Category Archives: Agriculture

Solar installations hasten loss of Virginia farmland

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Barbara Hollingsworth

Virginia lost about 2,000 acres of productive farmland per week in 2021, according to data released in February by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  There are many reasons why farmers sell off their land, including development pressures, lack of interest by younger … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court to Review California Standards Imposed on Virginia

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Gary Baise

How agriculture produces meat in our society, and whether California gets to set the standards for everyone else, is in the balance. Continue reading →

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Smithfield’s court loss may spell trouble for large-scale livestock farmers

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Gary Baise

Murphy-Brown, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, lost a major case on November 19, 2020. With Thanksgiving activities and election allegations, little attention was paid to this loss other than a few environmental groups and farm publications (full case summary here). … Continue reading →

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That $900 Billion Stimulus Package includes Pork – lots of it!

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Gary Baise

Congress has passed, and the President has signed, the $900 billion stimulus package. There’s a lot of pork in the bill, and it includes USDA. What is your tax dollar going to support? About $10 million will be made available … Continue reading →

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Feds’ Jargon-filled Memo Won’t Help Farmers Manage Wetlands

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Gary Baise

Back in July USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey, Assistant Secretary of the Army R. D. James, and EPA Assistant Administrator for water David Ross signed an essentially meaningless memorandum on how to determine issues related to the implementation of Section … Continue reading →

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