Thursday, May 23, 2013
United Farm Workers of America issued a statement praising Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and the Senate Judiciary Committee for passage of an immigration reform bill on May 21, but the union may be straining its relations with the agricultural industry. UFW worked for amendments concerning wor ...
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 8:50 AM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate on Wednesday rejected a Republican bid to turn the federal food stamp program over to the states. The current program, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is administered by the Agriculture Department and federal dollars are unlimited ...
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 11:01 AM
BOISE -- A new Idaho law that takes effect July 1 aims to prevent people from using drones to spy on farmers and ranchers. A bill that has been signed into law by Gov. Butch Otter restricts people from using drones to spy on anyone but was crafted specifically with agriculture in mind, said its s ...
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 1:10 PM
Federal standards for the welfare of egg-laying hens suffered a defeat when they failed to make it into the farm bill legislation voted out of the agriculture committees in the U.S. House and Senate. The full Senate was debating its version of the farm bill this week. Attempts at floor amendments l ...
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:50 AM
United Farm Workers of America may be straining its coalition with the agricultural industry in support of immigration reform by working for amendments concerning worker rights that the industry opposes. UFW, the International Labor Recruitment Working Group, other immigrant rights groups and u ...
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 5:30 PM
The USDA hasn't taken proper enforcement measures against slaughterhouses that violate food safety and animal welfare laws, according to an internal agency audit. Enforcement actions taken by inspectors from the agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service have failed to deter some hog slaughter ...
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 2:50 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The farm bill the Senate is considering this week would cut some farm subsidies but also expand government-subsidized crop insurance, a safety net used by many farmers in case of bad weather or lost revenue. The program has risen in popularity in recent years, especially i ...
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:40 AM
Barring a major legal reversal, it appears that genetically engineered alfalfa is here to stay. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to overturn the USDA's decision to commercialize the "Roundup Ready" crop, which can withstand glyphosate herbicides. Unless a broader panel of 9th ...
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 3:40 PM
The federal government has decided to keep high tariffs on Ukrainian exports of ammonium nitrate even though the fertilizer is now cheaper to produce in the U.S. The U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled that dropping the tariffs would likely cause "material injury within a reasonably f ...
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 11:10 AM
HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- A federal appeals court denied a request to block the use of a helicopter to haze wild bison as officials in southwestern Montana wrapped up the annual drive of the animals back into Yellowstone National Park. A three-judge panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ...
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:50 AM
BEIJING (AP) -- Authorities are investigating rice mills in southern China following tests that found almost half of the staple grain in one of the country's largest cities was contaminated with a toxic metal. The mills in Hunan province's Youxian county were ordered to suspend business and rec ...
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:39 AM
An Oregon senator has introduced an amendment to the U.S. Senate farm bill to repeal a biotech rider previously attached to a spending bill. In a statement released May 20, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., characterized the rider as the "Monsanto Protection Act," as "an outrageous example of a special-i ...
Monday, May 20, 2013 10:18 AM
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) -- The beef-processing company that makes the product that critics call "pink slime" continues to struggle more than a year after the initial stories on the lean bits of beef that Beef Products Inc. makes. The Sioux City Journal reports (http://bit.ly/15YXsIh ) ...
Monday, May 20, 2013 8:28 AM
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- Hundreds of tons of frozen mutton, lamb and beef from New Zealand have been stranded on Chinese docks after China halted their import due to a certification dispute. China is New Zealand's largest export market and its largest consumer of sheep meat. China ...
Monday, May 20, 2013 8:28 AM
CHICAGO (AP) -- Grains futures were mixed Monday on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for July delivery fell 2.25 cents to $6.81 a bushel; July corn fell 5.25 cents to $6.475 a bushel; July oats were flat at $3.755 a bushel; while July soybeans rose 7.5 cents to $14.56 a bushel. Beef prices ...
Monday, May 20, 2013 8:17 AM
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to overturn the USDA's decision to commercialize genetically engineered alfalfa. The federal appeals court has upheld a previous decision, which found that USDA lacked the authority to regulate the biotech crop once it was determined not to be a p ...
Friday, May 17, 2013 12:37 PM
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to overturn the USDA's decision to commercialize genetically engineered alfalfa. The federal appeals court has upheld a previous decision, which found that USDA lacked the authority to regulate the biotech crop once it was determined not to be a pla ...
Friday, May 17, 2013 11:27 AM
Washington state farmers are protesting federal protection for a sagebrush subspecies, saying they fear the government will take private property rights. On May 23, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will list the White Bluffs bladderpod, a subspecies of sagebrush, as a threatened species. The F ...
Friday, May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
The hazelnut packing division of Blue Diamond Growers is shutting down operations in Oregon after more than three decades in the industry. The California-based farmers cooperative is primarily devoted to almonds and decided to discontinue the hazelnut sideline, just as it previously ended its inv ...
Friday, May 17, 2013 9:57 AM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A bipartisan group of House members announced a deal Thursday on sweeping immigration legislation, a breakthrough that could boost chances for one of President Barack Obama's top second-term priorities. It came after months of secretive talks among the four Republican and ...
Friday, May 17, 2013 9:46 AM
CHICAGO (AP) -- Grains futures fell or were flat Friday on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for July delivery fell 3.25 cents to $6.845 a bushel; July corn was flat at $6.415 a bushel; July oats were flat at $3.775 a bushel; while July soybeans slipped 1 cent to $14.265 a bushel. Beef and pork ...
Friday, May 17, 2013 9:36 AM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The organic food industry is gaining influence on Capitol Hill, prompted by its entry into traditional farm states and by increasing consumer demand. That's not going over well with everyone in Congress. Tensions between conventional and organic agriculture boiled over this ...
Friday, May 17, 2013 9:36 AM
The chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee has written a letter to the Obama administration urging an immediate halt to the listing of a sagebrush species under the Endangered Species Act. Washington farmers are concerned about potential impact to their property if the White Bluffs Bladd ...
Thursday, May 16, 2013 9:44 AM
U.S. farm groups are alarmed by the president's proposal to eliminate the country's international food aid program, which purchases U.S. commodities and ships them abroad, and switch to a new cash-based system that can buy food overseas closer to where it's needed. The new system called for ...
Thursday, May 16, 2013 11:05 AM
Oil prices have shot up in recent weeks despite abundant production, pushing up prices for gasoline and diesel in the West, experts say. The upswing is largely due to concerns about unrest in Iraq and Libya potentially disrupting oil supplies, said Jim Williams, energy economist for WTRG Economic ...
Wednesday, May 15, 2013 10:44 AM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday approved a sweeping farm bill that would trim the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program. The panel rebuffed Democratic efforts to keep the food stamp program whole, as debate on the farm bill turned into a theological discourse on he ...
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