Glencore Plc, the commodity giant led by billionaire Ivan Glasenberg, has made a takeover approach for U.S. grain trader Bunge Ltd., in a move that could reshape an industry long-dominated by four companies. Bunge operates three grain facilities in Louisiana: Vidalia, Destrahan and Darrow. [node:read-more:link]
A deadly virus is threatening Louisiana crawfish. Aquaculture specialist Mark Shirley with the LSU AgCenter says the white spot syndrome virus showed up in Acadiana about a decade ago. He says the virus is showing up again in ponds across southwest Louisiana, and it’s hurting the crawfish harvest. [node:read-more:link]
The California State Assembly approved a bill this week that will allow the citrus industry to increase spending for activities related to halting the spread of citrus greening disease. Additional funds will be provided to protect residential and commercial citrus trees from the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and the deadly plant disease it can carry, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB). The bill allows for an additional US$9.6 million in grower assessments to be spent by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA [node:read-more:link]
The Assembly passed the measures Monday to incentivize customers to install solar energy storage systems, research possible targets for utility companies to procure energy storage systems, and make it easier for residents to put up windmills. Assembly members also agreed with a Senate amendment to a bill that supporters say will help save energy and lower bills for customers, sending that to Gov. Brian Sandoval’s desk as well. [node:read-more:link]
With coal production on the decline, one energy company is pursuing a project that might seem heretical in this eastern Kentucky mining region: a solar-energy farm. Berkeley Energy Group and a subsidiary of the French renewable-energy company EDF Energies Nouvelles aim to begin building a $100 million facility on a reclaimed strip mine next year.
The greatest test America faces is whether it can foster the kind of growth that benefits and expands the middle class. To do so, the United States will need to meet three challenges: recover from the Great Recession, rebalance the American and international economies, and gain access to the global middle class for the future of American goods and services. The fulcrum for meeting these challenges is the combination of industries and resources concentrated in the New American Heartland, the center of the country’s productive economy. [node:read-more:link]
Just a few months ago, the future appeared promising and certain for Dr. Sunil Sreekumar Nair. A citizen of the United Kingdom, he was completing his residency in internal medicine at a Brooklyn hospital, and he had accepted a job in a hospital near Fort Smith, Arkansas, a rural area with a severe shortage of doctors.Then the Trump administration announced that it was suspending the 15-day expedited process to obtain an H-1B visa that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign-born workers in specialty fields such as medicine and information technology. [node:read-more:link]
Farmers aren't the only ones buzzing around busily during spring planting season.Honey bees also pick up their foraging pace at this time of year, when pollen sources abound. [node:read-more:link]
Ethanol shines in Nebraska -- creating jobs in communities like Cambridge, Ord, and Ravenna, while also boosting the bottom line for farmers. Nebraska produces more than two billion gallons a year, with two dozen plants, most in small communities. Ethanol, even higher blends up to 85 percent widely available in Nebraska. [node:read-more:link]
A new proposal in the Ohio House would provide a perpetual subsidy for two coal-fired power plants owned jointly by American Electric Power and just about every other major electricity utility in the state. House Bill 239 calls for the owners of Ohio Valley Electric Corp. to receive a guarantee of income at times when the market price of electricity is less than the cost to operate the power plants. [node:read-more:link]
