A familiar sight from windshields on rural Michigan roads, deer are out of control statewide, say many agriculture officials. The population is a major contributing factor to the lingering TB problem, they say. A new proposal to keep deer from cattle, feed and water has begun in the Modified Accredited Zone, designed to shrink it to five counties as soon as possible.
Bountiful deer spur new TB plan
Conspiracy theorists, consider this new plot: Deer in northeastern Michigan are slowly, systematically running farmers out of business. Click here for full story.New loan repayment methods for Marketing Assistance Loan
USDA will begin using an improved and more stable system for determining non-recourse marketing assistance loan repayment rates and loan deficiency payment rates for wheat, feed grains, pulse crops, oilseeds, wool, mohair and honey, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced April 10. Click here for full story.AFBF disappointed with EPA, appeals pesticide ruling
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and 21 other ag groups have asked the full Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to review a three-judge ruling that would require permits for pesticide uses even if they are applied in compliance with pesticide labeling laws. Click here for full story.FB demands fairness for biofuels in carbon scoring
When rating fuels on the basis of their carbon content, biofuels should not be singled out and artificially degraded for so-called "indirect effects," according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). Click here for full story.