The prospect of ranchers, farmers and other rural landowners organizing into firefighting associations continues to get a cold response from unionized firefighters. State lawmakers should exhaust other ways to extend fire protection to remote areas before authorizing rangeland fire protection associations, Washington State Council of Fire Fighters lobbyist Bud Sizemore said."Right now, our feeling is it could be somewhat of a drain on existing resources rather than a big help," he said. The council represents 130 local firefighter unions. [node:read-more:link]

The Trump administration is considering taking steps to limit the ability of states to block interstate gas pipelines and other energy projects, according to three people familiar with the deliberations. The effort, possibly done through an executive order, is aimed chiefly at states in the Northeast U.S., where opposition to pipeline projects has helped prevent abundant shale gas in Pennsylvania and Ohio from reaching consumers in New York and other cities. [node:read-more:link]

After hitting an 8-year high in 2018, global economic growth will slow this year. Trade tensions, particularly between the U.S. and China, remain the leading global risk. In the U.S., we project that consumer strength will offset a slowing housing market and weaker business investment to keep the economy growing at a rate of 1.75-2.25 percent in 2019. The Federal Reserve is no longer locked into a tightening cycle aimed at returning to “neutral” conditions. Instead, we expect the Fed to stand pat on rates as it attempts to take its foot off the gas and coast safely through 2019. [node:read-more:link]

Attorneys for a once-neglected horse are filling an appeal after an Oregon judge dismissed their lawsuit last year, finding that animals don't have a right to sue. [node:read-more:link]

A panel of Idaho officials will meet next week to consider paying $260,000 for attorney fees and other costs after losing a lawsuit over an unconstitutional law that sought to criminalize surreptitious filming at agricultural operations. The law was dubbed the “ag-gag” law by critics. It was passed by the Legislature in 2012 after an undercover investigator for a group called Mercy for Animals filmed workers abusing cows at an Idaho dairy. [node:read-more:link]

Gov. Bill Lee's first executive order calls for accelerated development in Tennessee's distressed rural counties, a priority he emphasized throughout his campaign for governor. [node:read-more:link]

Richardson, a dairy farmer at Deans Marsh in the Otways and president of Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF), said the ADF was preparing its members to defend their farms against unwanted visitors. He rejects the claim by the Aussie Farms group the map is a bid to force transparency on the livestock production industry.The interactive map on the Aussie Farms group’s website listing the location of thousands of farms and abattoirs “condoned the harassment of our farmers who were just trying to make a living,” Mr Richardson said. [node:read-more:link]

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue named three candidates to leadership positions held up by lack of Senate approval by shifting their titles to those that do not require Senate confirmation, including naming Dr. Mindy Brashears to lead the agency’s food safety efforts. Perdue named Brashears as deputy under secretary for food safety, along with two other unconfirmed appointees --  Naomi Earp as deputy assistant secretary for civil rights, and Dr. [node:read-more:link]

The latest agriculture disaster spending bill provides further proof that despite all rhetoric, lawmakers are not concerned with helping farmers and ranchers protect themselves from risks they cannot manage on their own. Instead, it’s the latest instance of tapping the Treasury to socialize risks while privatizing profits. The result shovels more federal dollars to powerful interests who can – and should – do a better job of managing predictable risks in their chosen line of work. [node:read-more:link]

More and more people are choosing to eat less and less meat. Concerns over the environment, personal health and animal welfare are driving the change. The number of people committing to a strictly plant-based (vegan) diet is rising in many developed countries, as are the ranks of “flexitarians” — those who only occasionally consume meat. The trend is spawning a rapidly expanding industry for meat substitutes, both plant-based and a new high tech generation grown from animal cells in laboratories. [node:read-more:link]