate on longer trains. NPR.org Mo. Humane Society Director Salary Raises Questions Target 8 investigation revealed the nonprofit Humane Society of Missouri's President Kathryn Warnick has been paid a total of almost $800,000 in compensation and benefits in the past two years--while the organization ran a deficit between $500,000 and $800,000. KOMU.com Calif officials recall raw milk from Fresno dairy Raw milk from a Central California dairy is being recalled after tests confirmed bacteria called campylobacter (kamp -peh-low-back-ter) was found in its raw cream. State health officials say at least 10 people have fallen ill after consuming products from Organic Pastures in Fresno County Mercury News Rural Employment in Swing States Swing states with high unemployment are expected to determine the outcome of 2012's presidential race. Eight swing states have rural unemployment rates higher than the national average. Daily Yonder Amish farm kids remarkably immune to allergies: study Amish children raised on rural farms in northern Indiana suffer from asthma and allergies less often even than Swiss farm kids, a group known to be relatively free from allergies. "The rates are very, very low," said Dr. Mark Holbreich. "So there's something that we feel is even more protective in the Amish" than in European farming communities. What it is about growing up on farms -- and Amish farms in particular -- that seems to prevent allergies remains unclear. Researchers have long observed the so-called "farm effect" -- the low allergy and asthma rates found among kids raised on farms -- in central Europe, but less is known about the influence of growing up on North American farms. Reuters LA: $325M borrowing plan for Louisiana's rural roads gets final OK A $325 Miln borrowing plan to repair and upgrade rural roads across Louisiana received final legislative passage, offering hope to regions of the state where highways have returned to gravel from poor maintenance. The proposal by Rep. Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, won unanimous approval in a House vote with little discussion, sending the bill to the desk of Gov. Bobby Jindal, who supports it. Every parish but Orleans Parish will be eligible for the highway repair money, which will pay for work on roads not eligible for federal matching dollars in the highway program. The Town Talk Rural doctors enjoy the challenges, benefits of small town practice Drs. Sherry Williams and Kenneth Brown enjoy practicing medicine in the small community of Arthur. Both family physicians sought out jobs close to home in proximity and mind-set. Williams, whose clinic is affiliated with Decatur Memorial Hospital, grew up and continues to live in Bethany. Brown, whose clinic is affiliated with St. Mary's Hospital, grew up in Arthur. Rural health care offers special challenges and rewards, the doctors said. Practicing in Arthur offers the opportunity to care for an array of patients, ranging from city dwellers to the area's Amish community. The Chicago Tribune Rural Communities Struggle to Maintain Water, Sewer Services Thousands of communities across North Carolina must rely on septic systems - systems many of them are struggling to maintain or replace in the current economic climate. Allegheny County is one example. The septic system that services one of its elementary schools was shut down by the Health Department earlier this year. The school is transporting waste off-site while the new system is completed. Unlike other states, North Carolina does not offer an annual appropriation to communities for water and sewer maintenance. ent, Patrick Woodie. Public News Service Rural road fights in Utah heat up with more lawsuits Utah's legal fight to claim 12,000 roads isn't about paving deer trails or putting in four-lane highways, but about preserving access by residents to roads with long, historical use. That characterization of what is likely to be a protracted battle unfolding in federal court was emphasized by Utah's chief deputy attorney general John Swallow during a press conference detailing the state's plans in the controversial RS2477 right-of-way dispute. The fight pits the state and 22 counties against the U.S. Dept of the Interior over preserving rights of way to Civil War-era roads, trails and routes granted to local government under a statute called RS2477. The Deseret News Small mountain communities like Murphy, North Carolina, are going to remain rural longer now that the Federal Highway Administration has laid to rest the idea of a 3rd Infantry Division Highway. The highway was likely the work of the late Rep. Charlie Norwood, a Georgia Republican, who planted an earmark into President George W. Bush’s 2005 transportation spending law. The earmark required a study of a new highway from Savannah, Ga., to Knoxville, Tenn. Earmarks can be pernicious. This one threatened to build a highway through one of the most beautiful areas of the rural South, and that possibility remained until just recently, years after Norwood’s death. Daily Yonder Atlas of Rural And Small Town America View statistics on people, jobs, agriculture across the country. USDA Exploring the Link Between Animal Health and Food Safety There's growing pressure for animal agriculture to change its practices, whether it be utilizing gestation crates or feeding antibiotics, but a new paper cautions that these changes may negatively impact food safety. The discussion paper released by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology identified some of the factors now being discussed that impact animal health, including: antibiotic use, economies of scale, housing, local production and sustainability. Food Safety News Ban on exotic swine causes backlash in Michigan, as resisters claim government violates rights Baker is among Michigan farmers and ranchers battling the state’s attempt to stamp out an industry that has been capitalizing on the increasing popularity of certain fierce, sharp-tusked boars among adventure hunters and gourmands at tony restaurants. They’re believed to be escaping from hunting preserves and becoming a menace in the wild. The conflict over the beasts has created odd alliances among foodies, environmentalists, agribusiness, hunters, and regulators in a state that normally tries to nurture businesses but in this case wants to exterminate one. Washington Post With Sights on a Livelihood beyond Coal Many rural areas face fundamental shifts in their economies. In Kentucky, community advocates and scholars come together to project a future less reliant on Old King Coal. Daily Yonder Safeway announces plans toward gestation stall-free pork supply Grocery giant Safeway today became the latest food industry player to announce plans to attempt to source pork from operations that do not use sow gestation stalls. Meatingplace.com Agriculture Districts: Potential benefits for horse farm owners and our hay producers Agriculture districts, also known as agricultural preserves and incentive, protection or security areas, comprise geographic areas where farming is a priority land use and commercial agriculture is encouraged. Most farm businesses require large tracts of land or contiguous smaller parcels to be economically viable. Enrolling land in an agriculture district opens a number of incentives and protections for horse farm owners and equine-related producers that can include reduced property taxes, increased eligibility for conservation easements and protection against nuisance suits. ELCR.org The Times completes an essay-writing contest initiated a few weeks back by Ariel Kaminer, who writes the column “The Ethicist.” Today’s column announces the winner from among 3,000 essayists who responded to Ms. Kaminer’s request to “tell us why it’s ethical to eat meat.” The contest stirred a fuss even before it was over, as bloggers, commenters and e-mailers lodged objections on every conceivable side of the question, while others jumped in as participants. In addition to the 3,000 people who took the time to write an essay, almost 17,000 people submitted votes for their favorite essay. The setup of the contest virtually ensured that no unapologetic ode to meat would win. That’s because the six judges were, in Ms. Kaminer’s words, “some of the most influential thinkers to question or condemn the eating of meat.” The winning entry, as selected by the panel, argued that eating meat was ethical only under certain conditions — so many conditions that I am just going to have to refer you to the essay in the magazine, because it’s awfully complicated. Closer to home, Lisa Henderson, a sophomore at Kansas State University writing on the Pork Network Web site, objected that the judges’ predisposition made the contest a sham. “Does anyone really think this collection of judges could pick a winning essay that says anything positive about the eating of meat?” Ms. Henderson wrote. “Not likely.” New York Times Bake sale ban in Massachusetts sparks outcries over 'food police' A bake-sale ban in Massachusetts schools, designed to combat youth obesity, has spawned a sort of nationwide food fight. The crackdown on cookies is being met with a widespread criticism from bloggers, parents, and students who see it as a case of government gone too far. Turning brownies into contraband, they say, is the latest sign of a burgeoning "nanny state" that doesn't know its proper limits. Christian Science Monitor Grandin’s ‘ethical’ meat essay available Our relationship with the cattle should be symbiotic. Symbiosis is a biological concept of a mutually beneficial relationship between two different species. Killing animals for food is ethnical if the animals have what the Farm Animal Welfare Council in England calls a life worth living. Meatingplace.com Chinese alarm over formaldehyde-tainted cabbages Vegetable sellers in China have been caught spraying cabbages with a formaldehyde solution to keep them fresh in transit, the state news agency Xinhua has reported. BBC.CO.UK Slaughtering Animals Without Prior Stunning Should Be Curbed, If Not Banned, Professor Urges The slaughter of animals for commercial meat supply without stunning them first should at the very least be curbed, if not banned, concludes a former president of the British Veterinary Association Science Daily Investing in America’s Future: A Blueprint for Transforming Career and Technical Education If America is to once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the end of the decade, every American should have access to at least one year of higher education or postsecondary training at an affordable cost. A world-class education system that provides high-quality job-training opportunities will reduce skills shortages, spur business growth, encourage new investment and hiring, spark innovation, and promote continued economic growth. US Dept of Education Foreign Industrial Investment Is Reshaping America decisions being made in corporate boardrooms suggest that the United States is emerging the world’s biggest winner. Long the world leader as a destination for overseas investment, the U.S. is extending its lead as the favored land of overseas capital. Since 2008, foreign direct investment to Germany, France, Japan and South Korea has stagnated; in 2009, overall investment in the E.U. dropped 36%. In contrast, in 2010 foreign investment in the U.S. rose 49%, mostly coming from Canada, Europe and Japan. Forbes Obesity Report Says Govt Should Examine Farm Policy The Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academies of Science, released a report Tuesday laying out challenges of the country's obesity and proposals for changing policy to help address obesity. That report included recommendations that "Congress, the administration and federal agencies should examine the implication of U.S. agriculture policy for obesity, and should ensure that such policy includes understanding and implementing, as appropriate, an optimal mix of crops and farming methods for meeting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans." DTN How Higher Education Cuts Undermine The Future Middle Class Report examines how state disinvestment in public higher education over the past two decades has shifted costs to students and their families. Such disinvestment has occurred alongside rapidly rising enrollments and demographic shifts that are yielding more economically, racially, and ethnically diverse student bodies. As a result students and their families now pay—or borrow—a lot more for a college degree or are getting priced out of an education that has become a requirement for getting a decent job and entering the middle class. Demos.org Stewarding the Future of Our Communities Case Studies in Sustaining Community Engagement and Planning in America’s Small Cities and Towns. case studies of five exemplary community engagement and planning experiences in small towns and cities around the country, highlighting specific stewardship approaches they have used to carry the success of their efforts far into the future. In a framework developed specially for this study, it examines five discrete elements of community stewardship: Honoring local values, Sustaining citizen engagement, Achieving visions and plans, Holding leaders accountable, Responding to a changing world. The five communities represent the diversity of small-town America, reflecting a range of populations, community types , political jurisdictions, and geographic regions. Orton.org May 30 webinar offers latest small business research findings Small businesses have many beneficial effects on rural communities, as they are associated with higher income levels and lower poverty, unemployment, and crime rates. In a free Southern Rural Development Center-sponsored webinar, "Big News about Small Business," researchers Charles M. Tolbert and F. Carson Mencken from Baylor University and Troy C. Blanchard from Louisiana State University will report on nearly two decades of work on local firms' many contributions. In addition, new research based on federal economic data and on many hours of focus groups and interviews with rural business people will present the trials, tribulations, and successes of rural entrepreneurs. The very latest published data on small businesses and important public health outcomes will also be reviewed. The researchers will also ask for audience input on rural small businesses and policies that best nurture them. The webinar is set for Wednesday, May 30 at noon CST. Those wishing to participate are encouraged to access the following website approximately 20-30 minutes prior to the start of the webinar to ensure a successful connection to the Adobe Connect site. http://msues.na4.acrobat.com/srdc/. Please enter as Guest. SRDC How the Sharing Economy is Saving Municipal Governments Milns Alex Howard discusses how trends in collaborative consumption, in which people or organizations pool limited resources to more efficiently access tools or services, are moving from the private sector to government. Howard discusses the broader trends in the "sharing economy", such as co-working, bike sharing, exchanging books and videos, or cohabiting hackerspaces and community garden spaces, that "suggest the way we work, play and learn is changing due to the impact of connection technologies and the Great Recession." While the growth of these practices has been taking place in the private sector for quite some time, Howard points to the use of Zipcar by cities across the country (Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C.) as an example of the sharing economy's expansion into government entities, which is "enabling government to increase its efficacy and decrease its use of natural resources." According to Howard, "After finally making inroads into cities, Zipcar is saving taxpayers real money in the public sector. Technology developed by the car-sharing startup is being used in 10 cities and municipalities in 2012. If data from a pilot with the United States General Services Agency fleet pans out, the technology could be also adopted across the sprawling federal agency's vehicles, saving tens of Milns of dollars of operating expenses though smarter use of new technology." Planetizen.com 4-H gets $1 Miln for healthy kids’ program The 4-H Healthy Living program has gotten a big boost with a $1 Miln gift. Four-H officials say Molina Healthcare’s gift and partnership with 4-H will help make the program available to “financially vulnerable youth and their families” in more communities. Brownfield Health Officials Warn Against Drinking Raw Milk A mother, whose two-year-old has been hospitalized for 28 days after drinking raw milk, recommends not giving children milk that hasn't been pasteurized. In last few weeks as many as 21 cases of food-borne illnesses have been traced to raw milk from a farm outside of Willsonville. Health officials are repeating advice that raw milk is dangerous. Producers and drinkers say the outbreak is an anomaly and that the benefits of raw milk outweigh the risks. newsOPB.org News 3 Special Report: Pigs Gone Wild A growing plague of wild pigs is becoming areal pain for people across Alabama and Georgia, especially those whose livelihood depends on crops and livestock. A new method for controlling the pig population is in the making at Auburn University. Auburn University. Researchers are taking aim at the animals' reproduction. They’re working to develop an inexpensive oral contraceptive vaccine that would block fertility. 2.wrbl.com CA: Rural counties bristle at septic regs The state of California could move forward next month on new regulations for septic sewage systems, but not without some pushback from area agencies. The State Water Resources Control Board recently released a final draft of its policy on septic systems, also known as onsite water treatment systems. The policy would set up new rules and procedures for installing, maintaining and replacing private septic systems around the state in an attempt to prevent contamination of surface and groundwater. The Sonora Union-Democrat Settlement close in Glades cleanup suits Peace may finally be at hand in the decades-long Everglades dirty-water war. Eight months after Gov. Rick Scott flew to Washington to extend a political olive branch and personally pitch Florida’s latest plan for stopping the flow of polluted farm, ranch and yard runoff into the Everglades, state and federal negotiators are on the verge of an accord expected to be hailed by both sides as a major milestone. A settlement crafted with the goal of resolving two protracted and paralyzing federal lawsuits — one goes back almost a quarter century, the other eight years — could be soon finalized, possibly within the month, according to officials on both sides of the confidential negotiations. The Miami Herald The Future of Manufacturing Opportunities to drive economic growth Globalization of manufacturing has been a key driver of higher-value job creation and a rising standard of living for the growing middle class in emerging nation economies. This has dramatically changed the nature of competition between emerging and developed nations as well as between companies. Recent research confirms manufacturing has been immensely important to the prosperity of nations, with over 70% of the income variations of 128 nations explained by differences in manufactured product export data alone. A number of factors have enabled this rapid globalization, including a significant change in geopolitical relations between East and West, the widespread growth of digital information, physical and financial infrastructure, computerized manufacturing technologies, and the proliferation of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. These factors, along with others, have permitted the disaggregation of supply chains into complex global networks allowing a company to interact in the design, sourcing of materials and components, and manufacturing of products from virtually anywhere – while satisfying customers almost anywhere. World Economic Forum Raw milk has growing number of supporters Some proclaim it their right to drink raw, unpasteurized milk. Chicago Sun Times Rural Incomes Grow Faster Than Nation Per capita income in rural America is still only 80 % of the national average. But from 2009 to 2010, gains in rural counties were faster than the nation as a whole. The raw milk movement brings together contentious and socially-conscious folks. Though it seems risky to ignore health warnings, it’s hard to argue with those who claim that it soothes stomach distress — and that it’s our natural right to consume whatever the hell we want. Daily Yonder Country Comfort Wanted, and a Nearby Safety Net They don’t mind that there is not much to do in nearby Libby, population about 3,000, with a hardware store, a few mom-and-pop shops and precious little else. What bothers them, as the years pass, is the area’s lack of advanced medical care, Mr. Higgins says. The 25-bed St. John’s Lutheran Hospital in town is considered a frontier, or critical access, hospital. And that has the couple wondering if they would be better off moving closer to a bigger, more advanced hospital. New York Times The wholesale produce market at Hunts Point in the South Bronx features fruits and vegetables from around the nation and the world. Yet the 105-acre distribution hub provides very little space for smaller, local farmers to sell their produce to schools, restaurants and other retailers. Only about 4 % of the $2.3 Biln in annual sales there comes from food grown in New York State; another 8 % comes from New Jersey. A wholesale hub for local farmers could help improve their viability and preserve farmland that is disappearing in New York at a rate of almost 70 acres a day. These farmers tend to manage their land and crops in a more environmentally sound way, and, for consumers, locally grown produce can be fresher than that shipped from afar. NYTimes.com Industry seeks more insurance options against food safety risks Fresh produce marketers looking for insurance against market losses caused by food recalls and food safety scares caused by other companies don’t have a solution. food recalls can effect a large swath of producers because of public uncertainty over the scope of the recalls. Consumers may just decide not to buy a certain food item from any source, even if they hear a problem is limited to a region or company. The permanence of information and stories on the Internet also broadens the effect of food recalls, he said. In response to these risks, some are looking at policies that would allows growers be protected from risks that cannot be controlled by the producer, including food recalls by competitors. The Packer Strategies for Growth, Even in Down Times Lots of people advise staying aggressive during a difficult economy, but spending money when times are tough can be scary. This small-business guide looks at how Bandals and two other companies managed to do it. New York Times Foodborne disease surveillance: a foundation for food safety Foodborne illness has declined by 23 per cent over 14 years. The papers highlight the complexities of food-pathogen interactions while reinforcing that food safety happens in lots of places in lots of ways, from farm-to-fork. The next time someone says food safety is simple, roll your eyes, walk away foodsafety.ksu.edu The Ph.D. Now Comes With Food Stamps "I am not a welfare queen," says Melissa Matteau a 43-year-old single mother with a Ph.D. who teaches two humanities courses at Yavapai College, in Prescott, Ariz., She says the stereotype of the people receiving such aid does not reflect reality. Recipients include growing numbers of people like her, the highly educated, whose advanced degrees have not insulated them from financial hardship. "I find it horrifying that someone who teaches is on welfare," she says. She never imagined that she'd end up trying to eke out a living, teaching college for poverty wages, with no benefits or job security. Ms. Bruninga-Matteau does not blame Yavapai College for her situation but rather the "systematic defunding of higher education." In Arizona the state's allocation to Yavapai's operating budge was cut from $4.3-Miln to $900,000 which led to an 18,000-hour reduction in the use of part-time faculty. A record number of people are depending on federally financed food assistance. Food-stamp use increased from an average monthly caseload of 17 Miln in 2000 to 44 Miln people in 2011. Last year, one in six people—almost 50 Miln Americans received food stamps. The Chronicle of Higher Education This sprawling Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is a Connecticut-sized zone of prairie and poverty, where the have-nots are defined less by the money they lack than by suffocating hopelessness. In the national number line of inequality, people here represent the “other 1 percent,” the bottom of the national heap. Pine Ridge is a poster child of American poverty and of the failures of the reservation system for American Indians in the West. NYTimes.com Using Water from Wells Leads to Sea Level Rise, Cancels out Effect of Dams As people pump groundwater for irrigation, drinking water, and industrial uses, the water doesn't just seep back into the ground -- it also evaporates into the atmosphere, or runs off into rivers and canals, eventually emptying into the world's oceans. This water adds up, and a new study calculates that by 2050, groundwater pumping will cause a global sea level rise of about 0.8 millimeters per year. Science Daily Local-food movement is growing, but what's local? More than half of consumers say it's more important to buy local than organic, according to data from research firm Mintel. However, the government can't track "local food" sales because there's no official definition of what makes food local, and consumers don't always know what they're buying because food at grocery stores labeled "local," is not necessarily grown within 100 miles, a common benchmark. Strict "locavores," a term commonly used to describe those who buy local food, only buy food raised within 50 to 250 miles of their home, The Associated Press reports. Locavores often use the 100-mile standard but may extend it to the boundaries of their state. (AP photo by Toby Talbot: Woman harvests produce from a Vermont community farm.) A new locavore index, which counted the number of farmers' markets and farms engaging in community-supported agriculture, in which farmers contract with consumers, found that Vermont is the top locavore state. Iowa, Montana, Maine and Hawaii complete the top five. "The bottom of the list raises questions," AP reports. Florida produces most of the country's citrus, strawberries and tomatoes, but was in the bottom five. U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman Aaron Lavallee said local food in New England has fewer miles to travel than food in large states, such as Texas or Montana. The Rural Blog Demand will restructure food industry Rising demand, especially from China, will significantly restructure the global food industry. That’s according to an in-depth report from the U.S. Grains Council, which examines the future of food and agriculture in East Asia. Tom Sleight, says the study indicates a blending of Eastern and Western cultures regarding food consumption patterns. Asia will have an aging population, resulting in different food demand. “Prepared food: you know Asia will be looking at perhaps as much as 70 % of the food being prepared outside the home,” said Sleight. “These are kind of drivers of food demand that are fundamentally changing and fundamentally different from where they are right now.” Brownfield Network AMI gets aggressive on “meat glue” issue No one questions why the ingredients in vegetable soup aren’t listed on the local menu, so there’s no reason that two enzymes used to bind meat products should be. That’s essentially the message that the American Meat Institute conveyed to set the record straight over what it’s calling inaccuracies regarding the use of enzymes transglutaminase (TG) and beef fibrin (BF). Meatingplace.com Beef Producers Dispute ‘Meat Glue’ Safety Allegations Beef producers said the depiction of meat glue by consumer activists is unfair and the industry’s practice of using transglutaminase to bind pieces of meat into a single cut is safe. The American Meat Institute released information showing how transglutaminase is used in dairy, seafood and baked goods as well as in beef for texture or to bind cuts together. Transglutaminase is an enzyme sold for almost two decades and has inaccurately been nicknamed meat glue for “shock appeal,” the group said. Bloomberg |
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan and Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes announced that collaboration between the agencies is again providing funds to improve the efficiency of agricultural water use throughout the State of California. The Bureau of Reclamation and the Natural Resources Conservation Service are working together to leverage funds for water delivery agencies and agricultural producers for a second consecutive year, and will provide $5.3 Miln in funding to five water districts and associated growers to save water and improve water management. USDA Raspberry growers get go-ahead for ad program The USDA gave the formal go-ahead for a new advertising program to promote consumption of processed raspberries. It's trickier than it sounds: A similar program promoting Christmas trees caused a political dustup last fall. Emulating similar programs that serve the California raisin industry, beef and dairy producers, and others, major processed-raspberry producers and importers will pay mandatory fees, and the money raised will pay for ads and research. Kansas City Star Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that rural electric cooperative utilities in 10 states will receive loans to install smart grid technologies and make improvements to generation and transmission facilities. Examples of funding include a $102.8 Miln loan to the Jackson Electric Membership Corporation in Jefferson, GA, to build and improve over 850 miles of distribution line and make other system improvements. The loan also includes $7.2 Miln in smart grid projects. USDA House members pitch for Senate postal bill Lawmakers hoping to force a House vote on a Senate-passed postal reform bill believe some of their colleagues could be swayed by their message of saving jobs and rural access to postal services. Rep. Peter Welch (Vt.), who is circulating a letter of support for the Senate bill with Rep. Michael Grimm (N.Y.), also said the measure has momentum behind it after clearing the Senate. The Hill Postal service won't close rural post offices but will cut staff and operating hours Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe cited community opposition as the reason for shelving the plan and said the USPS would "whittle down" full-time staff, but maintain part-time post offices in rural places with access to retail and post office boxes. No post offices would be closed under the new plan, but more than 13,000 rural mail facilities could be forced to reduce operation hours. it intends to get community input and seek regulatory approval of the plan, which could take several months. The plan would take two years to fully complete and would save an estimated half-Biln dollars annually. The Rural Blog Capitol Hill, Slower Than Snail Mail Created as a quasi-independent institution that does not receive tax-dollar support, the service remains firmly under the thumb of Congress. What is needed is fast action by the House and a conference with the Senate so the best elements are salvaged from their rival rescue plans. These include the service’s sensible plan to end Saturday mail delivery — a $3-billion-a-year savings favored in public opinion polls. The House measure would allow this, but the Senate would delay it for at least two years. Both bills would take the essential step of easing onerous overpayments by the service to retirement funds and refund $11 billion to meet debts and pay for buyouts in its 653,000-member work force. Far from settled, however, is the service’s obvious need to close about 250 redundant regional sorting centers, with all of the predictable political flak that entails. NYTimes.com USDA offers grants for broadband service to remote rural communities USDA is accepting applications through the Community Connect Broadband program for grants to provide broadband service to residents of remote, rural communities. Community Connect grants are made available to the most rural unserved and economically challenged areas. The funds are used to build broadband infrastructure. Awardees are also required to establish community centers that offer free public access to broadband. Carmi Times (IL) USDA Advances Water Quality Conservation Across the U.S. Agricultural Producers located in selected watersheds will be able to participate. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the launch of a new National Water Quality Initiative committed to improving one to seven impaired watersheds. The 157 selected watersheds were identified with assistance from state agencies, key partners, and NRCS State Technical Committees. USDA will make available at least $33 Miln in financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to implement conservation practices to help provide cleaner water. USDA USDA: One Surprise After Another Even when you knew USDA was going to forecast a very large corn crop, the projection for 14.8 billion bushels and a 166 bushel national yield average were well over the top of expectations. Let’s take a survey and see what the experts thought about the numbers. Farmgateblog.com FSIS appeal process on humane violations 'fair, consistent' USDA Office of the Inspector General has completed an audit, at the request of the agency's top food safety official, to assess how well the FSIS handles appeals when a meat or poultry plant is written up on a violation of the nation's humane handling law. USDA undersecretary for food safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen requested the OIG audit as part of the agency's efforts regarding humane handling. OIG found "no negative trends or systemic problems related to inconsistent treatment or unfounded actions to grant or deny appeals in particular establishments. The OIG determination shows that FSIS's enforcement of humane handling regulations, as well as its appeals process, is fair and consistent. The OIG report suggests that FSIS could improve the way it handles appeals from establishments with non-compliance reports and ensure that decisions to grant appeals are supported by regulation Feedstuffs Farmers to receive grants to fight pollution in parts of Chesapeake, other watersheds The USDA.will put up $33 Miln for grants and technical assistance to help American farmers and ranchers take steps to stop polluted storm runoff from gushing into 157 watersheds, including a small portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Washington Post NRCS chief promises wetland solution for frustrated Red River Valley farmers The head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service promised by September to come up with a just solution for wetland determination backlogs when he spoke Monday at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds here. Wetlands determinations that are held up, waiting for NRCS approval, have become frustrating for the region’s farmers, particularly those in the central and southern Red River Valley. They want to use tile drainage or water management to contend with a string of wet years, and to capitalize on higher commodity prices and land values. AgWeek Entomologist
takes charge of US agricultural research institute The National Institute of Food and Agriculture has a new
director. Sonny Ramaswamy an entomologist by training and former dean of
the school of agricultural science at Oregon State University was officially
sworn in this week. NIFA funds research, education and extension programs
across the country through the Land-Grant University System and partner
organizations. Nature As prices rise, farmers, feds back off conservation program Two decades earlier his grandfather, frustrated with this earth, signed a 10-year contract agreeing not to farm it in exchange for a check. Thousands of farmers did the same with their untillable and vulnerable land, conscripting it to the Conservation Reserve Program. Grain prices were low and the CRP assured at least some profit. By letting the land go to grass, the government also created wildlife habitat, and avoided problems like soil erosion into waterways. Farmers are taking land out of CRP and the program is being cut back from 39 Miln acres nationwide in 2008 to 25 Miln acres. The Senate version of the 2012 farm bill would give the program a $6 Biln trim. Billings Gazette Black farmers' quest for justice draws to a close After decades of discrimination and years of legal wrangling, black American farmers are rushing to beat a May 11 deadline to file racial discrimination claims against the USDA over its lending practices. Yahoo news House Bill Offers Aid Cuts to Save Military Spending The House will lay bare the choice between social programs and Pentagon spending in an age of austerity when it takes up legislation to slice $261 Biln from food stamps, Medicaid, social services and other programs for struggling Americans over the next decade to stave off more than $50 Biln in military spending cuts scheduled to take effect next year. NYTimes.com Seasonal farm-worker visa program frustrates growers Farmers across the county are experiencing widespread frustration over the federal H-2A visa program for seasonal agriculture workers. In Idaho, farmers such as Jim Little of Emmett say they need immigrant workers from Latin America but that the government is making it too hard for them to follow the rules and employ workers legally instead of hiring border jumpers. Kansas City Star UC sues over Occupy the Farm protest in Albany A standoff between UC Berkeley and Occupy activists who planted renegade crops on university land is headed from the farm to the courts. The University of California Board of Regents filed a lawsuit against 14 protesters, claiming they and others conspired to cut through chains that secured gates and trespass onto the Gill Tract, in Albany. The activists, who call themselves Occupy the Farm, moved onto the tract April 22. They are pressuring the university to preserve part of the tract, which has been the subject of development debates for years, for agricultural study and urban farming. San Francisco Chronicle Environmental Groups Collecting Milns From Federal Agencies They Sue Deep-pocketed environmental groups are collecting Milns of dollars from the federal agencies they regularly sue under a little-known federal law, and the government is not even keeping track of the payouts, according to two new studies. Under the Equal Access to Justice Act of 1980 that is to help the little guy stand up to federal agencies — litigants with modest means who successfully show government agencies wronged them can get their legal fees back from the taxpayer. But the act also covers 501(c)(3) nonprofits, including environmental groups that aggressively sue the feds to enforce land-use laws, the Clean Water and Clean Air acts, and laws protecting endangered species. Their lawyers are getting reimbursed at rates as high as $750/hour. Beef But of all things to dredge up, the latest attack by the veggie activists at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is as silly, ill-conceived and off-message as it’s possible to be. The deep thinkers at PCRM, a thinly disguised, wholly owned subsidiary of PETA, managed to get USA Today to print the following headline: “Doctors to Obama: Stop eating unhealthy foods at photo ops” The story then noted that, “A group of doctors want President Obama to cut out the cheeseburgers and hot dogs,” and was accompanied by a photo of Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron at a NCAA March Madness college basketball game eating a couple of hot dogs. Of course, to the PETA and PCRM leadership, a hot dog is a tool of Satan that is destroying the world’s health, wellness and sanity, so one can only imagine their anguish at seeing the leaders of the two countries chowing down at the game. Drovers More Unaccompanied Minors Cross Border Illegally; Mexican Law Is Blamed. South Texas is seeing a rise in children from Central America who have slipped across the border unaccompanied into the U.S. from Mexico after that country began deporting fewer kids who arrived without visas, some experts say. The influx across the U.S. border is causing a political outcry in the state, where the federal government has set up five temporary shelters to deal with the growing numbers of young immigrants. Wall Street Journal USDA seeks change to regulate Internet pet sales Dog breeders who skirt animal welfare laws by selling through the Internet would face tighter scrutiny under a proposed rule change by the USDA. The proposed change covers dog owners who breed more than four females and sell the puppies online, by mail or over the phone. They would be subject to the same animal welfare oversight facing pet stores. The change does not affect small-scale breeders who only sell puppies from physical locations. It's designed to ensure that the pets are healthy and genetically sound. The Associated Press Beekeepers take first step to sue EPA over pesticides The battle of the bees and the insecticides killing them has taken a first step in a lawsuit against the EPA for negligence in not protecting the bees. The “Emergency Petition” filed with the EPA demands the agency comply with federal law and Congress to protect bees from lethal pesticides. The 64-page petition is a “first step” in resolving the use of deadly pesticides in agriculture, which is killing bees. If this step fails, a lawsuit may ensue against the EPA, said Steve Ellis, secretary of the National Honey Bee Advisory Board. The Washington Times First plant-made drug on the market The US FDA has approved a drug produced in a genetically engineered plant cell. Among those cheering the news are scientists who have advocated ‘bio-pharming’. The drug, Elelyso (taliglucerase alfa), soothes the symptoms in most patients of the rare lysosomal storage disorder Gaucher disease, which causes problems ranging from bone infections to anaemia. Scientists at Protalix Biotherapeutics developed a method to create the human enzyme that these patients lack in carrot cells, by inserting a gene that encodes the protein into the cells. Patients treated with the resulting enzyme (taliglucerase alfa) in clinical trials fared at least as well as those given another enzyme-replacement therapy on the market, Cerezyme. Nature.com Farm Bill Dr. Zulauf will be participating in the MLC annual meeting- are you? OSU Economist summary of Commodity, Crop Insurance and Miscellaneous Titles Dr. Carl Zulauf (OSU) summarizes parts of Senate farm bill. Crop Insurance, adds new Supplemental Coverage Option that allows individual insurance to be supplemented with county insurance to cover all or part of the individual insurance deductible . Agriculture Risk Coverage multiple-year, shallow loss program to complement crop insurance, farmer makes a 1-time, irrevocable decision to elect a county ARC if the county has sufficient data or an individual farm ARC . Marketing Loans, loan rates are the same as for the 2012 crop year, except cotton’s loan rate can be lowered Farmdocdaily.illinois.edu Rice and Peanut Producers Search for Alternative to Senate Bill The chance of a farm bill coming out of the U.S. Senate anytime soon could hinge largely on safety net prospects for a pair of Southern crops that collectively account for about 4.5 Miln acres of the 320 Miln or so acres. With the cotton industry largely satisfied with its new insurance program, rice and peanut farmers are counting on Southern senators to make a stand for them before the Senate floor debate on the new farm bill. They also see more hope in the House, where Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., has said the Senate farm bill doesn't do enough to factor in regional and crop differences. DTN Green group marshals top K Street lobbyists to do battle on farm bill An ardent critic of federal agriculture subsidies has enlisted one of K Street’s premier firms to do battle on this year’s farm bill. The Environmental Working Group Action Fund has signed up Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti to lobby on the legislation. It is a departure for the green group and could lend heft to what has traditionally been an uphill slog to reform federal farm spending. The Hill It’s time for Republicans to stand up for the free market, including agriculture I once saw a very conservative member of Congress, someone I respect and with whom I have worked on many issues, tell a room full of free-market activists that he considers himself 99 % free market capitalist and 1 % socialist – when it comes to agricultural subsidies. This is a pretty common mentality in Washington, so I was disappointed but not surprised when the Senate Agriculture Committee passed a massive $480 Biln farm bill on a 12-4 vote – with all four no votes opposing the bill because they wanted to spend even more. Quite simply, ag subsidies have become a third-rail entitlement and are out of control. Fox news What’s American Food & Farm Policy without Healthy Fresh Produce? Farmers who produce the nation’s healthy fresh produce want a seat at the table for the farm bill. That’s the message Western Growers chairman Mike Jarrard took to Congress. As president & COO of Mann Packing in Salinas, Calif.—a producer of fresh cut vegetables—he knows firsthand the food his industry produces goes hand-in-hand with a healthier eating lifestyle. That’s an important message for Congress to hear. Western Growers Thune: need for farm bill action is urgent The clock is ticking and there is a sense of urgency for action to take place on the farm bill, according to Senator John Thune. It’s up to Senate Democratic leadership to schedule time for the full Senate to consider that chamber’s version of federal farm policy. “It’s really a question of whether or not we’re serious enough about getting the new bill passed so that we don’t end up having to do an extension of the current bill when we hit that September 30 deadline,” said Thune, “and it strikes me, at least, that if we are serious about not having to do an extension and getting a new farm bill put in place, that we’re going to have to move it through the Senate pretty soon.” Brownfield Network OH specialty crop leader testifies on Farm Bill The president of the Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association says there are parts of the Farm Bill that must remain and be strengthened for specialty crop growers. Lisa Schacht of Schacht Family Farms in Canal Winchester, Ohio, that the Specialty Block Grant Program and research initiative of the Farm Bill have been crucial to their success. And, she says, nutrition programs such as SNAP are a plus for growers. Brownfield Network Fired
scientist says Klamath dam removal 'extreme' The former U.S. Bureau of Reclamation senior science adviser
who claims he was fired for speaking out about the Klamath River dam removal
process said removing the dams should be an "extreme" last resort. He
said removing the four dams from the river is "an uncontrolled
experiment" with impacts such as poor water quality that could have dire
consequences for fisheries. He said much further study is needed of
alternatives such as fish passage, adding that scientists should truck in fish
above the dams to see if they can find suitable habitat. Capital Press France corn
planting to hit highest levels in three years Watt Agnet Never
Mind Europe. Worry About India. It may not even look like a slowdown because by developed
standards, India’s growth, estimated at 6.9 % for 2012, is still strong. But a
slowdown it is: the economy has decelerated from projected rates of more than
8% , and negative momentum may bring a further decline. The government reported
year-over-year growth in the October-through-December quarter of only 6.1%. NYTimes.com ENERGY and RENEWABLES Labor wants Keystone pipeline, environmental issues can be resolved AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is backing construction of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline in comments that downplay divisions among unions in the labor federation over the controversial project. The Hill Western States Wary of Federal Fracking Regs Public officials in three Western states relayed a simple message to members of U.S. Congress: leave fracking regulations to us. Testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, regulators and policymakers from Colorado, Utah and Wyoming said that anticipated federal rules on hydraulic fracturing on public lands would stymie natural gas development in the Western United States, harming state economies largely dependent on energy revenues. “A one-size-fits all regulatory scheme will be devastating to Colorado,” said Colorado state representative Jerry Sonnenberg. “These needs and concerns are best addressed by those that understand our state.” Stateline.org States Scramble to Regulate Fracking Vermont lawmakers made an emphatic statement on the issue of fracking: Not in our state, at least not yet. In the final vote of its legislative session, the state’s House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that would make Vermont the first state to ban hydraulic fracturing, the controversial method used to extract natural gas stored in shale deposits. The practice, commonly known as fracking, involves blasting Milns of gallons of water mixed with sand and toxic chemicals deep into wells, freeing the gas. Stateline.org Emerald Biofuels announces major project in Louisiana Emerald Biofuels announces new 85 Miln gallon, drop-in renewable diesel project in Louisiana. Biodiesel Digest Inside Deals for Louisiana Oil Leases Last Decades The descendants of legendary Louisiana Governor Huey Long and his political cronies continue to reap the rewards measured in the hundreds of Milns of dollars of insider deals on state oil leases made in the 1930s, reports Fox’s Lee Zurik. “If a governor did today what was done in 1936 and got interest in a contract he awarded,” Zurik reports, “he would likely go to prison.” But royalties from oil leases in state waters continue to flow to more than 200 recipients scattered across 21 states, and the state of Louisiana has not challenged the arrangement. In fact, several members of the agency that oversees the leases were not aware of the lease arrangements that benefited the descendants of Long and his allies. Stateline The End of Clean Energy Subsidies? The federal government has given generously to the clean energy industry, funneling Bilns of dollars in grants, loans and tax breaks to renewable power sources like wind and solar, biofuels and electric vehicles. “Clean tech” has been good in return. During the recession, it was one of the few sectors to add jobs. Costs of wind turbines and solar cells have fallen over the last five years, electricity from renewables has more than doubled, construction is under way on the country’s first new nuclear power plant in decades. And the United States remains an important player in the global clean energy market. NYTimes.com Project Converts Poultry Waste to Energy A new collaboration is looking at whether poultry waste can be converted to energy and other byproducts using an advanced fixed-bed gasifier. The lead is the Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota. The technology has been licensed for commercialization in the poultry industry. Hoosier Ag Today Declining crude oil prices benefit beef market Gasoline and diesel fuel prices are expected to continue trending lower as bearish attitudes hit crude oil markets. The price of oil tumbled for the sixth consecutive day with reported crude supplies the highest in 22 years. Declining gasoline prices are a direct result of the weaker crude oil market, and will help ease the pinch on American consumers as seasonal demand for beef and other grilling meats increase. Drovers Stakeholders respond to USDA’s biofuels roadmap By 2022, the U.S. renewable fuel standard calls for annual production of 21 Biln gallons of advanced biofuels, and the USDA is trying to figure out how to get there. USDA released a report summarizing what they have learned from this stakeholder feedback. According to the report, key areas of common interest to all stakeholders included: Policy Stability, Market Development, Complete Economic Analysis and Additional Biomass Resources. Drovers EPA drafts program for using diesel fuel during fracking The EPA recently released a draft underground injection control program permitting guidance for class II wells that use diesel fuels during hydraulic fracturing activities. Farm and Dairy An Old Texas Tale Retold: the Farmer vs. the Oil Company When the TransCanada men first came, Julia Trigg Crawford said, they were polite. They offered money. Seven thousand dollars to let the Keystone XL pipeline cross her family’s 600-acre farm on its way from the Alberta tar sands to the refineries on the Gulf Coast. This was nothing new. Her grandfather bought the land, in northeast Texas in 1948 and since then, pipeline companies have tried to lease rights to cross it many times. The Crawfords always managed to persuade them to find a way around their property. The New York Times Opportunities and Challenges of Oil Shale Development GAO noted that oil shale development could increasing domestic oil production but socioeconomic impacts and benefits must be considered, including creation of jobs, increases in wealth, and increases in tax and royalty payments to federal and state governments, impacts on water, air, and wildlife, long-term regional increases in air pollutants, clearing of large surface areas of topsoil and vegetation which can affect wildlife habitat, and the withdrawal of large quantities of surface water which could also negatively impact aquatic life, an influx of workers, who along with their families can put additional stress on local infrastructure such as roads, housing, municipal water systems, and schools. GAO report |
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