According to the tax documents of the Humane Society of the United States, as well as other independent analyses, the national organization renowned for animal rights donated less than one percent of their $132 million budget to help care for actual animals in 2016; and members of this chamber should be encouraging the residents of Illinois to research other local humane societies that are completely unaffiliated with the National organization; residents of Illinois will find that these independent humane societies do not receive many donations and rely primarily on dedicated volunteers to [node:read-more:link]

States across the country argue that if Washington loses Supreme Court case, land uses from coast-to-coast will be vulnerable to lawsuits.  Eleven states from around the U.S. argue that if Washington loses its case in the U.S. Supreme Court over culverts, land-use rules across the country will be at risk of being subordinate to tribal treaty rights. The states, led by Idaho, filed a brief with the high court March 2 supporting Washington’s appeal of a court order to replace more than 800 fish-blocking culverts. [node:read-more:link]

January milk prices fell 5.8% since December in the Southeast and are down 14.8% since last year. In the Appalachian region prices dipped 4.8% since December and were 14.4% below where they were the same time last year. [node:read-more:link]

At least two dozen producers who ship milk to Dean Foods in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Ohio were told they have until May 31, 2018 to find a new home for their milk. If this sounds familiar that’s because, almost one year ago, producers in Wisconsin were told by their processor, Grassland Dairy, that they had 30 days to find a new home for their milk. While that wave of milk rehoming was due to export market woes, Dean says their issue is purely domestic. [node:read-more:link]

As farmers count the structural, livestock and income losses caused by Storm Emma, the south-east and eastern regions are emerging as the “most severely” affected, according to FBD Insurance. Farm organisations are demanding that farm inspections take account of the scale of the damage; while also calling for penalty restrictions on losses directly caused by the extreme weather conditions of recent days. “While the storm itself has moved on, farmers are now coming to terms with the impact of the weather at farm level. [node:read-more:link]

General Mills announced a deal Tuesday to create South Dakota's largest organic crop farm as the company works to secure enough organic ingredients to meet growing consumer demand worldwide. Gunsmoke Farms will convert 34,000 acres — more than 53 square miles — near Pierre to organic by 2020, where it will grow organic wheat for General Mills' popular Annie's Macaroni & Cheese line. [node:read-more:link]

According to the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, more than 50 percent of community college students nationwide do not have access to healthy and affordable foods. The majority of these students are financially independent and provide for others. Many are single parents. They grew up in the middle class and did not qualify for reduced-cost or free meals during their K-12 education through the federally funded School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program. But once they graduate high school, parental support often ends and so do the programs meant to help feed them. [node:read-more:link]

A federal proposal to replace food stamps with what is called "America's Harvest Boxes" is worrying some small grocers in towns across the nation. President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2019 budget includes a proposed change to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, or SNAP, most often referred to as food stamps. The program would trade food stamps for boxes of food."On reading about this federal proposal it does concern us in that we are a meal program that does accept food stamps from clients," Carolyn Fox with Mobile Meals of Toledo said. [node:read-more:link]

University of Georgia and Georgia Tech Research Institute scientists have found that the contribution of poultry processing plants to stream bacterial load may be overestimated. The research aimed to identify and quantify the level of preexisting background indicator organisms under dry conditions in watersheds impacted by poultry processing facilities in urban heavy industrial, suburban light commercial, and rural settings. Investigators determined the typical level of bacterial contamination found in surface water upstream from the site of a poultry processing plant. [node:read-more:link]

Officials in Wright County, Iowa, are considering a company’s plan to build a $25 million plant that would convert chicken manure to fertilizer for sale to organic farmers. The company has obtained the necessary state and county permits, and If approved by the board, construction on the facility could begin in the next 60 days, with completion in about one year. [node:read-more:link]