Drought takes toll on crops across Northern Plains BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A punishing drought that stretches across much of the U.S. Northern Plains could cause farmers to lose 64 million bushels of wheat production this year, according to federal officials.
That dire projection comes as northeastern Montana experiences the worst drought in the country, with similar dry conditions in neighboring North and South Dakota. The federal government has declared numerous counties in the three-state region to be disaster areas and authorized haying and grazing on land meant for conservation to help alleviate the conditions.
Federal agriculture officials have labeled as poor or very poor more than half of Montana’s 2017 crops of spring wheat, lentils and durum. Combined, the three crops were valued at more than $600 million in 2016.
A scant 1.2 inches of rain have been recorded since April 1 in the small town of Nashua on the edge of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.
Ranchers also will lose in this drought, said Ed Hinton, an auctioneer who drives down from Scobey for the weekly sale at the Glasgow Stockyards. The Thursday sale the week before the Fourth of July brought 1,000 cattle to the stockyards, Hinton said, at a time of year when a few hundred cattle at a sale is respectable.
Alabama finds atypical BSE case, no human threat seen
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Reuters) — An 11-year-old cow in Alabama tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called “mad cow” disease, the USDA said July 18.
The cow tested positive for the atypical L-type of BSE after exhibiting clinical signs at an Alabama livestock market, the USDA stated. Atypical BSE can arise spontaneously in cattle herds, usually in animals 8 years or older.
“This animal never entered slaughter channels and at no time presented a risk to the food supply, or to human health in the United States,” the USDA said. “Following delivery to the livestock market, the cow later died at that location.”
The Alabama cow is the fifth detection of BSE in the United States, four of which were atypical. “This finding of an atypical case will not change the negligible risk status of the United States, and should not lead to any trade issues,” the USDA added.
Groups petition Iowa to improve animal farm permit process
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A citizen activist group and an environmental organization have filed a petition asking the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to improve the state’s livestock farm permit process.
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and Food & Water Watch say the permit system established 15 years ago fails to give local officials enough control over where large hog, cattle and chicken farms locate.
The petition filed last week asks the DNR for several changes to the master matrix system, including stricter pollution requirements and increased distance requirements from schools, homes, waterways and wells.
County officials say permits they reject are nearly always approved by a state governor-appointed board. DNR records show only 2 percent of applications have been denied. Iowa has 9,000 large-scale animal farms producing 22 billion gallons of manure a year. Producers have until August 1 to enroll in ARC/PLC WASHINGTON, D.C. — The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds farmers they have until August 1 to enroll in Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and/or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2017 crop year.
These programs trigger financial protections for participating agricultural producers when market forces cause substantial drops in crop prices or revenues. Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice (which includes short grain and sweet rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.
For more program information, contact your local FSA office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc
Farmer blocked at market over gay marriage seeks court order
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan city is defending a decision to keep an apple grower away from its outdoor market because of his views on gay marriage. East Lansing urged a judge last week to reject an injunction that would force the city to bring Stephen Tennes back to the market. Tennes has said he won’t allow gay couples to get married at his Eaton County farm, which is a popular place for weddings. In response, East Lansing didn’t invite him to sell fruit this year.
East Lansing says vendors must follow its civil rights ordinance, which bars discrimination. Tennes filed a lawsuit in May, saying his rights to free speech and religion are being violated. In a court filing, East Lansing said it’s responding to Tennes’ conduct, not his speech. |