Populist campaigner challenges low-profile senator in Nebraska
Industrial mechanic Dan Osborn, an independent with a populist platform, could throw a wrench into Republican hopes of gaining control of the Senate with his campaign against Sen. Deb Fischer in Nebraska. Fischer, a Republican running for her third term, is favored but by ever-narrower margins.
Higher ag productivity may be cheapest way to reduce carbon emissions
The least expensive way to attack greenhouse gas emissions on the farm may be larger investment in agricultural research and development, said University of California professor Aaron Smith in a blog on Tuesday. He cited a 2010 study that estimated agricultural R&D reduced carbon emissions through higher productivity at a cost of $15 per ton, "a much lower cost" than some commonly suggested practices, such as cover crops and conservation tillage.
Dual-use rules can alleviate concern over solar farms, says rural group
With solar energy becoming more common, local officials should consider agrivoltaics, which combine solar panels and agricultural production on the same land, when drafting or amending ordinances on solar siting, said the Center for Rural Affairs on Monday. The center, based in Nebraska, released a "best practices" fact sheet that cited economic benefits from dual use sites and warned that overly prescriptive regulations could backfire.
USDA launches program promoting organic dairy products
Agriculture Undersecretary Jenny Moffitt announced a $15 million program to expand sales of organic dairy products to schools and youth programs on Monday. “Expanding access to a variety of organic dairy products in schools and community programs promotes healthy consumption habits and strengthens local dairy markets,” said Moffitt during a trip to southeastern Vermont.
Re-election uncertain for three farm bill crossovers
While Georgia Rep. Sanford Bishop seems to be coasting to his 17th term in the House, the three other Democrats who voted in committee for the Republican-written farm bill are scuffling to win a second term. One of them, Yadira Caraveo, with a winning margin of 1,632 votes in 2022, is challenged by a conservative Republican state legislator in Colorado's most competitive House district.
Surge in million-dollar operating loans to farmers
Ag bankers reported more than 40 percent growth in the volume of new operating loans during the summer compared to the third quarter of 2023, said the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. "For the first time in at least two decades, the volume of loans larger than $1 million eclipsed the volume of loans smaller than $1 million," said the regional Fed, based on a survey of banks across the nation.
Power cooperative gets $2.5 billion in USDA funding for clean energy
A power cooperative based in the Denver suburbs that supplies electricity to more than a million consumers in the West will receive $2.5 billion in USDA grants and loans for a mammoth solar, wind, and battery energy project, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will announce on Friday.
USDA confident of eradicating virus, although bird flu count keeps climbing
Thirty people have contracted bird flu from exposure to infected animals this year, and more cases are expected, said the Centers for Disease Control on Thursday. At the same briefing, the USDA said it was confident of eradicating the viral disease in dairy herds despite the ever-rising number of outbreaks in California.
This app set out to reduce pesticide use. How did it end up helping sell the very products it vowed to fight against?
In FERN’s latest story, published with WIRED, reporter Stephen Robert Miller unpacks the story of Plantix, an app that promised to change the lives of poor farmers in places like India and Africa by allowing them to instantly diagnose disease and pests in their crops. But as the company grew, supported by venture capital funding, the mission changed.
Agricultural activity ‘flat to down modestly’ this fall, says Beige Book
The farm economy stabilized in the Midwest and northern Plains but weakened in much of the country this fall as producers nationwide confronted high costs and lower commodity prices, said the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book on Wednesday. “Agricultural activity was flat to down modestly, with some crop prices remaining unprofitably low,” said the national economic summary.
Two more California dairy workers have bird flu
California now has 15 confirmed cases of bird flu in humans, all of them dairy farm workers, up from the previous count of 13, said the state Department of Public Health on Wednesday. “While the risk to the general public remains low, additional human cases of bird flu are expected to be identified and confirmed in California among individuals who have contact with infected dairy cattle.”
Kennedy’s talk of ‘When I get inside’ USDA stirs ag unease
Former president Donald Trump says American agriculture "is built on science, technology, and innovation," but a prominent supporter says the country needs the opposite — fewer pesticides and feedlots. "When Donald Trump gets me inside the building I'm standing in front of right now, it won't be this way anymore," said Robert Kennedy Jr. in a video filmed outside of the Agriculture Department headquarters in Washington. (No paywall)
More California dairies report herds infected by avian flu virus
Nearly 40 percent of 333 U.S. dairy herds infected by the avian flu virus are in California, according to a USDA database on Tuesday. To date, 133 outbreaks have been reported since the first report on Aug. 30. The state Department of Food and Agriculture said it tries to find affected farms as soon as possible so they can implement enhanced biosecurity, cow care, and employee protection measures.
Time to bust the meat trust
USDA agencies to collaborate on preservation of wildlife corridors
From the Forest Service to the Farm Service Agency, USDA agencies will work in concert to preserve wildlife corridors on public and privately owned land, said three senior officials on Monday. The collaboration would extend to state and tribal governments.
Poultry workers treated for avian flu infections in Washington State
Four workers tested positive for the avian flu virus after culling chickens at an egg farm in southeastern Washington state — the first human cases reported in the Pacific Northwest. The diagnoses potentially raise the U.S. total to 31 since late March, though "the number of cases under investigation may change" as more people are tested, said the state Department of Health.
Carbon pipeline regulation, trophy hunting, and a CAFO ban are on November ballot
A "voter veto" of a state law regulating carbon dioxide pipelines is on the general election ballot in South Dakota and residents of Sonoma County, in California's wine country, will decide on Nov. 5 whether to ban large-scale livestock farms. The handful of state and local referendums across the nation that involve agriculture also include a vote whether to ban slaughterhouses in Denver.
Ten years is enough for methane credits on manure digesters, says analyst
The California Air Resources Board (CARB), which oversees the state's low-carbon fuel program, is considering a change in rules for the manure digesters on dairy farms that prevent methane emissions by capturing it for use as a transportation fuel. The digesters are eligible for up to 30 years of prevented-methane credits at present. CARB has proposed a reduction to 20 years for digesters built by 2030.
Seeded by USDA, climate-smart products speed to market, says Vilsack
Nearly four dozen climate-smart commodities, from beets and bourbon to corn and yogurt, are on the market two years after the USDA launched the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities project, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday. The $3.1 billion public-private initiative, with 135 demonstration projects, is meant to encourage farmers to adopt climate-mitigating practices on working lands while creating a market for the products.
Five additional human cases of bird flu in California, more expected
With five new cases, California accounts for 11 of the 25 cases of human infection by the bird flu virus in the United States this year, said the Centers for Disease Control on Thursday. Additional cases were expected among individuals in contact with infected dairy cattle, said the California Department of Food and Agriculture.