Podcast: How do you like them Grapples?

In this podcast, editors and reporters discuss a family farm that’s invented a better apple, the global thirst for new dairy-based beverages, a legal ruling that may dramatically limit the use of antibiotics in livestock, the science of long-term weather patterns and the latest legal settlement between an environmental group and federal agencies.

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AgMinute for March 30, 2012

Idaho and Mexican bean industry representatives are negotiating the sale of hundreds and possibly thousands of tons of Idaho bean seed to Mexico in Boise. In a speed-dating type format, 13 Mexican bean industry representatives from four states are moving from table to table.

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AgMinute for March 29, 2012

Idaho farmers and ranchers should gear up now to fight a looming 2014 animal welfare ballot initiative, an official with a national group that represents ranchers said.

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AgMinute for March 28, 2012

Idaho researchers have released details of a state management plan intended to minimize damage caused by zebra chip, a potato disease that first arrived last season in the Pacific Northwest.

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AgMinute for March 27, 2012

The Humane Society of the United States says it will file a first-offense animal cruelty ballot initiative in Idaho in 2014 if an animal welfare bill introduced in the Idaho Legislature doesn't get signed into law.

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AgMinute for March 26, 2012

Dairy industry analysts forecast a challenging 2012 second quarter as dairy commodity prices continue to soften because of large milk supplies and shrinking demand.

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Podcast: Housing developments and fish, PacifiCorp's ever-rising electric rates, and high-yield wheat

In this podcast, editors and reporters discuss a settlement that requires more federal oversight of housing developments that may harm fish populations, alarm among agri-businesses over rising electricity rates, and innovative research into high-yield wheat.

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AgMinute for March 23, 2012

The Idaho State Brand Inspector's office is leading a multijurisdictional effort to solve a string of fatal cattle shootings that has claimed seven cows in three southwest Idaho counties.

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Rancher's death mourned online

One of the most read stories on www.capitalpress.com over the last 24 hours has been the report on the death of Country Natural Beef co-founder Doc Hatfield.  Hatfield and his wife Connie created the cooperative more than 20 years ago.

His passing is drawing reaction an mourning from ranchers, the Oregon ag community, and foodies throughout the West and the country.

AgMinute for March 22, 2012

The Supreme Court has sided with an Idaho couple in a property rights case, ruling they can go to court to challenge an Environmental Protection Agency order that blocked construction of their new home and threatened fines of more than $30,000 a day.

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AgMinute for March 21, 2012

Idaho FFA members have donated $1,100 to the Idaho Foodbank and the money came at a good time, with the Foodbank struggling to find enough resources to handle a large increase in demand for emergency food.

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AgMinute for March 20, 2012

An animal welfare bill backed by Idaho's livestock industry appears to have achieved one of its key objectives: to stave off the Humane Society of the United States' involvement in a proposed ballot initiative that addresses the state's animal cruelty laws.

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AgMinute for March 19, 2012

A bill that would raise the cap for Idaho's barley checkoff fee from 2 cents to 4 cents per hundredweight was sent to the House floor with a do-pass recommendation.

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Podcast: 'Funny honey,' summarizing Klamath, organic verification and a long labor fight

In this podcast, editors and reporters discuss Idaho’s fight against so-called “funny honey,” a peer review of a study on Klamath dam removal efforts, a push from within the USDA to develop techniques to monitor and verify organic feed, and a nursery’s years-long battle with the federal government over allegations of labor violations.

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AgMinute for March 16, 2012

A bill that would increase the ceiling of Idaho's sheep checkoff fee would also give the Idaho Sheep Commission authority to assess the fee on goats. How the commission would go about doing that could turn out to be a little tricky.

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AgMinute for March 15, 2012

The new president of the National Association of Wheat Growers is calling for industry unity to ensure Congress passes a new farm bill this year. Hallock, Minn., wheat farmer Erik Younggren recently took over as association president.

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AgMinute for March 14, 2012

Pioneer Irrigation District officials are asking for the public's help to try to find the thieves who stole heavy equipment worth about $250,000 over the weekend.

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AgMinute for March 13, 2012

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality wants to ease field burning restrictions so farmers can set fields afire on weekends and holidays, but a clean air group says it will go to court to block such a move.

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AgMinute for March 12, 2012

A coalition of agricultural interests will meet March 14 to discuss how to prevent more of Idaho's farmland from being replaced by concrete. Total farmland in Idaho has decreased 18 percent since 1982, from 13.9 million acres to 11.4 million acres.

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Podcast: Idaho's trout success, volatile fertilizer prices, finding export markets, and herbicide-resistant weeds

In this podcast, editors and reporters talk about an improvement in aquaculture production in Idaho, increasing volatility in the price of fertilizer, tips for finding export markets, and the discovery of unlikely an hotspot for herbicide-resistant weeds.

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AgMinute for March 9, 2012

Idaho's beekeepers are backing a so-called "funny honey" bill designed to protect the industry from adulterated and mislabeled honey products.

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AgMinute for March 8, 2012

The color is returning to Idaho's rainbow trout industry after posting a 11.4 percent increase in sales in 2011. Idaho's sales of food-size trout, 12 inches and longer, totaled $37.6 million last year after having dropped to $33.8 million in 2010.

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AgMinute for March 7, 2012

Potato growers represented by the Southern Idaho Potato Cooperative have rejected contract offers by processors after the sides failed to agree about how much zebra chip disease could drive up production costs.

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AgMinute for March 6, 2012

These are good times for malting barley, the head of the Idaho Barley Commission says. Kelly Olson, the commission's administrator, said the malting barley contract season has been robust, with prices remaining at near-historic highs.

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AgMinute for March 5, 2012

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has unveiled a new program to offer financial incentives for farmers to enroll up to 1 million new acres of grasslands and wetlands into the conservation reserve program.

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Podcast: Texting allegations in a helicopter crash and a Monsanto victory over organic farmers

In this podcast, editors and reporters discuss a lawsuit that alleges text messages led to a fatal helicopter crash in Central Washington last year, Monsanto's court triumph over organic farmers, a symposium examining the role of media in agriculture, new innovations in wine packaging, and a notable figure in Idaho politics.

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AgMinute for March 2, 2012

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed eight Idaho farmers, two Oregon farmers and two Washington farmers as new members of the National Potato Promotion Board.

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AgMinute for March 1, 2012

A bill that would provide Gem State farmers an income tax credit of up to $500,000 for creating value-added processing capacity was introduced in the Idaho Legislature after its sponsor addressed concerns that it could place existing businesses at a competitive disadvantage.

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