Agriculture

Farm Policy in Age of Climate Change Creating Another Dust Bowl: Critics

"Over the past decade, farmers in the Great Southern Plains have suffered the worst drought conditions since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. They've battled heat, dust storms and in recent weeks, fires that devoured more than 900,000 acres and killed thousands of cattle. These extreme conditions are being fueled by climate change. But a new report from an environmental advocacy group says they're also being driven by federal crop insurance policy that encourages farmers to continue planting crops on compromised land, year after year."

Source: InsideClimate News, 03/22/2017

Judge Dismisses Des Moines Water Works Lawsuit Over Nitrates

"A federal judge has dismissed Des Moines Water Works' lawsuit against drainage districts in three northern Iowa counties the utility claimed are funneling high levels of nitrates into the Raccoon River, a source of drinking water for 500,000 central Iowa residents."

Source: Des Moines Register, 03/20/2017

"Agriculture Leaders Slam Trump's USDA Budget Cut Proposal"

"Agriculture leaders including lawmakers from President Donald Trump's Republican Party on Thursday criticized his planned 21 percent cut to discretionary spending at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), saying it could take a toll on the rural communities that helped elect him last November."

Source: Reuters, 03/17/2017

Unsealed Documents Raise New Safety Doubts on Monsanto Weedkiller Roundup

"The reputation of Roundup, whose active ingredient is the world’s most widely used weed killer, took a hit on Tuesday when a federal court unsealed documents raising questions about its safety and the research practices of its manufacturer, the chemical giant Monsanto."

Source: NY Times, 03/16/2017

"Bird Flu Cases Revive Fear Of Repeat Of Major 2015 Outbreak"

"The detection of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu at a Tennessee chicken farm has poultry farmers stepping up security in an attempt to prevent an outbreak like the one in 2015 that required the destruction of millions of chickens and turkeys in the Midwest. The appearance of milder forms of bird flu at a Wisconsin turkey farm and another Tennessee chicken farm has heightened concern."

Source: AP, 03/10/2017

"Budget Cuts at NOAA Threaten Climate-Monitoring Satellite Program"

"Later this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans to launch the JPSS-1 satellite. Completing a polar orbit 14 times each day, it will give NOAA an unprecedented amount of infrared and atmospheric data – information that’s necessary to keep weather forecasts, agricultural outlooks, and disaster plans accurate as Earth’s climate warms."

Source: Christian Science Monitor, 03/09/2017

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