Author: staff
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a public dashboard featuring data on influenza A detected in wastewater. This tool could help track the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, which has recently infected cattle herds. Between April 21 and May 4, a total of 230 out of 674 sites in 34 states reported “data suitable for analysis for influenza A virus” — admittedly, however, the agency didn’t define what this designation meant. It went on to say, of these, three sites (1 percent) from three states reported high levels of the virus, exceeding the 80th percentile compared…
At least eight were killed, and another 40 were injured after a bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida overturned today. The bus, which was transporting about 53 farmworkers, collided with a Ford Ranger in Marion County, which is located 80 miles north of Orlando, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Marion County Fire Rescue officials reported that eight people were killed, and another eight were critically injured. Another 37 have suffered non-life-threatening injuries, including the driver of the pickup. Highway patrol said that the number of fatalities could increase due to the severe nature of those critically injured. News reports…
Hairgrove said even though they identified the cause, the goal of finding the answer to one question kept the project alive over the many years: How can I select against it? From 2016 until 2023, Petersen’s lab worked on locating the mutation for this condition. It was found in the fall of 2023. “We can now select against this condition. Until about a year ago, we kept striking out,” Hairgrove said. “Many times, we were ready to give up, but we kept trying and finally figured it out. We found semen from the grandfather of that original bull we used…
A recent survey conducted by the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers at the 2024 Iowa FFA Leadership Conference shows that 70 percent of students would like to farm in the future but continue to have concerns about high start-up costs. Of the 191 members who completed the survey, now in its 19th year, 55 percent currently live on a farm. Preparing students for career success is a pillar of FFA. This is evident among the responses of Iowa FFA members, with 94 percent planning to continue their education after completing high school. Additionally, 82 percent plan to farm or work…
Discover Dairy’s “Adopt a Cow” program opened for enrollment for the 2023-24 school year on May 1. The free program, which impacted 1.2 million students worldwide last year, is a year-long, interactive learning opportunity that gives students an inside look at a dairy farm in the United States. Students participate in hands-on, educational activities featuring the calves on the farm and the dairy farmers who manage the operation. Discover Dairy is a learning series managed by the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania in partnership with American Dairy Association Northeast, American Dairy Association Indiana, Midwest Dairy, The Dairy Alliance,…
Oil and lubricant company Chevron has kicked off its 27th annual Chevron Tractor Restoration Competition, which accepts applications from high school students across the United States. The competition is designed to foster hands-on learning, critical thinking, and teamwork among high school students, while also celebrating the rich heritage of agricultural machinery. More than $20,000 in prize money will be awarded to the national winners, with the top three prizes being: Grand Champion: $10,000 Reserve Champion: $5,000 Third Place: $3,000 Since 1997, the Chevron Tractor Restoration Competition has rewarded the determination, mechanical skills, and business savvy of high school tractor restoration experts…
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has filed a lawsuit against Agridime LLC, accusing the company of running a $161 million Ponzi scheme. According to Law360, on May 10, 2024, the CFTC submitted a complaint to the Texas Northern District Court against Agridime and its co-founders, Joshua Link and Jed Wood. The complaint claims that from 2021 to around December 11, 2023, Agridime and its co-founders deceived thousands of customers across at least fourteen states. They allegedly solicited and accepted customer funds under false pretenses, using them to pay other customers in a Ponzi-like manner. The money was supposedly for purchasing…
Richard Slayman, the world’s first recipient of a transplanted, genetically engineered pig kidney, has passed away. Slayman received the transplant during surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital on March 16, receiving a pig kidney with 69 genomic edits. According to WCVB5, the 62-year-old said that he was leaving the hospital, “with one of the cleanest bill of health I’ve had in a long time.” In a statement, Massachusetts General Hospital said it has no indication Slayman’s death was the result of his recipient transplant. “The Mass General transplant team is deeply saddened at the sudden passing of Mr. Rick Slayman,”…
News of wolf depredations in Colorado has slowed down since the last calf was killed at the end of April. However, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials confirmed a new depredation last week on May 11. The Middle Park Stockgrowers Association told Sky-Hi News that one yearling was killed, bringing the count up to nine cattle since wolves were released in the state of Colorado last winter. A user on a private Facebook group named Colorado Wolf Tracker, dedicated to monitoring wolf updates, shared that three wolves may have been killed near William Fork Reservoir in Grand County. The news of…
U.S. Sales of 4-wheel-drive tractors increased 24 percent in April compared to 2023, according to the new data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. Additionally, 4-wheel-drive tractor sales are up 1.9 percent in the U.S. year-to-date. Unit sales of 100+ Horsepower tractors increased in the U.S. April sales rose 7.2 percent year-over-year, following March’s jump of 3.2 percent. February sales were also up 2.7 percent compared to last year. Combine sales increased in April, growing 6.7 percent compared to 2023. “The modest growth in agriculture 4-wheel-drive tractor sales in April 2024 is an indicator of resilience in the overall ag industry,” said AEM…