Tag: 

Agriculture

The Asian giant hornet has caused significant devastation in Japan to the European honeybee, which raises concerns in the US where growers depend on honeybees to pollinate many important food crops.

Since its discovery in the state in 2015, Minnesota has struggled to control the devastating disease White-nose syndrome in bats. Biologists believe that the disease has killed more than 90% of bats in important hibernation spots in Minnesota. 

Grouse hunters in northern Minnesota were asked to collect samples for a West Nile virus research project with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The main objective of the mission was to determine the impact of West Nile virus on ruffed grouse populations.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) will offer two free workshops later this month to explore mental health issues unique to farm youth and equip attendees with the tools to support rural families impacted by the financial and emotional stresses of farm life.

Since the Missouri legislature banned lab-grown products from using “meat” in their labels, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Wyoming have all followed suit. Montana will likely join if the governor signs the “Real Meat Act.”

Biodiversity is the variety of life at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. In terms of agriculture, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, biodiversity “includes the domesticated plants and animals that are part of crop, livestock, forest or aquaculture systems, harvested forest and aquatic species, the wild relatives of domesticated species, and other wild species harvested for food and other products." It also encompasses what is known as “associated biodiversity,” the vast range of organisms that live in and around food and agricultural production systems, sustaining them and contributing to their output.

An investigation into a case of drug-resistant human brucellosis that started in November 2018 was traced to Miller’s Biodiversity Farm in Pennsylvania. Brucella bacteria is usually killed in the pasteurization process, but the farm marketed raw milk products. The state quarantined sales of products while the investigation was taking place.

Last week, farm advocates, families affected by farmer suicide, and mental health counselors called on Minnesota lawmakers in the House Agriculture, Food Finance, and Policy Committee to fast-track three funding bills for farmer support resources. The bills would provide $150,000 in additional funding through June 2019 for state mental health programs, including training for additional mental health counselors. The bills would also triple the funding for the next two years.