Tennessee’s Republican governor, Bill Haslam, has vetoed state legislation that would have made it illegal for animal rights activists to sit on any videos that potentially exposed animal abuse.

On Feb. 10, EPA released information on 80,000 livestock operations across the United States, including 3,500 in Nebraska to activist groups like Earth Justice, the Pew Charitable Trust and the Natural Resources Defense Council following Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

“We have seen the impact that variable climate patterns have had on production agriculture for the past several years. These projects will deliver the best tools available to accurately measure and respond to the effects of climate on beef and dairy production,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Nearly all the fuels currently produced under the RFS are derived from farm products, primarily corn for ethanol production and soybeans for biodiesel production. The RFS has strengthened demand for domestic corn and soybeans and these crop prices have risen.

“I am pleased to reintroduce important legislation which would help ranchers in Idaho and across America,” said Labrador. “This bill will add more stability and production security to ranchers in Idaho because it streamlines the permitting process to access public lands.

With the growing challenges in the ag business, fewer and fewer new or younger farmers are finding their way back. But some lawmakers are hoping that newly introduced legislation will turn the trend around, helping to increase the farming population..

A settlement agreement between the California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will result in improved understanding of the ecological and agricultural benefits of retaining farmland in production, according to CFBF.

Across the Rockies and Plains areas, snowfall totals for the month have hit record highs; but, along with those much needed inches of moisture, there were record temperatures, on the bottom end of the thermometer. In fact, according to records, April temperatures were the coldest in 30 years in some areas, and snowfall totals were the highest.

Despite the fact that the industry continues to provide a safe, abundant food supply to a growing population, some big names in Hollywood have joined the animal rights social media blitz wagon, sharing their political views on topics relating to animal rights.

The heated water debate in Oregon’s Klamath Basin got a little warmer last week when Klamath County Commission and Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber both declared a drought emergency.