Tom Lisi reported this week at WSIU Radio Online that, “Ten years ago, Cindy Bonnet found out she was getting new neighbors in Nora, Illinois: 10,000 cows. It’s what’s known in the industry as a ‘concentrated animal feeding operation,’ or CAFO: basically a big cow warehouse, with a giant trough under it to catch their waste.”

The update explained that, “Democratic lawmakers with districts in Central Illinois say they’re sponsoring several pieces of legislation to deal with a number of problems related to CAFOs. Senator Dave Koehler of Peoria is sponsoring legislation to address concerns over water and air pollution. He says there are many CAFO’s across the state that are not even registered.”

Mr. Lisi added that, “Farmers from Fulton County voiced their opposition at public hearings before a new CAFO site was built. They say the decision was ultimately left to county officials, and the hearing decision was nonbinding and ignored.

“The Department of Agriculture declined to comment on the complaints of public hearings on CAFOs. A spokesperson emailed the following statement. ‘The [law] requires the Department to review all relevant materials and testimony before making a final decision. If a proposal is in compliance with the rules and requirements set forth in statute, it will be approved.'”

And a news release this week from state Sen. Koehler stated that, “New legislation aimed at protecting the environment in rural Illinois was unveiled in the Illinois Senate today. State [Sen. Koehler] unveiled a package of legislation that would make changes to the regulations governing Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs.”

“Joined by farmers from all across the state, Koehler introduced the legislation to bring transparency to the process of planning and expanding hog farms,” the release said.

Meagan Forbes (an attorney at the Institute for Justice’s Minnesota office, which represents Alexis Bailly Vineyard and Next Chapter Winery in their case) indicated this week at the Minneapolis Star Tribune Online that, “If you’re looking for a Cabernet, Tempranillo or Malbec at your favorite Minnesota farm winery, chances are you won’t find one. And it’s not Minnesota’s harsh winters that are to blame. It’s Minnesota’s harsh regulatory environment.

“Unlike craft brewers — who are free to import a variety of hops and barley from anywhere they please — Minnesota farm wineries are legally required to make wine with a majority of Minnesota grapes. This law props up the state’s grape industry at the expense of farm wineries, wine drinkers and our state’s economy.

“It’s time to set our farm wineries free.”

Ms. Forbes noted that, “The rise in Minnesota farm wineries has closely corresponded to the availability of Northern grape varieties — the only grapes that can grow in the state’s cold climate. Farm wineries, however, are not required to grow their own grapes, and many struggle to grow even these Northern varieties in Minnesota. Yet, when farm wineries turn to other growers to purchase additional grapes, the law forces them to buy from Minnesota growers.”

“Thus, the state cripples farm wineries’ ability to access the ingredients they need to blend and make the broad variety of wines their customers want,” Ms. Forbes stated.

The opinion item added that, “Minnesota shouldn’t be boxing farm wineries in with this kind of protectionist law. That is why Alexis Bailly Vineyard and another farm winery, Next Chapter Winery, have filed a federal lawsuit challenging Minnesota’s winemaking restriction under the U.S. Constitution. Their suit asks a simple question: Why can’t Minnesota farm wineries make wines with grapes from other states?”

“While wine may get better with age, Minnesota’s protectionism surely does not. Let’s lift these unnecessary restrictions and unleash the passion, creativity and energy of our Minnesota vintners,” Ms. Forbes said.

Bryce Gray reported last week at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Online that, “A fresh round of lawsuits against the herbicide Roundup also target a new locally based defendant: St. Louis advertising firm Osborn Barr, which marketed the product for years.

“The 231 cases filed last week in the 22nd Circuit Court in St. Louis are among the latest to emerge against Monsanto, the Creve Coeur-based agribusiness company that developed the weedkiller and is listed as a co-defendant with Osborn Barr. The filings echo hundreds of other active cases alleging that glyphosate, Roundup’s active ingredient, is carcinogenic and tied to cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma — an association Monsanto strongly disputes and that is also the topic of competing findings of scientific groups assessing cancer risk.

“While existing lawsuits focus on holding Monsanto liable for cancer allegedly linked to glyphosate, the inclusion of the advertising agency that helped market Roundup is a different approach in the legal battle, according to the prominent environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is working with a Los Angeles law office, Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, on the cases.”

The article indicated that, “The filings on behalf of 136 plaintiffs argue that for two decades, Osborn Barr represented Roundup as a product that created ‘no unreasonable risks to human health or the environment.’ The firm stopped marketing the product in 2012.

“‘It was integral to the marketing of glyphosate,’ Kennedy said of the ad agency. ‘There was no way for our clients to understand the risk they were taking because of the deception of Monsanto and Osborn & Barr.'”

Mr. Gray explained that, “Osborn Barr declined to comment on the matter, citing the ongoing nature of the legal cases. Scott Partridge, Monsanto’s vice president of global strategy, said the arguments seeking to implicate Roundup’s marketers felt ‘contrived’ and that Monsanto’s policy has long been to put all ads through a “rigorous process” to ensure accuracy.”

Andrew Alexander reported earlier this month at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Online that, “At first glance, the urban Atlanta neighborhood of Washington Park doesn’t seem a likely place for an organic farm. But at the corner of Lawton Street and Westview Drive in west Atlanta, the non-profit organization Truly Living Well’s new Collegetown Garden brims with organic cabbages, kale, turnips, beets, carrots and more, all thriving in tidy rows of planter boxes. Pear, plum and apple trees blossom radiantly in the early spring sun, and a busy hive of honeybees buzzes away nearby.

“‘This can really be a lighthouse for nutrition for this neighborhood,’ says Mario Cambardella, the City of Atlanta’s first director of urban agriculture. Some might zero in on the signs of urban neglect and decay just outside the garden gates, but Cambardella is quick to point out the historic homes, the nearby elementary school and, on a street-facing the end of Truly Living Well’s new garden, the site of a future farmers’ market for the food being grown there.

“‘This is really building the local food economy. Urban agriculture can really transform a community.'”

The article noted that, “Cambardella was hired by the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability in 2015 to help guide projects like the Collegetown Garden to success. In the new position, Cambardella is responsible for a wide range of activities related to urban agriculture in the city, including agricultural policy development. He cultivates partnerships with local non-profits like Truly Living Well and also assists individuals and organizations in navigating the often byzantine process of permitting and zoning related to starting their urban agriculture projects.”

Mr. Alexander added that, “One goal is to transform Atlanta’s urban food deserts by bringing local, healthy food within a half-mile of 75 percent of all residents by 2020. ‘I have to show up everyday and give 110 percent,’ says Cambardella. ‘I have to be looking toward 2020. That’s a goal worthy of working toward.’

“And in the end, for him, urban agriculture is about far more than just food. ‘If we can fuel this type of activity, we can really build up points of access,’ he says. ‘And it’s about more than just lettuce. It’s the eyes on the street, it’s the kids coming to play and learn, it’s all these forces for good that create growth and cultural understanding. What’s coming out of the ground has so much value.'”

Associated Press writer John Flesher reported last week that, “The rusty patched bumblebee on Tuesday became the first officially endangered bee species in the continental U.S., overcoming objections from some business interests and a last-minute delay ordered by the Trump administration.

“One of many bee types that have suffered steep population declines, the rusty patched has disappeared from about 90 percent of its range in the past 20 years. It previously was common across the East Coast and much of the Midwest, where it played a crucial role as a pollinator of crops and wild plants.

“Its listing as an endangered species means the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will devise a plan for returning the imperiled bee to ‘a healthy and secure condition,’ the U.S. Department of Interior said. ‘We will work with stakeholders to ensure collaborative conservation among landowners, farmers, industry, and developers in the areas where the species is native.'”

The AP article noted that, “Scientists say disease, pesticide exposure, habitat loss and climate change are among possible reasons for the decline of the bee, named for the rusty reddish patch on the backs of workers and males. Most of the grasslands and tallgrass prairies where they once thrived have been converted to farms or urban areas.”

Mr. Flesher added that, “The bee’s endangered listing, approved by the service shortly before President Barack Obama left office, had been scheduled to take effect Feb. 10. But the Trump administration, which has pledged to pare back federal regulations, said it would postpone the listing until Tuesday. Some environmental groups had feared it would be canceled altogether.”

John Holland reported on Friday at the Sacramento Bee Online that, “At last check, the Modesto area had no Disney theme parks, cable cars or mountain peaks — little to catch the typical tourist’s eye.

“It does have fruit and nut growers, wine and cheese makers, and other producers of food and drink in abundance. And the area could get a greater share of California’s visitor spending if this were marketed well.

“A meeting Thursday explored how produce stands, tasting rooms, festivals and other ventures could increase farm income in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Speakers also warned of county rules designed to protect the countryside from traffic, noise, trash and other impacts.”

The article noted that, “The meeting was the latest in a series put on by the University of California Small Farm Program and the UC Cooperative Extension. It drew a few dozen people to the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, off Crows Landing Road.

“The audience heard about Dutch Hollow Farms, which offers tulips, pumpkins and other seasonal attractions just northeast of Modesto. And about R.A.M. Farms, just east of Turlock, which has corn and hay mazes, pumpkins, ice skating and more.

“Agritourism also can be an event, such as the annual Pick & Gather at Riverdance Farms.”

Mr. Holland pointed out that, “Stanislaus County zoning rules encourage farm-related activities on ag land, said Angela Freitas, director of planning and community development. She noted how they were tweaked last year to prevent weddings in the wrong places.

“Farmers also need to assure safe handling of food, proper training of employees, and insurance policies that cover what is planned on the farm.

“‘When you get into agritourism, you’re in the hospitality business,’ said Penny Leff, coordinator for this effort at the Small Farm Program. ‘It’s a whole new business, and you have a bunch of new things to learn.'”