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
Canadians pay $224 per year for supply management, a new report says Wednesday, June 24, 2026 Canadian think tank MEI looked at supply management and identified how much the system costs Canadians each year. “Overall, supply management results in an additional cost to the average Canadian of $224 per year,” the organization said in a June 18 report. MEI came to this figure by... Read this article online
Fertilizer Canada supports Mercosur trade deal Wednesday, June 24, 2026 A segment of Canada’s ag industry wants the federal government to finalize a trade agreement with South American countries. Fertilizer Canada is unwavering in its support for a Mercosur trade deal. “For Canada’s fertilizer industry, this is not a theoretical opportunity,” Michael... Read this article online
NOAA Declares El Nino, Raising Key Weather Risks for Agriculture Wednesday, June 24, 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 Wednesday, June 24, 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 Wednesday, June 24, 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