One of Canada’s largest cattle feeder operations is shutting down, blaming market forces currently rocking the feedlot sector as well as what it calls Alberta’s “poor political and economic environment.”  Meanwhile, Alberta’s minister of agriculture and forestry says he was surprised by the move, expressing disappointment at the looming job losses but insisting the industry remains strong.  President and CEO Dave Plett said in an interview that the majority of Western’s approximately 85 employees will eventually be laid off, and the company has “teams working now to assist them with transit [node:read-more:link]

The announcement of a new agreement that will open China to Canadian beef appears to be a significant development and a sign of a warming political relationship between the two nations, according to officials of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), who said they are interested to see the ramifications of this agreement for U.S. beef. [node:read-more:link]

Strong second-half U.S. pork production, coupled with increases in beef and poultry supplies, is expected to result in lower hog prices, pressuring producer margins despite lower feed costs. [node:read-more:link]

Waves of immigrants coming into the U.S. in recent decades have helped the economy over the long haul and had little lasting impact on the wages or employment levels of native-born Americans, according to one of the most comprehensive studies yet on the topic. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report on immigration assesses the economic and fiscal impacts of immigration, offering a broad look at a phenomenon that has moved to the forefront of the presidential race, with both candidates debating the downsides and merits of immigration. [node:read-more:link]

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) opened its 2016 annual meeting today by calling for the federal government to allow the states to play a greater role in policymaking in the next administration.  NASDA's board of directors unanimously approved the group's “Call to Action to 2020: Advancing Agriculture through Enhanced Partnerships,” underscoring the importance of what NASDA President Greg Ibach called “cooperative federalism.”   Ibach, who is also Nebraska's Director of Agriculture, said the Call to Action was drafted after an “escalation” of what he said [node:read-more:link]

Policy disputes about how electricity ought to be generated and the role of fossil fuels such as gas and oil on the economy are generating one kind of product to be sure -- reports from economists and pollsters.  No fewer than two economic reports and one poll were released.  And at least one of them, a national poll released by the Young Conservatives for Clean Energy Reform and the Christian Coalition, was aimed at national policy makers and Congress, who normally receive a steady stream of reports from organizations such as the American Petroleum institute. [node:read-more:link]

Ohio attorneys were assured by the state's high court they could assist medical marijuana clients under the new law.  A non-binding advisory opinion issued in August suggested Ohio lawyers couldn't advise medical marijuana businesses and patients under the state's professional conduct standards because the substance remains illegal federally. [node:read-more:link]

The European Commission authorized 11 varieties of genetically modified maize produced by Syngenta Crop Protection for use as food or feed. The authorization, which does not cover cultivation, is valid for 10 years and any products with the GM maize strains are subject to labeling and traceability rules.  The Commission stepped in with a decision after the EU’s member states failed to produce an opinion. [node:read-more:link]

How states compare on taxpayer-funded reimbursements for lawmakers' lodging and food away from home — a payment typically provided on top of lawmakers' annual salaries. They vary from no per diem at all for states like Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island  and Ohio to $249 per day for Alaska.  Some are based on length of session, Arizona is $35 a day for the first 120 days and $10 a day thereafter, some are an annual payment - Michigan $10,800 a year.   [node:read-more:link]

Websites take minutes to load and photos take hours to upload at Ryan Davis’ home in the small southern Tennessee city of Dayton. If Davis gets in his car and drives about half an hour south to Chattanooga, though, everything takes under a second.  The city-provided fiber optic network there is so fast — up to 10 gigabits per second — that Chattanooga is known as Gig City. Chattanooga wants to expand outside of its current service area to Dayton and other rural spots. But a state law bans cities from doing so, and the U.S. [node:read-more:link]