Category Archives: Agriculture

U.S. Appeals Court supports EPA and Farmers

Posted on August 9, 2017 by matt ohern

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit handed farmers another win on July 18, 2017. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) challenged EPA’s decision not to restrict or eliminate the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, used … Continue reading →

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This is Why USDA Research Helps Everyone

Posted on July 26, 2017 by matt ohern

“Research is to see what everybody else sees – but to think what nobody else thinks.” Albert S Gyorgyi. Dr. Gale Buchanan, former dean of the College of Agriculture at both Auburn and Georgia, has written a stunning new book … Continue reading →

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This will make you cringe: Wheat farmer faces millions in fines

Posted on July 12, 2017 by matt ohern

In June, 2016, I described a Clean Water Act (CWA) case involving a California wheat farmer. A U.S. District Court found John Duarte chisel plowed pasture lands which were considered to be vernal pools even though the pools seldom have water in … Continue reading →

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Study Questions Ethanol's Image

Posted on June 19, 2017 by matt ohern

The Heritage Foundation Blueprint for Agriculture includes a lengthy chapter on U.S. biofuels policy and the renewable fuel standard (RFS). Heritage concludes that ethanol and other current biofuels are harmful to agriculture, the environment, and consumer. My first two reviews … Continue reading →

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Study Says Farm Subsidies Distort Planting Decisions

Posted on June 6, 2017 by matt ohern

This week I am addressing Heritage’s view on subsidies. It claims “Government intervention creates numerous problems and makes the status quo of agricultural subsidies an untenable situation. Subsidies distort planting decisions of farmers so that instead of responding to the market, they make decisions based on the incentives provided by the subsidies.” Continue reading →

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