AgMinute for Jan. 31, 2012

Since Mexican officials asked Idaho bean growers last month to help them get through a dire situation, Gem State companies have sent several train carloads of dry beans to that country. Because of severe weather conditions and a drought, Mexico's growers are facing an emergency situation and need an almost immediate supply of dry bean seed for next season.

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AgMinute for Jan. 30, 2012

Idaho farmers and ag-related businesses are rallying around a tractor raffle program that funds scholarships for FFA members.

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Podcast: Looking for organic veterinarians, fighting herbicides on public lands and Deere's gray market victory

In this podcast, editors and reporters look at the limited supply of veterinarians trained in organic practices and the industry response, a legal battle over the use of herbicides to control weeds on public lands, and Deere and Co.'s court victory over dealers trying to import the manufacturer's own machines.

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AgMinute for Jan. 27, 2012

Bill Gates has a terse response to criticism that the high-tech solutions he advocates for world hunger are too expensive or bad for the environment: Countries can embrace modern seed technology and genetic modification or their citizens will starve.

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AgMinute for Jan. 26, 2012

New state rules adopted by an Idaho legislative committee will simplify the certification process for Idaho’s 250 organic farmers and collectively save them thousands of dollars.

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AgMinute for Jan. 25, 2012

University of Idaho Extension economist Paul Patterson predicts Idaho’s agricultural production costs will grow modestly in 2012 following the dramatic cost spikes of 2011.

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AgMinute for Jan. 24, 2012

A worrisome tuber necrotic strain of Potato virus Y, called NTN, is now present in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana, according to results of the 2011 Washington Commercial Seed Lot Trial. To educate growers on PVY and other new hybrid strands, a website has been launched by the USDA, the University of Idaho, Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin. At www.potatovirus.com growers can read PVY research updates by experts from the three universities, along with related links and a discussion forum.

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AgMinute for Jan. 23, 2012

The total amount of federal government payments to Idaho farmers and ranchers continued its 11-year slide in 2011, showing the state's agricultural economy would be less susceptible than many other states to possible cuts in the new farm bill.

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Podcast: Mick retires, nanotechnology's big potential and an update on potato disease research

In this podcast, editors and reporters discuss upcoming changes in the leadership of Washington farmers, diverging demand for tractors and combines, the big potential for nanotechnology in agriculture and new research in potato disease and production.

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AgMinute for Jan. 20, 2012

President Barack Obama’s proposal to reorganize six agencies that promote business and trade and possibly reorganize food safety agencies has not been well received in agriculture or consumer advocacy circles.

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'Useless' is in the eye of the degree holder

The biggest buzz online today among agriculture folks is about the Yahoo Education story saying 3 of 5 of the most useless college degrees are in agriculture fields.

AgMinute for Jan. 19, 2012

Several major farm and livestock groups in Idaho still haven’t decided whether to support proposed legislation that would add a felony provision for animal cruelty to state law. But the Idaho Cattle Association, which is behind the proposal, is confident those groups will support the effort when the time is right.

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AgMinute for Jan. 18, 2012

Randy and Karlene Hardy, who farm 2,800 acres in Oakley, have been named growers of the year by the Potato Growers of Idaho. They were to receive their award Jan. 18 at the Pocatello Red Lion Hotel following a fundraising auction to benefit the Idaho Potato Industry Political Action Committee. Dirk Parkinson, of St. Anthony, was chosen as this year’s seed grower of the year.

Randy Hardy is a former U.S. Potato Board chairman, and Karlene Hardy is a current board member of the group.

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AgMinute: Jan. 17, 2012

Idaho farmers set records for sugar beet and spring wheat yields and made their state the national leader in barley production during 2011, a new USDA report confirms.

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AgMinute: Jan. 16, 2012

An abundance of used combines has reduced demand for new models, with sales of such machines falling in 2011 and manufacturers expecting a further drop in 2012. Unit sales of new self-propelled combines sank more than 7 percent in 2011, to about 9,900 machines, after several years of solid growth, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

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Podcast: A banner year for Idaho, courts and the EPA, and farm internships

In this podcast, editors and reporters talk about Idaho agriculture breaking revenue records, Supreme Court arguments over the power of the Environmental Protection Agency, a legal victory for biotech alfalfa, and the Capital Press attitude toward farm internships.

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AgMinute: Jan. 13, 2012

Several major farm and livestock groups in Idaho still haven't decided whether to support proposed legislation that would add a felony provision for animal cruelty to state law. But the Idaho Cattle Association, which is behind the proposal, is confident those groups will come to support the effort. The proposal would make a third conviction for animal cruelty a felony in Idaho, which is one of only three states in the nation without such a provision.

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AgMinute, Jan. 12, 2012

The American Farm Bureau Federation voted Jan. 11 to support federal farm policy that includes strong safety net components, but no direct subsidy payments. In amending the organization’s long-time policy backing the $5 billion subsidy program, the Farm Bureau’s voting delegates adopted a resolution that reflects declining support for direct payments in the Obama administration and in Congress as the House and Senate ag committees begin deliberations on the 2012 Farm Bill.

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AgMinute: Jan. 11, 2012

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA is shuttering more than 250 offices across the nation, including 131 Farm Service Agency offices. Speaking at the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau, Vilsack said USDA is making the move to account for a 12 percent cut Congress has imposed on the agency’s discretionary budget.

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AgMinute: Jan. 10, 2012

The Idaho Wheat Commission announced Jan. 6 it has created a multimillion-dollar endowment designed to bolster the University of Idaho’s wheat research capabilities. The endowment, which is $500,000 this year and will grow to $2 million over 10 years, is part of a new public-private partnership between the commission, the university and Limagrain Cereal Seeds.

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AgMinute: Jan. 9, 2012

Idaho farmers and ranchers shattered the state's former records for total cash receipts and net farm income in 2011. The University of Idaho estimates the state's total farm-gate receipts in 2011 at $7.4 billion, a 29 percent increase over the $5.73 billion total in 2010 and far above the previous record of $6.22 billion set in 2008.

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Podcast: Produce promotion, walnut and sugar lawsuits, hog regulations and strawberries

In this podcast, writers and editors at the Capital Press talk about the potential benefits and difficulties of united produce promotion, a lawsuit over claims of the healthfulness of walnuts, a million-dollar business dispute over a sugar refinery, the impact of cold, dry weather on California, declining hog production in the wake of gestation crate bans, and trends in strawberry production.

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AgMinute: Jan. 6, 2012

American Farm Bureau Federation convention delegates will consider endorsing the elimination of direct government commodity payments in favor of an expanded risk management program at their convention in Hawaii this weekend.

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AgMinute: Jan. 5, 2012

A farmer-owned sugar beet processor in Idaho is seeking nearly $1 million in compensation from a Louisiana sugar cane processor over a failed joint venture. The Amalgamated Sugar Co. of Boise -- owned by the Snake River Sugar Co. agricultural cooperative -- has filed a legal complaint accusing M.A. Patout & Son of breach of contract, fraud and unjust enrichment, among other allegations.

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AgMinute: Jan. 4, 2012

The Idaho Cattle Association has added a new position that will focus on telling the media and consumers about the positive things the industry does. The ICA has hired Jessie Thompson of King Hill as communications director for the group, which represents the state’s 10,000 cattle producers.

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AgMinute: Jan. 3, 2012

The strong prices growers received for agricultural commodities in 2011 were tempered by sharp increases in their production costs, according to a recent economic study by University of Idaho extension economist Paul Patterson.

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AgMinute: Jan. 2, 2012

Important federal water issues that could significantly impact irrigated agriculture in the West will be among the topics discussed here Jan. 24-26 during the Idaho Water Users Association's 75th annual convention. The IWUA includes about 300 irrigation districts and canal companies, agri-businesses, hydropower and aquaculture interests and people and firms around the state that manage water supplies for more than 2 million acres of irrigated farmland in Idaho.


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