“Iowa’s average farmland value declined for the third year in a row, down 5.9 percent to $7,183 an acre over the past year. It’s the first time since the 1980s farm crisis that land values have fallen three straight years, according to an Iowa State University report. An overview of the ISU report noted that, “In general, the results from the 2016 Iowa State University land value survey echo results from other surveys. [node:read-more:link]
Maple Leaf Foods is establishing a new non-profit organization with the goal of reducing food insecurity in Canada, the Mississauga, Ont.-based company announced. Maple Leaf plans to invest more than $10 million over the next five years to fund the Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security in addition to donating more than $1.5 million in food products every year. [node:read-more:link]
Beth Briczinski has been keeping a list of all the things companies are turning into products labeled as a kind of milk. "There's soy and almond and rice," she says. "Hemp, pistachio, macadamia nut, sunflower." Briczinski is highly annoyed by these products. She's vice president for dairy foods and nutrition at the National Milk Producers Federation, which represents the original milk producers: dairy farmers.These other "milk" products, she says, are confusing consumers. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Trade Representative has taken two more steps in the long, laborious process of trying to persuade the People’s Republic of China to abide by the rules of the WTO on the levels of support it can provide for wheat, corn and rice and on imports of those crops. The USTR requested the formation of a World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel to hear arguments on why China should reduce those levels of support. [node:read-more:link]
President Obama signed into law a water projects authorization bill and issued a statement cautioning agency managers to heed endangered species requirements before increasing irrigation water supplies in California's drought-stricken Central Valley. Critics of the drought relief, led by retiring Sen. [node:read-more:link]
Ultimately, it was new language around energy choice -- the 10 percent of Michigan's electric market that is allowed to use alternative energy suppliers instead of their incumbent utilities -- that helped push the package over the edge. Ultimately, the compromise made changes to energy efficiency, electric choice and solar net metering provisions that satisfied almost everybody. The main bill, Senate Bill 437, passed the House 79-28 and the Senate confirmed the changes 33-4. [node:read-more:link]
Legislation signed by President Barack Obama dictates that the federal portion of California's heavily engineered water systems gives agricultural districts and other human users the biggest possible share of the most fought-over resource in a state with a six-year drought. Water experts and conservationists expect that new mandate to conflict with state and federal laws and court orders meant to ensure enough water stays in Northern California's Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and delta for endangered native fish. [node:read-more:link]
Genetically modified crops may not be popular among certain aspects of the population, but those responsible for their growth see the technology as an essential tool. A survey of 282 U.S. farmers shows 98 percent of them think GMO seeds - typically bred to be resistant to things like certain crop protection chemicals - are the best way to lessen their environmental footprint, and 69 percent believe the technology leads to higher yields. [node:read-more:link]
Several activist groups failed this week in a legal action to ban the USDA from inspecting and allowing foie gras to be sold on the commercial market. The Animal Legal Defense Fund, Compassion Over Killing, and Animal Protection and Rescue League sued USDA and the Food Safety Inspection Service, claiming that when farmers make foie gras by force-feeding ducks, the process sickens the birds and produces diseased livers for human consumption. U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II for the U.S. [node:read-more:link]
Income declines to level not seen since 1986. Statewide income from farms and ranches is projected to fall to $444 million in 2016 from about $1.3 billion in 2015. The fall can be largely attributed to the decline in cattle prices because the industry accounts for the largest portion of the state’s agriculture economy, said Stephen Koontz, a professor at Colorado State University. [node:read-more:link]
