[For farmers looking to switch to organic production, there has always been a catch.] You'd have to follow the organic rules, renouncing synthetic pesticides and fertilizer, for three entire years before any of your crops could be sold as organic. For those three "transition" years, you'd have the worst of all worlds: Low organic yields and low conventional prices. [node:read-more:link]
Farming is one of the most dangerous professions in the nation.
As High Plains Journal reports, the pitfalls and hazards of farming are so many and varied that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) calls it one of the most dangerous professions in the U.S. [node:read-more:link]
Agriculture is in the midst of an economic reset that will thin the ranks of some of the largest farm operators but offer growth opportunities for those who have patiently held on to cash. That was the counsel from Dave Kohl, a professor emeritus in ag economics from Virginia Tech who spoke to the 2017 The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers (TEPAP) class in Austin this week. "Most lenders haven't seen their customers' financials for a year, but when they do, some will be saying 'Oh my God,'" Kohl said. Jan. [node:read-more:link]
How do you define milk? Does almond milk or soy milk count? That question is now the focus of federal legislation. Senator Tammy Baldwin introduced the “Dairy Pride Act”, it fights back against non-diary products that are labeled as milk, yogurt, and cheese — and local dairy famers are definitely behind her. On a farm near Eldorado, Janet Clark has about 130 cows to milk and she’s one of many dairy farmers in the state now fighting for more transparency when it comes to labels placed on food products. “The FDA has already defined that milk comes from a dairy animal. [node:read-more:link]
The 2017 4R Summit will be held June 12-13, 2017, in Minneapolis, Minn. The 4R Summit will be held at the Radisson Blu in downtown Minneapolis. The Summit provides opportunities for those interested in nutrient management and stewardship to learn more about the 4R Nutrient Stewardship program and hear how stakeholders across the country are implementing the 4R principles. [node:read-more:link]
The Farm Bureau’s director of market intelligence, John Newton, flatly told delegates, “The Golden Age of ag income is over.” Net farm income is projected to decline for the third consecutive year, and exporters’ biggest markets — China, Canada, Mexico and Japan — aren’t expanding. Newton said producers need to look at markets that are projected to grow, such as Africa. The world population is projected to hit 9 billion by 2050, and that provides opportunities for American’s farmers, Newton said. “We are the breadbasket of the world, everybody knows that,” he said. [node:read-more:link]
Fighting fire and going green. The City of Dubuque is planning to install solar panels on five of the city's six fire stations. The city says using solar energy will help cut electricity costs by more than 30%. The City Council unanimously approved a contract with Eagle Point Solar to install the solar arrays. [node:read-more:link]
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s environmental agenda for the coming legislative session includes allocation of $7.5 million to the University of Maryland to create a green energy research center. The goal of the Green Energy Institute — a collaboration between the University of Maryland Energy Research Center (UMERC) at the A. James Clark School of Engineering and the Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC) — will be to develop and attract private investment and commercialize clean energy innovations and deployment solutions in Maryland. [node:read-more:link]
Ohio's renewable energy standards are again in play, following Gov. John Kasich's veto of a Statehouse-approved continuation of the freeze on those standards. And thanks to Kasich's decision, we can now get back to discussing what lies ahead for the state's energy production and, inevitably, business development.
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A total of 640 businesses and investors sent a letter to President-elect Trump and Congress on Tuesday, strongly urging continued investment in the clean energy sector. The letter, coordinated by the nonprofit group Ceres, which works with investors and companies to promote sustainability, contains big tech names like Adobe, SalesForce, eBay, HP, SolarCity, Symantec and Tesla. [node:read-more:link]
