A beetle that can destroy up to a third of a coffee berry crop has made its way to Maui.  The state Agriculture Department confirmed the coffee berry borer has infested a 13-acre farm on the island. Department entomologists said the farm’s infestation indicates the beetle has been there for some time. [node:read-more:link]

The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (“R-CALF”) and the United Stockgrowers of America have likely survived a motion to dismiss their case against USDA challenging the beef checkoff and obtained an injunction against the Montana Beef Council (“MBC”) to prevent it spending money received from the federal Beef Checkoff Board on promotion. [node:read-more:link]

The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) announced new seasonal options available for the Restricted Class B Commercial Driver's License (CDL), which will provide greater flexibility for producers and agricultural retailers. The new policy will take effect on Feb. 1, 2017. "During the planting and harvest seasons, those in agriculture have enough to worry about without making it tougher for them to get the proper CDL," said BMV Commissioner Kent Abernathy. [node:read-more:link]

Of the many lies spread about Monsanto over the years, perhaps none is so malevolent as the claim that the seed giant is to blame for farmer suicides in India. This falsehood, spread by anti-biotechnology activists like Vandana Shiva but debunked a couple of years ago, is still parroted by credulous left-wing outlets such as Think Progress and supposedly credible news sites like Deutsche Welle. [node:read-more:link]

More land for hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing will be available to Oklahoma sportsmen and women beginning Sept. 1.  That's when the Oklahoma Land Access Program begins through the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, a program that pays private landowners to allow public access to their properties for recreational use such as hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing.  Where the properties will be and how many there will be remain to be seen. State wildlife officials have been negotiating with private landowners, but no legal agreements have been finalized. [node:read-more:link]

The price of fish, meat and poultry has rocketed by up to 44 per cent.  The hikes follow sterling’s value falling after Brexit , raising the cost of imported meat, fish and seafood.  The price of frozen fish is up an average 3% in high streets but some premium brands cost more than a third extra. [node:read-more:link]

Consider the best cheese in the world. It's safe to assume you're thinking of something creamy and tough to pronounce from France. A slab hailing from Wisconsin would probably be a lot further down the list. But that is exactly where the Roth Grand Cru Surchoix, recently named one of the world’s best cheeses, is from.  At the 2016 World Cheese Championships, the Alpine-style cheese was named Best in Show. This marked the first time a cheese from the US had won the prize since 1988. The judges scored it 98.8 out of 100, and described the Gruyere-like offering as “perfect”. [node:read-more:link]

By 2040, the number of electric cars in the world could reach 150 million, or even, if more ambitious targets for emissions reductions are adopted, 715 million. Not only would this mean a drastic reduction in the demand for oil, it could also mean a drastic reduction in the demand for biofuels such as ethanol. But the biofuel industry is not giving up without a fight. [node:read-more:link]

At a time when Iowa farmers produced a second consecutive record corn crop amid falling prices for their commodity, the state’s growing ethanol industry remains a stabilizing factor. National crop production reports released in mid-December showed Iowa corn production in 2016 at 2.69 billion bushels, up from 2.51 billion bushels in 2015. [node:read-more:link]

Low commodity prices in late 2016 put downward pressure on farm income, farmland values and credit conditions such as repayment rates for farm loans. Exports may have helped give a boost to some agricultural commodity prices over the summer, but it only tempered the headwinds facing the U.S. agriculture industry, according to the latest ag outlook report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Mo. [node:read-more:link]