agriculture News

Extreme Weather Can Hit Farmers Hard. Those With Smaller Farming Operations Often Pay the Price

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Justin Ralph estimates he`s made about 200 trips delivering grain from the fields he farms with his brother and uncle this year. They`re accustomed to using their four semi-trucks to take the harvest from a total …

1.2 Million Chickens Will Be Slaughtered at an Iowa Farm Where Bird Flu Was Found

An additional 1.2 million chickens will be slaughtered to prevent the spread of the bird flu after the virus was confirmed on an Iowa egg farm in the second massive case this week. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land …

Nearly 1M Chickens Will Be Killed on a Minnesota Farm Because of Bird Flu

Nearly 1 million chickens on a Minnesota egg farm will be slaughtered to help limit the spread of the highly contagious bird flu after it was confirmed there, officials said Monday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the virus …

Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu Detected at Alabama Chicken Farm

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — After confirming the presence of highly pathogenic avian flu in a flock of chickens, nearly 48,000 birds were killed at a north Alabama farm, state agriculture officials said. A Marshall County commercial pullet farm — one …

New Deadly Bird Flu Cases Reported in Iowa, Joining 3 Other States as Disease Resurfaces

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two commercial turkey farms in Iowa have been hit by the reemerging highly pathogenic bird flu, causing about 100,000 birds to be killed to prevent the disease from spreading. The Iowa Department of Agriculture reported …

The Trees Arrived with Polynesian Voyagers. After Maui Wildfire, There’s a Chance to Restore Them

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — For people around the world, the green leaves that sprouted from a scorched, 150-year-old banyan tree in the heart of devastated Lahaina symbolized hope following Maui’s deadly wildfire this summer. Teams rushed to flood its roots …

South Africa Culls About 7.5M Chickens in Effort to Contain Bird Flu Outbreaks

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa has culled about 7.5 million chickens in an effort to contain dozens of outbreaks of two separate strains of avian influenza that threatened to create a shortage of eggs and poultry for …

US Beefs Up Campaign to Ensure Accurate Animal Welfare Claims on Packaging

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it hopes to weed out false or misleading animal-welfare claims on meat and poultry packaging with new guidance and testing. The claims __ such as “pasture-raised,” “humanely raised,” and “raised without antibiotics” __ …

Oregon to Crack Down on Illegal Pot Growers by Holding Landowners Responsible

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon has long been known as a mecca for high-quality marijuana, but that reputation has come with a downside: illegal growers who offer huge amounts of cash to lease or buy land and then leave behind …

California Overtime Law Threatens Use of Grazing Goats to Prevent Wildfires

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Hundreds of goats munch on long blades of yellow grass on a hillside next to a sprawling townhouse complex. They were hired to clear vegetation that could fuel wildfires as temperatures rise this summer. These …