Tennessee backs down on ag-gag law Monday, August 5, 2013 In June's Better Pork, we reported that lawmakers voted to make Tennessee the latest state to approve a so-called "ag-gag" law, a bill to make it illegal to record animal cruelty incidents on livestock farms without reporting them to the police right away.Just after we went to press, Tennessee Republican governor Bill Haslam vetoed the bill, following the opinion of his Democratic attorney general that it wouldn't pass a constitutional challenge, freedom of speech being nearly as important in that country as freedom to own a gun.According to Meatingplace.com, Haslam also cited concerns that the new law might take away reporters' rights to gather information for stories, and that it might be harder to prosecute legitimate animal cruelty cases "as an unintended consequence."As well, a number of Tennessee celebrities jumped on the bandwagon, among them songwriter Emmylou Harris, country music singer Carrie Underwood and even Priscilla Presley. The Humane Society of the United States sees it as a victory; the Animal Agriculture Alliance, which writes and speaks out against animal rights legislation, is not pleased. BP A Chinese takeover of Smithfields? The battle of the polls over gestation stalls
NOAA Declares El Nino, Raising Key Weather Risks for Agriculture Thursday, June 25, 2026 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has officially declared the onset of El Niño, confirming that ocean temperatures in the central Pacific have risen high enough to trigger one of the world’s most influential climate patterns. The declaration follows sustained... Read this article online
Anti-Dumping Probe Targets Wheat Gluten Imports in Canada Thursday, June 25, 2026 The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has opened an anti-dumping investigation into certain wheat gluten imports entering the Canadian market from Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The inquiry will examine whether these products are being sold in Canada at unfairly low prices,... Read this article online
Fertilizer Sees Relief, but Grain Markets Stay Weak Thursday, June 25, 2026 On the latest episode of Ag Commodity Corner+ Podcast titled, “A Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is Bearish Long Team Diesel/Fertilizer!” Farms.com Risk Management Chief Commodity Strategist Moe Agostino and Commodity Strategist Abhinesh Gopal agreed that global markets saw major changes... Read this article online
Ag in the House: June 15 – 18 Thursday, June 25, 2026 In the final week of question period before Parliament rose for the summer, the Bloc asked the government why it ended bill debates. On June 16, Yves Perron, the Bloc’s ag critic, accused the government of avoiding the accountability of the opposition. “Yesterday (the prime minister)... Read this article online
Canada Funds Poultry Health Innovation Thursday, June 25, 2026 Canada is strengthening its agriculture sector by supporting innovation in animal health. A new investment aims to help poultry farmers reduce their dependence on traditional antibiotics while improving food safety and animal welfare. The Government of Canada announced funding of up to... Read this article online