August, 2024

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7 provinces call for immediate reversal of capital gains tax changes

Real Agriculture

Agriculture ministers from seven out of ten provinces are calling on the federal government to immediately reverse changes to the capital gains tax that they say are hurting farmers and the agriculture sector. As of June 25, the annual capital gains inclusion rate – the taxable portion of a capital gain, such as the sale.

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Weekend Reading: Soda Science

Food Politics

Susan Greenhalgh. Soda Science: Making the World Safe for Coca-Cola. University of Chicago Press, 2024. This terrific book picks up where I left off with Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning) (2015) and Unsavory Truth: How the Food Industry Skews the Science of What We Eat (2018). Susan Greenhalgh’s focus, however, is on ILSI, the International Life Sciences Institute (now renamed the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences).

Science 299
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The diplomacy of germplasm collecting

Agricultural Biodiversity

I do love a good historical counterfactual. Unfortunately, Henry A. Wallace becoming president of the USA in 1945 is not a particularly good counterfactual. You really want these things to hang on a coin toss, and it was in fact extremely unlikely that FDR would have chosen Wallace again as his vice-president running mate in 1944. However, that didn’t stop me enjoying the recent episode of the podcast Past Present Future entitled “ What If… Wallace not Truman Had Become US President

Logistics 278
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New process vaporizes plastic bags and bottles, yielding gases to make new, recycled plastics

Berkeley Blog

The catalytic process, discovered by researchers at UC Berkeley, efficiently reduces polymers to chemical precursors, bringing a circular economy for plastics one step closer to reality The post New process vaporizes plastic bags and bottles, yielding gases to make new, recycled plastics appeared first on Berkeley News.

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How bread dough gave rise to civilisation

Agri-tech

A major international study has explained how bread wheat helped to transform the ancient world on its path to becoming the iconic crop that today sustains a global population of eight billion. “Our findings shed new light on an iconic event in our civilisation that created a new kind of agriculture and allowed humans to settle down and form societies,” said Professor Brande Wulff.

Crop 145
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Unraveling the mystery of Texas’ cryptic freshwater blobs

AgriLife Today

AgriLife Extension expert discusses bryozoans — colonies of tiny Texas wildlife The post Unraveling the mystery of Texas’ cryptic freshwater blobs appeared first on AgriLife Today.

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Labour minister imposing binding arbitration to end railway shutdown

Real Agriculture

The federal government is invoking its authority under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to put an end to the unprecedented shutdown of both of Canada’s national railways, less than a day after CN and CPKC locked out more than nine thousand workers who were otherwise set to go on strike a minute after.

Logistics 332

More Trending

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New York is Suing One of the Country’s Largest Meat Processors for Greenwashing

Modern Farmer

JBS USA is one of the largest meat processors in the world, self-reportedly generating 32 billion pounds of product each year. A few years ago, JBS announced that it would “achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.” Typically, this is understood to mean reducing as much pollution as possible, while undertaking climate benefitting measures to offset unavoidable emissions.

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Scientists find oceans of water on Mars. It’s just too deep to tap.

Berkeley Blog

Seismic data from NASA's Insight lander indicate deep, porous rock filled with liquid water The post Scientists find oceans of water on Mars. It’s just too deep to tap. appeared first on Berkeley News.

Science 145
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Texas cotton faring better than last two years

Western FarmPress

Moisture or lack thereof will determine the quality and quantity of Texas cotton. Learn more about this year's cotton production, plus the latest Texas Crop and Weather Report.

Crop 119
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Key biofuel-producing microalga believed to be a single species is actually three

AgriLife Today

Texas A&M AgriLife researchers propose new species classification after analyzing genomes The post Key biofuel-producing microalga believed to be a single species is actually three appeared first on AgriLife Today.

Biofuel 122
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Ontario agronomist honoured as international crop advisor of the year

Real Agriculture

Crop adviser Paul Hermans has been chosen as the 2024 International Certified Crop Adviser of the Year in recognition of his mentorship, innovation and other outstanding contributions to the field of agronomy. Hermans is an area agronomist with Corteva Agriscience representing the Pioneer Seeds Canada brand in Eastern Ontario. He has devoted his career to.

Crop 325
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Innovative field experiments shed light on biological clocks in nature

Agri-tech

Much of what we know about plant circadian rhythms is the result of laboratory experiments where inputs such as light and temperature can be tightly controlled. Less is known about how these biological timing mechanisms operate in the more unpredictable natural world where they evolved to align living things to daily and seasonal cycles. A pioneering collaborative study between UK and Japanese.

Mechanics 117
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Opinion: Farm Forward’s Investigation Into Alexandre Farms and the Greenwashing of Large-scale Dairy

Modern Farmer

Industrial-scale dairy wants you to believe that they can turn cows’ milk green. As US milk consumption continues its decades-long drop , industrial dairy is increasingly desperate to hold on to environmentally-minded consumers who aren’t buying what it is selling. When you see a carton of milk at the grocery store with claims like “regenerative” or “carbon neutral,” you should feel as alarmed as you’d be by someone trying to sell you a literal glass of green

Farming 126
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A UC Berkeley linguist explores what Kamala Harris’s voice and speech reveal about her identity

Berkeley Blog

"When we talk about Kamala Harris as a modern candidate, she is in some ways embodying all of the ways the country has moved on from the idea that you can only be one thing at once." The post A UC Berkeley linguist explores what Kamala Harris’s voice and speech reveal about her identity appeared first on Berkeley News.

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Texas farmers set new PB with 5-plus bale cotton

Western FarmPress

Ted and David Kohlleppel, T&D Kohlleppel Farms, yielded a personal best with 5-plus cotton bales to the acre on their LaCoste, Texas, farm. See what made the difference.

Acre 116
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Texas A&M Board of Regents approves controlled environment agriculture greenhouse construction project in Dallas

AgriLife Today

Modern technology in new facility to help lead ‘CEA’ research across southern U.S. The post Texas A&M Board of Regents approves controlled environment agriculture greenhouse construction project in Dallas appeared first on AgriLife Today.

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Meaningful conversations, social media moderation, and sleep: keys to managing through stress-filled times

Real Agriculture

Harvest is often a highlight of the year, but it can also be a stress-filled time, especially when combined with other factors outside of a farm’s control. In addition to the usual untimely weather and equipment breakdowns, the list of uncontrollable factors this harvest includes declining crop prices that are creating questions about profitability and.

Harvest 309
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HEP/CAMP Intern Draws Inspiration from USDA

USDA Blog

Vanessa Valencia is a recent graduate from Oregon State University who majored in marketing. She is one of 14 students accepted into the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) High School Equivalency Program (HEP)/College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) internship program.

Marketing 115
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Farmers Fought a Factory Farm and Won

Modern Farmer

Kendra Kimbirauskas and Starla Tillinghast are dairy farmers who live in Scio, a small town in the rural Willamette Valley in Oregon. Home to covered bridges, seed crops, grazing lands, hazelnuts, timber, and small, well-tended dairies, this small farming community wasn’t against raising animals to feed people. But a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) would have completely changed the nature of their community.

Farming 122
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To kill mammoths in the Ice Age, people used planted pikes, not throwing spears, researchers say

Berkeley Blog

UC Berkeley archeologists say the findings might help resolve the debate about Clovis points and reshape how we think about hunting some 13,000 years ago. The post To kill mammoths in the Ice Age, people used planted pikes, not throwing spears, researchers say appeared first on Berkeley News.

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U.S. beef imports: A quick look at recent trends

Western FarmPress

As U.S. cattle prices remain high and herds are the smallest since the 1950s, beef imports are rising. In 2023, U.S. imports more than doubled those of 2013. See what's trending and from which countries.

Cattle 115
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How a Community Gardener Grew Food for Her Family, Quit Her Job at McDonald’s, and Started a Farm

Civil Eats

When Maximina Hernández Reyes emigrated from Oaxaca, Mexico, to Oregon in 2001, she was still learning English, had no idea where the food pantries were, and knew very few people. She struggled to find a support system in Gresham, the suburb of Portland where she settled, until 2012, when she happened upon a community garden in the city’s Vance Park.

Food 112
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New agricultural terminal planned for Eastern Ontario

Real Agriculture

Picton Terminals and Parrish & Heimbecker Limited have announced plans to build a bulk agricultural marine terminal at Picton Terminals in Ontario’s Prince Edward County. The partners say the new terminal will significantly reduce travel time for local farmers, alleviate truck traffic on Highway 401 and enhance the overall efficiency of the agricultural supply chain.

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Dong named Sadie Hatfield Endowed Professor in Agriculture

AgriLife Today

Endowed professorship, five-year grant support plant developmental biology researcher The post Dong named Sadie Hatfield Endowed Professor in Agriculture appeared first on AgriLife Today.

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Ten Tips to Improve Your Garden Next Season

Modern Farmer

Late summer is here. If you’re like me, you’re probably seeing some great successes and great failures in your garden. I’ve been gardening at my home in the Nashville area (Zone 7b) for three years. I’ve learned a lot, but clearly not enough to be able to grow a decent Cherokee Purple tomato. Here are 10 tips for a better garden sourced directly from my own garden fails. 1.

Crop 117
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Creature the size of a dust grain found hiding in California’s Mono Lake

Berkeley Blog

Colonies of these choanoflagellates — members of a group considered to be the closest living relatives of all animals — have their own unique microbiomes. The post Creature the size of a dust grain found hiding in California’s Mono Lake appeared first on Berkeley News.

Grain 131
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Insider’s guide to 2024 Husker Harvest Days

Western FarmPress

This year’s show will allow farmers to engage with cutting-edge agriculture products, equipment and ideas, not to mention field demos, BEEF showcase, autonomy and more.

Harvest 111
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Nepal update: Monitoring plant clinic performance

CABI

CABI, in collaboration with the Agriculture Development Directorate, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Management (MoALM), Gandaki province, Nepal, recently conducted a two-day training on Monitoring Plant Clinic Performance (MPCP). This crucial training was designed to enhance the quality of plant clinics, recognizing the pivotal role of plant doctors in providing accurate advice and quality recommendations… The post Nepal update: Monitoring plant clinic performance appeared first on Plant

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Railways, unions, and government playing a game of economic chicken and Canadians seem happy to pay for it

Real Agriculture

I feel like all I have talked about on RealAg Radio for the past two weeks is the potential impacts of both Canadian railways going on strike. As the minutes tick down to the August 22nd strike deadline, it’s become clear that Canadians are completely comfortable with the impacts of the threat. The comfort level.

Logistics 306
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CAPAL Intern Driven to Change Food Insecurity

USDA Blog

Nichole Espineli is studying for her master’s degree at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her determination, borne from her personal experience with food insecurity, led her to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) internship this past summer with the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Food 108
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Meet the Modern Chef and Forager Duo Bringing Snails to the Menu

Modern Farmer

They are large for snails, with fully grown shells reaching up to nearly 10 inches. And they’re pretty. Their shells are often splotched with red or orange markings or deep amber striping curving along the tip. But more importantly, they are delicious, simmered with aromatics and served with a light seaweed over a bed of pasta. They are tulip snails , a mollusk found in the sandy bottoms of shallow pools along the south eastern coast of the US.

Forage 117
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New chancellor, new housing and robot ramen help kick off Berkeley’s 2024 fall semester

Berkeley Blog

Chancellor Rich Lyons says civil discourse and bridging political and cultural divides will be a focus this new academic year. The post New chancellor, new housing and robot ramen help kick off Berkeley’s 2024 fall semester appeared first on Berkeley News.

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Family Farmers Are the Future. Let’s Celebrate Them!

Food Tank

Family farms are the backbone of our food system. More than 90 percent of farms—about 500 million—are run either by individual or family labor! More than 1.5 billion people worldwide are involved in family farming, and these operations produce more than 80 percent of the world’s food value, according to U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) data.

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Texas A&M AgriLife employees honored with Texans Caring for Texans awards

AgriLife Today

Outstanding contributions to Texas High Plains recognized The post Texas A&M AgriLife employees honored with Texans Caring for Texans awards appeared first on AgriLife Today.

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Government has 3 options to end what would be a devastating rail strike, says Grain Growers

Real Agriculture

A delayed railway strike seems nearly a certainty now, after the Canada Industry Relations Board (CIRB) cleared the public safety assessment hurdle that had paused the strike threat. Now, if members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and CN and CKCP railways don’t come to an agreement before August 22, the railways have announced they’ll.

Grain 310
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What’s the best way to leave an IRA to your spouse?

Western FarmPress

Estate Plan Edge: A trust can keep an inheritance from adding to estate tax problems — but what about retirement accounts? You have options for how to handle an IRA.

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