By Sarah Fielder
Undercover Video of Pennsylvania Dairy Released Compassion Over Killing has released an undercover video of alleged abuse on a Pennsylvania dairy this week. The dairy is responding to these allegations currently. The story in Dairy Herd Management highlights what farms should do when faced with a crisis such as this, check out the story here http://bit.ly/2q2NOTJ.
Syngenta Class Action Update Tiffany Lashment on her blog has a very good update of the ongoing Syngenta MIR162 class action litigation. The judge recently dismissed some of the plaintiffs’ claims but not all of them. To learn what claims survive and which ones did not, please see http://bit.ly/2pyXimD.
Local Orchards and Nurseries Get Ahead of Lost Topsoil Jerry Faulring operates Waverly Farm, a 200-acre tree and shrub nursery in Adamstown, and has continued to expand his business by rebuilding the soil. Waverly Farm loses an average of 250 tons of soil per acre when it harvests its nursery trees. “To be sustainable long term, you have to find a way to replace that soil,” Faulring said. To read the full story click here: https://go.umd.edu/c52
The Government is Going to Counter ‘Misinformation’ About GMO Foods The Food and Drug Administration will fund a campaign to promote genetically modified organisms in food under a bipartisan agreement to keep the government funded through the end of September. To read the full story go here: https://go.umd.edu/c56
Recap of the 2017 Maryland General Assembly Session Webinar. On Tuesday May 23, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. the Agriculture Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Association is hosting a webinar on how agriculture fared in the 2017 Maryland General Assembly Session. The presenters will be Colby Ferguson, Government Relations Director, Maryland Farm Bureau and Matt Teafeau, Director of Government Relations, Maryland Department of Agriculture. The webinar will be moderated by ALEI’s Paul Goeringer. Cost is $25.00 (free for Agricultural Law Section Members). To register go to: https://go.umd.edu/c5u.
Ag Dep’t Delays Animal Welfare Standards for Organic Meats The Trump administration is delaying for six months a rule that would require organic meat and egg producers to abide by stricter animal welfare standards. The rule was originally scheduled to go into effect in March. President Donald Trump’s USDA has delayed that to May and will now delay it another six months until Nov. 14, saying in an online notice that “there are significant policy and legal issues addressed within the final rule that warrant further review by USDA.” To read the full article go here: https://go.umd.edu/c5L.
Reminder that Federal Protections to Seeds Apply to Cover Crops Its about the time of year when Maryland producers sign up for the cover crop program. As a reminder to all producers, Maryland Department of Agriculture and University of Maryland Extension would like to remind producers that the Plant Variety Protection Act or federal patent law may apply to some cover crop varieties. Check the label before planting a cover crop variety to determine if the seed can be saved, saved and traded with a neighbor, or other restrictions that may apply. To learn more, check out this article in the UME Agronomy News, http://bit.ly/2r3vpUl.
Governor Vetoes Bill to Limit Nuisance Damages Against North Carolina Farms North Carolina is one of many states that has been considering changes to their right-to-farm law that would limit damages against large concentrated animal feeding operations in the state. Late last week, Governor Cooper vetoed the proposed changes. The bill was passed with veto proof margins, but the legislature is weighing options before considering overturning the veto. To learn more, click here http://bit.ly/2r54U1h.
Goeringer Apart of a Team Teaching Award From Texas A&M Recently, Paul Goeringer was apart of a group honored by Texas A&M Agrilife Extension for the Rancher’s Agricultural Leasing Handbook. Others apart of the award include Tiffany Lashmet, Austin Voyles, Fred Hall, Kim Garcia, Shannon Ferrell, and Rusty Rumley. To learn more about the program funded by the Southern Risk Management Education Center, click here http://bit.ly/2r54U1h.