Environment & Agriculture
Environmental, farm groups seek update of 2014 state climate impact study
LINCOLN — It’s been eight years since the state last produced a report on climate change, a report that predicted adverse effects ahead for the state’s largest industry, agriculture. Several environmental groups, as well as the state climatologist and one farm group, are now calling on state legislators to update the 2014 “Understanding and Assessing […]
Bird flu hits flock of 5.3 million northwest Iowa hens; wild geese infected in Nebraska
A highly contagious and deadly avian influenza has been detected in an immense flock of egg-laying chickens in northwest Iowa, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship reported Friday. The Buena Vista County flock has 5.3 million birds, said Chloe Carson, a spokesperson for the department. The virus was confirmed Thursday. It is the […]
Bird flu detected in flock of 918,000 Southwest Iowa hens
A large commercial flock of egg-laying chickens in southwest Iowa is the third to be infected by highly pathogenic avian influenza, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The Taylor County flock has 918,873 birds, said Chloe Carson, a spokesperson for the department. Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation Friday for […]
Kansas State to study cost-effective ways cities can reduce exposure to lead in soil
A new study being conducted by Kansas State University researchers is looking at ways to reduce the risk of exposure to lead in soil in the hopes of finding affordable methods that could be replicated around the country. Ganga Hettiarachchi is a professor of soil and environmental chemistry and is leading the research with her […]
Perkins County Canal project moves forward amid questions about final cost
LINCOLN — After an afternoon-long debate, state lawmakers advanced a controversial proposal to begin designing a $500-million canal to divert water from the South Platte River. Legislative Bill 1015, introduced on behalf of Gov. Pete Ricketts, advanced from first-round debate on a 36-3 vote. But there were questions about why the long-forgotten Perkins County Canal, […]
Big lake, with $500M to $1B pricetag, gets a lot of love from state lawmakers
LINCOLN — The proposal for a 4,000-acre sandpit lake between Omaha and Lincoln got a lot of love Wednesday from state legislators but also plenty of questions about how much public access would be allowed. State Sens. John Cavanagh and Steve Lathrop, both of Omaha, led the questioning. Cavanaugh told the Nebraska Examiner he was […]
Wild goose found near Holmes Lake in Lincoln with infectious avian influenza
A highly infectious bird flu now has been confirmed in a wild goose in Lincoln, near Holmes Lake. It is Nebraska’s first confirmed case of the avian influenza since 2015, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture reported Monday. While Nebraska has not seen HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) in a backyard or commercial poultry flock within […]
Deadly bird flu infects northwest Iowa turkey flock
A commercial flock of 50,000 turkeys in Buena Vista County was culled after tests confirmed on Sunday that some of the birds were infected by a highly contagious and often deadly avian influenza, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. It was the second time in less than a week that the […]
With CO2 pipelines planned, landowners call for additional state protections
LINCOLN — With carbon dioxide pipelines planned across Nebraska, some landowners are asking the state to adopt additional protections for them when such pipelines are abandoned. Meanwhile, a recent Wall Street Journal article raised questions about whether carbon sequestration projects — which would be fed by the pipelines — can be done successfully. Some of […]
Alliance recycling program among those questioning snubs for state environmental grants
LINCOLN — For the past 10 years, the Alliance Recycling Center has been awarded grants by the Nebraska Environmental Trust, which doles out about $20 million a year in state lottery proceeds for environmental projects. On Thursday, the director of the Alliance recycling program made the seven-hour drive to Lincoln to find out why the […]
Lawsuit is dismissed alleging Pillen farm hired undocumented workers
A former employee’s lawsuit alleging that Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen’s hog farm knowingly hired undocumented workers was dismissed Wednesday with prejudice. The former employee dropped his case against Pillen Family Farms and agreed not to file it again. Both sides agreed to pay their own court costs. It was not immediately clear whether the […]
Farmers seek more favorable trigger for crop payments
The crop price thresholds that trigger government payments to some U.S. farmers should be increased in the next farm bill to account for soaring fertilizer and fuel costs, according to farm groups that testified Tuesday to members of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. The committee met to review commodity support programs of the Agriculture Improvement […]