USDA mandates bird flu tests of dairy cows before transport
Dairy farmers will be required to test their cattle for the H5N1 bird flu virus before shipping them across state lines, announced Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday as the government tries to prevent the spread of the disease and learn more about how it is transmitted.
Some crops will get bigger reference price increases than others
If Congress follows his lead, some commodities will get larger increases in reference prices than others, but the new farm bill will provide a robust safety net for all producers, said House Agriculture Committee chair Glenn Thompson on Wednesday.
THE LATEST
The whole damn truth
Claims about hydropower as a clean, green, sustainable power source issue with equal aplomb from government regulators, enviro journalists, climate academics, and green-grid design wizards. Climate writer David Roberts, writing in an email, said, “I’m a big hydro fan! I think most clean energy folks are, notwithstanding some concerns about salmon and such.” Viewed through the prism of fossil fuel emissions, it’s true that large-scale hydropower looks to be one of the more attractive options in the industrial energy lineup. But when viewed in a wider context, one that includes the “concerns about salmon and such,” a more complex, and uglier, picture emerges.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Water as rural voting issue: Democrats in Arizona hope to gain rural support by promising an adequate supply of drinking water for residents, many of whom fear that large farms are monopolizing the water supply to grow alfalfa. (New York Times)
Primary challenge: Christian conservative and culture warrior Steve Boyd is gaining traction against second-term Minnesota Rep. Michelle Fischbach ahead of this weekend’s Republican endorsement convention. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
Transplant gene-edited pig kidney: In a first-of-its-kind procedure, surgeons transplanted a gene-edited pig kidney and a mechanical heart pump into a terminally ill woman from New Jersey. (ABC News)
Nebraska SAF credit: Gov. Jim Pillen signed legislation that includes a 75-cent-a-gallon Nebraska state tax credit for the production of sustainable aviation fuel. (Growth Energy)
