New Mexico’s governor vetoed a bill that would have increased the registration fee pet food manufacturers pay to the state. The vetoed House Bill 64 would have raised the fee from US$2 to US$100 for each pet food product sold in New Mexico. The revenues from the higher fees would be used to fund dog and cat sterilization programs for low-income residents of the state. [node:read-more:link]
Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Mike Naig, who had served as Northey’s deputy at IDALS since 2013, to lead the department. The new Iowa secretary of agriculture brings a lifetime of relevant experience to the department’s top job. Naig grew up on a family farm near Cylinder. He helped his father and uncle run their crop and livestock farm and still has involvement in that enterprise. [node:read-more:link]
The Kansas State House of Representatives voted 84-37 Monday afternoon to pass a bill that would allow companies to build large-volume poultry feeding operations in the state. Senate Bill 405 would be expected to make it easier for companies to build large operations such as the one that Tyson Foods proposed near Tonganoxie last year.That proposal ultimately stirred too much protest among existing Tonganoxie residents, and Tyson instead decided to build in Tennessee. Still, Tyson reportedly is continuing to look for a place to build in Kansas, as well. [node:read-more:link]
The move has drawn opposition from both Democratic and Republican leaders in nearly every affected state and mobilized the environmental community. From California to New York, lawmakers are considering ways to block the proposal, which would open vast new stretches of federal waters in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as in the Arctic and eastern Gulf of Mexico, to oil and gas exploration and extraction. They are considering laws to block the construction of pipelines or infrastructure in state-controlled waters that are needed to support drilling projects. [node:read-more:link]
The Trump administration broke the law when it missed a deadline last year in implementing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ozone pollution rule, a federal court ruled. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt was supposed to announce by Oct. 1 which areas of the country were in compliance with the 2015 Obama administration rule.Pruitt later announced findings for areas that comply, but not for areas that do not. Judge Haywood Stirling Gilliam Jr. [node:read-more:link]
But for pipeline opponents in the Cornhusker State, the view from the ground is far from hopeless. Last November, in a perplexing three-to-two vote, the Nebraska Public Service Commission (NPSC) rejected TransCanada’s preferred route. Instead the commission okayed the company’s alternate choice, a path that differs from the original 63 miles in northeast Nebraska. Those 63 miles could make all the difference: a new route means new easements and likely a host of pricey new lawsuits. The decision was such a blow that the company requested the NPSC modify the wording of its decision. [node:read-more:link]
As if our country’s dairy producers don’t have enough stress with the current economic situation of the industry, they also had to deal with being the primary target of extreme animal rights activist groups throughout the month of February. Now is the time for the meat industry to review the tactics used against dairy and prepare for its turn in the crosshairs. The primary group declaring war on dairy in February was Direct Action Everywhere. [node:read-more:link]
An hours-of-service waiver has been put in place for agriculture haulers for 90-days. The waiver, issued by U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, gives that agency more time to release guidance on regulations related to agriculture. [node:read-more:link]
International Trade Minister François-Philippe Champagne gathered with his counterparts from 10 other countries March 8, 2018 in Santiago, Chile to sign the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), also referred to as TPP11. Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) Vice President David Haywood-Farmer, a beef farmer from Savona, British Columbia, was present to witness the signing. [node:read-more:link]
State lawmakers introduced several bills this year aiming to improve access to health care in rural Georgia. Six rural Georgia hospitals closed since 2013 and the state’s high rate of uninsured means many people in rural communities lack health coverage. The House Rural Development Council, created in 2017 to study the problem, traveled across the state last year find out how rural communities are coping with insufficient broadband connectivity, economic development, health care and other deficiencies. [node:read-more:link]
