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
Manitoba Crops Advance Quickly as Heat Speeds Development Across Fields Wednesday, July 22, 2026 Manitoba farmers saw significant crop progress during the week of July 14 to July 21 as above-normal temperatures accelerated development across most major commodities. While the warmer weather helped push crops through critical growth stages, moisture conditions remained inconsistent... Read this article online
Canola Growers May Gain New Tool for Water Stress Wednesday, July 22, 2026 Mosaic Biosciences and Elicit Plant have entered into a joint development agreement to create a new agricultural solution aimed at helping canola growers across North America manage water-stress challenges. The collaboration will use Elicit Plant’s proprietary EliTerra technology... Read this article online
Pilot project supports Ontario and Quebec ag Wednesday, July 22, 2026 A new two-year pilot project is designed to help livestock farmers in Quebec by giving them access to an Ontario abattoir. The project, a collaboration between the Quebec and Ontario governments, with additional support from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), would see a limited... Read this article online
Ontario Farmers Harvest One of Canada’s Top Carrot Crops Wednesday, July 22, 2026 Carrots are among Ontario's most important vegetable crops, contributing significantly to local food production and year-round fresh produce availability. Ontario grows the most carrots of any Canadian province – 45% of the country’s carrots. According to Statistics Canada, Ontario... Read this article online
Weather Outlook Raises Flash Drought Concerns Across Central U.S. Tuesday, July 21, 2026 A growing flash drought across the central United States, lingering wildfire smoke impacts, and the rapid development of El Niño are creating a challenging weather outlook for North American agriculture. According to the latest weather analysis from Nutrien meteorologist Eric... Read this article online