A S P E C I A L S U P P L E M E N T T O T H E H U R O N D A I LY T R I B U N E
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Farming is in these Pinnebog area farmers’ blood Steven and Mike Tait are third-generation farmers BY BILL DILLER For the Tribune UPPER THUMB — There is something about farming that touches the soul. It becomes a family business that is passed on from generation to generation. Steven Tait, a third-generation farmer from the Pinnebog area, is a prime example. “It’s in my blood, I guess,” Tait said. Farming attracts people for a variety of reasons. For Tait, it’s very simple. “You’re independent,” he said. “You rely on you. There’s a lot of things to consider, but you’re the one in control. You have to make the decision when to plant, when to spray, when to harvest. It’s part of being your own boss.” Tait farms about 2,500 acres of cash crops, along with his brother, Mike. “We grow corn, soy beans, black beans, wheat and alfalfa,” Tait said. “We’re mostly conventional crops.” They have one full-time hired man and hire part-time help for planting and harvesting. His daughter, Autumn, a senior at North Huron Schools, is also part of the operation. “I picked a lot of rocks when I was young,” Autumn
Members of the Tait Farms, Inc. team beside a tractor they’ve been preparing for the upcoming planting season. From left, Bernie Creguer, and owners Steven Tait (on tractor step) and Mike Tait. (Bill Diller For the Tribune) said. “I’m just starting to do a little more, like being a gofer ... going for things between fields. I also do a little soil testing.” Tait’s wife, Cynthia, handles some of the bookwork, and his son, Evan, who is 9 years old, rides on the tractor quite often with his dad. Evan will most likely be part of the fourth generation to work on Tait Farms Inc. “Autumn has a few cows,” Tait said. “We raise a few
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steers for freezer beef, for friends and neighbors.” “Right now, I have a lot of chickens, and sell eggs and meat,” Autumn said. “I also sell freezer beef. I enjoy the livestock part a little more than the cash crop, but I’m growing an interest in it. It’s part of the family.” Tait was raised on the farm, but worked at a fertilizer plant for a few years after high school. “I would help dad out at night, but I worked out until there was enough room on the farm,” Tait said. “I think I’ve been involved in the family farm full time since ‘92. What’s unique about our farm is that we’re almost 100% no-till.” No-till farming is also called zero tillage, or direct drilling. “Basically, we don’t prepare the ground for planting,” Tait said. “We do all
the tillage work with the planter. We plant the seeds right through the residue. We’ve gotten more into cover crops over the years, which helps rejuvenate the soil. We plant through cover crops or through last year’s plant residue.” It has proven to be beneficial for Tait Farms Inc. “The advantage is that I think it’s better for the soil in the long run, by not burning carbon,” Tait said. “Every time you till the soil, you’re burning carbon off . . . that’s the organic matter. The more organic matter you have, the healthier the soil.” Their method of farming includes planting a cover crop, which grows over the winter. “It’s just a crop to hold the soil, and to build up the structure, so you don’t have bare soil,” Tait said. “It’s not harvested. It’s there to go
back into the soil. The root system holds the soil together, too. Down the road, if Autumn gets more cows ... the whole idea is that a cover crop can feed cows. That’s how it was in the old days. The cattle roamed the pastures. It may be the best thing yet for the soil. I think there’s something to the way we used to do it.” It’s all about the soil for Tait. “I know soils,” he said. “Soil science is my big thing.” He attends seminars where soil scientists talk about the no-till system. “I’ve gotten more into it over the years,” Tait said, “understanding how the soil is a living system, and how to treat it. You need to continue to be educated, because things keep changing.” He is convinced that no-till is the best method for his farming operation. “It’s about the soil health,” Tait said. “That’s where I see the biggest benefit. The longer you’re doing it, the better it gets. In the past, planters weren’t designed to do no-till. The technology has improved over the last few years. Having the right equipment has helped becoming no-till a lot easier.” Conservation is the ultimate goal. “My soil is most productive left on the farm, not blowing off or running into the ditches,” Tait said, “because you can’t get that back.” His stance on soil conservation has earned recognition from The Nature Conservancy. Last year, he was honored with their first-ever Conservation Impact Award. The award was ‘for extraordinary contributions by improving his farming practices to help nature. The utilization of See BLOOD 3
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AP FACT CHECK: Unraveling the mystery of whether cows fart WASHINGTON (AP) — Let’s clear the air about cow farts. In the climate change debate, some policymakers seem to be bovine flatulence deniers. This became apparent in the fuss over the Green New Deal put forward by some liberal Democrats. More precisely, the fuss over an information sheet by the plan’s advocates. With tongue in cheek or foot in mouth, depending on whom you ask, the statement’s authors said that despite the plan’s proposals for strong limits on emissions over a decade, “we aren’t sure that we’ll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast.” Airplanes don’t fart. But cows? Exasperated by merciless mocking from Republicans on this matter, Democratic
Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan lectured the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, on the floor of the chamber last month. “The Republican majority leader said that we want to end air travel and cow farts,” Stabenow said. “By the way, just for the record, cows don’t fart. They belch.” The Associated Press surveyed global experts on global warming on this question, as well as an author who wrote the definitive science book on gassy animals, which comes with funny pictures.
The facts Cows fart. That contributes to global warming. But cow burps are worse for the climate. “Cows are pretty disgusting eaters, with methane coming from both ends,” said Christopher Field at the
Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. “But most of it comes from burping.” Field cited the “classic quote from the technical literature” on the topic: “Of the CH4 (methane) produced by enteric fermentation in the forestomach 95% was excreted by eructation (burp), and from CH4 produced in the hindgut 89% was found to be excreted through the breath.’” In a nutshell, belches are bad news. At Tuscia University in Viterbo, Italy, environmental scholar Giampiero Grossi said methane emitted by ruminant livestock accounts for about 5.5% of the greenhouse gasses that come from human activity. More than 70% of livestock emissions are from cattle, he said. “Ruminants are a significant source of methane,” which traps more heat than carbon dioxide but doesn’t
last as long in the air, said Kristie Ebi, director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the University of Washington in Seattle. “The belches have to do with digesting
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Steven Tait checks out his equipment prior to the planting season. (Bill Diller/For the Tribune)
cover crops combined with no-till planting reduced sediment from entering the waterways and ultimately the Great Lakes.’ In order to make sure the land’s potential is reached, Tait monitors the yield from each field. He sends the data to a company that supplies him with detailed output information, including maps. It’s all part of the process of ensuring that his farming methods pay off. “I no-till because I know the better the soils is, the better the yield,” Tait said. Part of the business is making sure he receives as much as possible from his crops. “Most of our grain comes back to our system here,” Tait said. “We
their food” in the stomach compartments, not intestines, and that fermentation produces methane. Warming from the burning of fossil See COWS 4
dry it ... we have a drying system for corn ... we store a lot of it. Then we ship it out. Some will go to the co-op. Some will go to ethanol plants, and some to Active Feeds, in Pigeon. It depends on where the bids are. We ship things all the way to Zeeland, Michigan ... we’ll make the short hauls ... we’ve got semis ... but we don’t have over-the-road trucks.” The bookwork for a farm this size is daunting. “I probably spend a quarter of my time on office work, more in the winter,” Tait said. “My wife helps with the books, but I do the contracting.” A family farm is the backbone of Michigan’s agricultural system. Tait Farms Inc. is a prime example of how it is run ... through the cooperation and hard work of multiple generations of family members. For the Tait family, farming has definitely touched the soul. And it’s in their blood.
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COWS Continued from Page 3 fuels is roughly 10 times to 17 times greater than warming caused by livestock burping and farting, Field said.
Gaseous politics For all of that, the Green New Deal does not seek to ban cows or planes as it sets ambitious targets to eliminate most greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming by 2030. The deal, introduced in the House by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York as a nonbinding resolution, not legislation, proposes massive spending on clean energy and energy efficient buildings and transit. It proposes working “collaboratively with farmers” to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture “as much as is technologically feasible.” “It’s not to say we’re going to force everybody to go vegan or anything crazy like that,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a Showtime interview. Democratic leaders in Congress have largely shunned the plan, considering it politically fraught. Many Republicans are a hard sell on the reality of human-caused climate change at all and apt to be dismissive about livestock’s part in it. Politicians and other nonscientists who reject mainstream climate science cite cow farts and airplane travel as “a go-to rhetorical weapon they use against having a serious discussion” about how climate change is already causing dramatic and deadly changes, such as the extreme weather of 2018, Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb said. “It’s a form of mockery,” said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. “They’re trying to whip up their own base’s opposition to any kind of action.” According to the U.S. government’s 2018 National Climate Assessment report: “Climate change is transforming where and how we live and presents growing challenges to human health and quality of life, the economy, and the natural systems that support us.”
A Jersey cow feeds in a field on the Francis Thicke organic dairy farm in Fairfield, Iowa. (AP) Mexico, it’s fart or die. They feed on algae that make them buoyant, easy prey near the surface. Farts sink “Does It Fart?” a book by Dani them to safety. Similarly, manatees Rabaiotti of the Zoological Society may let loose when it’s time to dive of London and Virginia Tech conser- deeply. vationist Nick Caruso, answers the Whale farts are, of course, epic. question it poses about dozens of Birds and most sea creatures species. don’t. Clams clam up, though Millipedes fart, no doubt discreetly. they’ve been known to throw up. Several species of herring comThe jury is out on spiders: More municate with each other that way. research is needed. If you startle a zebra, says the book, From London, Rabaiotti said it will fart with each stride as it runs methane emissions from cattle are away. Flatulence signals a baboon is belch-focused because the gas is ready to mate. produced near the start of their For the Bolson pupfish, found in digestive system and comes up when
What farts, what doesn’t?
they regurgitate their food to chew the cud. One answer, she says: “Just cut down beef to, say, once a week or once a month and replace it with chicken or pork or options without meat. Emissions from dairy are lower per food serving than emissions from beef so cutting down dairy will reduce your carbon footprint less but it’s another area where people can easily lower their emissions, particularly for people that are already vegetarian.” And for the record, says this authority on the animal kingdom’s ruder moments, “Yes, cows do fart.”
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Is an ‘insect apocalypse’ happening? How would we know? mologists are looking wistpublished a review that synfully into empty nets, and thesized over 70 reports of car owners are increasingly insect decline from around (AP) — Insects scuttle, unsettled by their pristine the world, and predicted chew and fly through the windshields. It does not take mass insect extinctions withworld around us. Humans decades of data collection in a human lifetime. They rely on them to pollinate and a degree to notice that in took a alarmist tone, and plants, prey on insects that a human lifetime, our teem- have been widely criticized we don’t get along with, and ing world teems less. for exaggerating their conto be movers and shakers for The first study to set off clusions and selecting studEarth’s ecosystems. It’s hard alarms was published in ies to review with the word to imagine a world without 2017 by entomologists in “decline.” insects. Germany, who reported that Nonetheless, these That’s why news reports in over 27 years the biomass of researchers had no trouble recent months warning of an flying insects in their traps finding studies to include in “insect apocalypse” sparked had declined by 75%. their review. Many scientists widespread alarm. These Another study from the are currently analyzing the articles, which were based on Luquillo Long Term Ecolog- roles that climate change, long-term insect collections ical Research program site land use, chemical pestiand a review of past studin the Puerto Rican raincides and other factors have ies, suggested that people forest reproduced an insect played in reported declines alive today will witness the survey from the 1970s. It in many insect species. indiscriminate extinction of found that the biomass of The end is not near insect-kind. arthropods – a large group These discussions are I study fungi that can be of organisms that includes important, but they don’t used to control harmful insects – had declined 10- to mean an insect apocalypse is insects, such as pests that 60-fold in that time, and under way. Predicting insect damage crops and mosquithat lizards, frogs and birds decline is hard to do without toes that transmit malaria. that ate arthropods had also a lot of effort and data. In my world, reports of mass declined. To predict an apocalypse, insect die-offs are big news. Underscoring this theme, entomologists worldwide But while there clearly is rea- in April 2019 two scholars will need to conduct careson to be concerned about certain insects, such as the endangered rusty patched bumble bee or the American burying beetle, in my view it isn’t yet possible to predict a looming insect apocalypse. More than 1 million insects have been discovered and named, but many millions have yet to be described. It’s undeniable T 989.658.8621 that Earth is becoming increasingly inhospitable to F 989.658.2131 Grower Relations Manager some insects – but nightC 989.670.4483 marish conditions for one may be heaven to another. Toll Free Put another way, there 800.978.2537 is no perfect environment for all insects. And human 2332 Main Street impacts on the environment, like climate change and land Ubly, MI 48475 development, very well may terry_cramer@admworld.com hurt beneficial insects and help harmful ones. Insect declines A Subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland Company Around the world, entoBRIAN LOVETT University of Maryland
ADM Edible Bean Specialties, Inc.
Terry Cramer
ful large-scale studies that involve collecting, identifying and counting many different insects. There are very few insects for which scientists have enough data now to reliably predict how many individuals there will be from year to year, let alone confidently chart a decline in each species. Most of the insects for which this information exists are species that are important for agricultural or human health, such as managed honey bees or mosquitoes. And human actions are shifting balances between insect species. As an example, the mosquitoes that are best at spreading pathogens that cause disease have evolved to thrive near us. Entomologists call them
anthropophilic, which means they love people. That love extends to human impacts on the land. Insects that flutter from flower to flower won’t be happy when developers bulldoze a meadow and scatter tires around, but human-biting mosquitoes will be buzzing with excitement. What else is out there? Entomologists are uniformly concerned about the fate of insects in today’s changing world. But I believe the responsible approach is to push back on fire-andbrimstone rhetoric until detailed, large-scale studies are completed. Until then, these same gaps in our knowledge also make it hard to rule out that significant See APOCALYPSE 6
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Applications to grow industrial hemp in Illinois available SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A centuries-old crop, sidelined in the U.S. for decades despite its varied uses, will be sprouting again in Illinois this spring. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced applications are available for growers looking to cash in on industrial hemp for the first time in 80 years. A law signed last summer allowing commercial production of the crop used for clothing, food, medicine and more makes Illinois one of 40 states allowing cultivation, although in some places, it’s still limited to research or pilot-program purposes. Officials could not immediately say how many states had approved full production like Illinois. “Industrial hemp is a potentially billion-dollar industry that Illinois will now take part in,” said Pritzker.
“From farming and processing to sales and exports, this will have a massive impact on our state’s economy. Farmers across the state can diversify their crops and join a growing industry.” Applications cost $100. Once approved, growers may buy cultivation licenses ranging from $375 for a one-year license to $1,000 for a three-year term. The fees will help finance Agriculture Department inspections of hemp plots to ensure that the plants contain no more than 0.3 percent THC, the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana. “Through the application process, you’re going to identify where the field is going to be, and then our inspectors will be out there periodically throughout the year, testing the crop,” Agriculture Director John
Sullivan said. Hemp has been used to make a variety of products for centuries. But American farmers lost interest when it was lumped together with marijuana in 1937 and essentially banned. It was listed as a controlled substance in 1970 in the federal government’s attempt to hinder illicit drug use. But the federal farm bill of 2014 left it up to states to decide how to regulate hemp and last year’s update removed it from the list of controlled substances. After more than a decade of attempts to legalize it in Illinois, lawmakers sent legislation to former Gov. Bruce Rauner, who signed it into law last summer. Marijuana itself is not far behind . Pritzker, a Democrat who campaigned on legalizing its recreational use, said he expects legislation to be
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introduced this week that will answer concerns from members of the Legislative Black Caucus that minorities would be targeted by the new industry and not have a chance to benefit financially from it. “One of my focus areas for this issue has been equity and making sure that we’re addressing the fact that the war on drugs most affected communities of color,” Pritzker said. “We want to make sure this bill addresses discrimination that existed and also gives people an opportunity create new businesses.” The governor appeared in his state Capitol office with running shoes accessorizing a blue gabardine suit, previewing the American Cancer Society’s “Suits and Sneakers” day Wednesday to raise awareness of the fight against cancer.
APOCALYPSE Continued from Page 5 declines in diverse insects are happening. These gaps must be filled to illuminate challenges that insects face, from the inconvenient to the apocalyptic. When the majority of insects remain to be described, it’s hard to value them. But here’s one example: Insecticide use in pear groves in China’s Sichuan Province has caused such a decline in native pollinators that beekeepers will not lend their bees to these orchards. These farmers are forced to pollinate their trees by hand – an expensive and time-consuming process if you aren’t an insect. Similarly, native natural enemies played invisible roles in slowing the spread of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug when it was introduced into Pennsylvania in the 1990s. They included wasps that lay their
eggs inside of stink bug eggs, and predatory insects and spiders that eat stink bugs eggs for breakfast. Pollination and predation are just the start. Some insects could be sources of new drugs or traditional dyes, while others inspire artists or just provide little moments of inimitable beauty. With so many unanswered questions, it’s clear that there is a need for more funding for biodiversity research. It is no coincidence that recent studies reporting massive insect declines came from a Long-Term Ecological Research center that is publicly funded through the National Science Foundation and from a carefully curated collection made and maintained by entomologists. This kind of work requires money, bold foresight and dedication to science over long periods of time. But it can produce insights into how our world is changing – and that knowledge will help us prepare for the future.
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EPA reaffirms glyphosate safe for users as court cases grow
Ethan Brown, center, CEO of Beyond Meat, attends the Opening Bell ceremony with guests to celebrate the company’s IPO at Nasdaq in New York. California-based Beyond Meat makes burgers and sausages out of pea protein and other ingredients. (AP)
Beyond Meat goes public as sales of plant-based meats rise (AP) — The Nasdaq is adding fake meat to its diet. Beyond Meat, the purveyor of plant-based burgers and sausages, recently made its debut on the stock exchange. It’s the first pure-play maker of vegan “meat” to go public, according to Renaissance Capital, which researches and tracks IPOs. Beyond Meat raised about $240 million selling 9.6 million shares at $25 each. That values the company at about $1.5 billion. The 10-year-old company has attracted celebrity investors like Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and actor Leonardo DiCaprio and buzz for placing its products in burger joints like Carl’s Jr. It sells to 30,000 grocery stores, restaurants and schools in the U.S., Canada,
Italy, the United Kingdom and Israel. Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown said the IPO timing is right because the company wants to expand overseas. He also wants consumers to be able to buy shares since they have fueled the company’s growth. “It really is a wonderful feeling to be able to welcome people in who have helped this brand,” Brown told The Associated Press. Still, Beyond Meat has never made an annual profit; it lost $30 million last year. It’s also facing serious competition from other “new meat” companies like Impossible Foods and traditional players like Tyson Foods Inc. Tyson recently sold a stake in Beyond Meat because it plans to develop its
own alternative meat. The IPO comes amid growing consumer interest in plant-based foods for their presumed health and environmental benefits. U.S. sales of plant-based meats jumped 42% between March 2016 and March 2019 to a total of $888 million, according to Nielsen. Traditional meat sales rose 1% to $85 billion in that same time frame. The trend is a global one. U.K. sales of meat alternatives jumped 18% over the last year, while sales of traditional meat and poultry slid 2%. Even Burger King has recognized the appeal. Earlier this week, the fast food chain announced that it would start testing the Impossible WhopSee MEATS 8
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency recently reaffirmed that a popular weed killer is safe for people, as legal claims mount from Americans who blame the herbicide for their cancer. The EPA’s draft conclusion came in a periodic review of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. The agency found that it posed “no risks of concern” for people exposed to it by any means — on farms, in yards and along roadsides, or as residue left on food crops. The EPA’s draft findings reaffirmed that glyphosate “is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.” Two recent U.S. court verdicts have awarded multimillion-dollar claims to men who blame glyphosate for their lymphoma. Bayer, which acquired Roundup-maker Monsanto last year, advised investors in mid-April that it faced U.S. lawsuits from 13,400 people over alleged exposure to the weed killer. Bayer spokesmen did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Nathan Donley, a scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity environmental group, said the agency is relying on industry-backed studies and ignoring research that points to higher risks of cancer. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” See HERBACIDES 8
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sales expand, which will lower the cost of raw ingredients like Continued from Page 7 peas. But Beyond Meat touts environmental benefits as well. The per, made with a plant-based company says a plant-based burger from Impossible Foods, burger takes 99% less water in additional markets after its and 93% less land to produce monthlong test in St. Louis than a beef burger, and generproved successful. ates 90% fewer greenhouse gas Brown says Beyond Meat’s emissions. ingredient list — it only uses Beyond Meat was founded natural ingredients that haven’t in 2009 by Brown, a former been genetically modified and clean energy executive. Brown’s doesn’t use soy — sets it apart family part-owned a Maryland from competitors. Its products dairy farm, so as a child, Brown are made from pea protein, spent weekends and summers canola oil, potato starch and on the farm. As he grew older, other plant-based ingredients. he began to question whether Its burgers “bleed” with beet people really needed animals to juice; its sausages are colored produce meat. with fruit juice. Brown teamed up with two Unlike competitors, Beyond professors from the University Meat products have also been of Missouri, Fu-hung Hsieh sold in the meat section of and Harold Huff, who had been groceries since 2016. That has developing soy-based chickbroadened their appeal beyond en since the 1980s. By 2013, vegetarians. Beyond Meat says Beyond Meat was selling planta 26-week study last spring based chicken strips nationwide showed that 93% of Kroger cus- at Whole Foods. (The company tomers who bought its burgers discontinued chicken earlier also bought animal meat during this year but says it’s working the same period. on a better recipe.) Health comparisons are For investors, the stock is not mixed. A four-ounce 92% lean without risk. Amid its annual burger from Laura’s Lean Beef losses, Beyond Meat must also has higher fat and cholesterol continue to spend heavily on than a Beyond Meat burger, but research and development. The Beyond Meat’s burger has high- El Segundo, California-based er sodium and carbohydrates company employs 63 scienand slightly less protein. The tists, engineers, researchers, lean beef burger is 160 calories; technicians and chefs at its a Beyond Meat burger is 270 30,000-square-foot lab. It also calories. has manufacturing facilities in Brown says Beyond Meat is Columbia, Missouri. working on reducing sodium, Renaissance Capital, which which is a natural byproduct has researched the company, of its manufacturing process. says investors will likely tolerate But he also points out that red the losses because the business meat and processed meat have is growing so quickly. Beyond been classified as possible carMeat’s net revenue was $87.9 cinogens by the World Health million last year, 170% higher Organization. than 2017. Beyond Meat also costs In documents filed with the more. For $5.99, consumers U.S. Securities and Exchange can get two 4-ounce patties of Commission, Beyond Meat Beyond Burger or four 4-ounce says it will invest $40 million patties of Laura’s Lean Beef. to $50 million in current and Brown said Beyond Meat new manufacturing facilities has a five-year goal of getting and spend $50 million to $60 at least one product — most million on product developlikely beef — to cost less than ment and sales. The rest will be the animal version. He expects used to pay down debt and fund the supply chain will grow as operations.
In this file photo, containers of Roundup are displayed on a store shelf in San Francisco. The Environmental Protection Agency is reaffirming that a popular weed killer is safe for users, even as legal claims mount from people who blame the herbicide for their cancer. The EPA s draft findings come after two recent multimillion-dollar U.S. court judgments against the herbicide. (AP)
HERBACIDES
The EPA draft review says the agency found potential risk to mammals and Continued from Page 7 birds that feed on leaves treated with glyphosate, and risk to plants. The agency is proposing adding restrictions to cut The agency said it relied on “limited” down on unintended drift of the weed evidence of cancer in people and “suffikiller, including not authorizing spraying cient” evidence of cancer in study animals. it by air when winds are above 15 mph.
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Grants available to battle invasive plants in Michigan lakes LANSING (AP) — State funding is available for local efforts to control or get rid of invasive plants in Michigan’s inland lakes. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy says a new grant program will reimburse permit fees required for projects that use physical, biological or chemical controls targeting the unwanted species. A total of $100,000 will be awarded this year. Details on eligibility are available online . The department’s Water Quality Division is developing a handbook and application procedures, which will be posted June 1. Applications for grants will be accepted from June 1 through July 1. Michigan’s Invasive Species Program is operated by the departments of Agriculture & Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Natural Resources.
The Clinton River runs 750 square miles through Oakland, Macomb, Lapeer and St. Clair Counties. (Photo: City of Sterling Heights)
‘Learn by doing’: 4-H club teaches animal care, teamwork MONTVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Never let go of your goat. That’s one of the rules when you’re showing a goat at a fair, and it’s a mantra that 9-year-old CeCe Foss knows well. At Jennifer Rudtke’s Helanco Farm in Uncasville on Saturday morning, Foss, an energetic Quaker Hill Elementary School student, clutched several baby goats between bottle feedings, scrubbing buckets, hauling hay to training pens and chasing a chicken or two. “I feel really close to the animals,” said Foss, now in her second year in Rudtke’s goat club, which is part of
the University of Connecticut’s 4-H New London County program. “I already really want to get a farm and I’m getting a pretty good start at it.” For three years, Rudtke’s club has offered kids a chance to raise livestock they couldn’t take care of in their Montville, Waterford, Niantic, Colchester and other neighborhoods. Every Saturday morning, Rudtke and parent volunteers give lessons on basic animal care, safety and training that will culminate in nine children showing goats — including six new baby goats Rudtke called “so stinking cute” — at
fairs throughout the region, including North Stonington, Lebanon, Ledyard and the Big E. “They got up at 5:30 this morning waiting to come to a barn to do chores,” said a bewildered Holly Badalamenti of her two kids, Corbin and Natalee Anderson, both students at the Regional Multicultural Magnet School in New London. “We live in Niantic in an area where we can’t have farm animals. The kids love them. I personally am afraid of them.” “I have a two-page list of chores,” Rudtke, a 60-yearold physical therapist, said with a laugh. “We learn by
doing. We make lots of mistakes and that’s OK.” While 4-H — which has clubs in Ledyard, Lebanon and the Naval Submarine Base in Groton — is for children aged 7 to 18, New London County also features an “Explorer’s Club” for 5- to 6-year-olds, Rudtke said. Many of the explorers advance to the older group, which includes three Montville teenagers: Gavin and Jordan Lageunesse and Haley Moore. “Seeing the goats, taking care of them and the responsibility that comes with it is fun,” Jordan Lageunesse, 13, said as he quietly milked his
goat, April — who recently gave birth to twins — while younger club members scampered around the barn and fed the babies. “Showing them (at fairs) can get intense. I like that April is big now — when she was small, I had to bend down too much.” Rudtke said the program wouldn’t be possible without dedicated parents, like Nicole Lageunesse and Anna Cristofaro, who camp out at local fairgrounds and bring their children to and from trainings, meetings and events. At fairs, including See CLUB 10
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CLUB Continued from Page 9 the 4-H Fair at the North Stonington Fairgrounds — which benefitted from barn upgrades thanks to Montville and Lebanon 4-H groups chipping in with funds and supplies — the adults step back and let the
(Getty Images)
HURON DAILY TRIBUNE kids manage the animals and show them off to judges. “The kids run everything at the fairs,” said Nicole Lageunesse, who grew up on a farm but was “never into goats” until her sons joined the local 4-H club. “We’re just there to feed them and drive them there.” Rudtke, who has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and a master’s degree in physical therapy,
noted the free program also teaches kids chemistry, both in teamwork and through soap-making in her kitchen. The kids learn marketing techniques, raising funds for the program through soap and bake sales and selling advertisements to fair groups. They then track the success of soap scents, figure out which grains are best and learn how to select good hay. Rudtke added that
michigansthumb.com they’re also introduced to good animal health, practicing vaccination on fruit such as kiwis. “It’s great to see kids be excited about learning life skills,” said Rudtke, describing the club as a confidence-booster that could translate to success in college, technical training and the workforce. “At first, none of the kids spoke. Now, everybody talks, and they’re in charge.”
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Fatal illness detected in another Michigan cattle herd LANSING (AP) — Officials say a small beef cattle herd in northern Michigan has been infected with bovine tuberculosis.
The state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says the herd was in Alpena County, which is part of an area in the northern
Lower Peninsula where the fatal disease is commonly found in whitetail deer. Contact with deer is believed to be a common means of trans-
mitting the illness to cattle. The infection was detected through routine testing. It was the 74th cattle herd found to have the illness
Officials say a small beef cattle herd in northern Michigan has been infected with bovine tuberculosis. (Getty Images)
since 1998. An investigation is planned to identify and test other herds that had an association with the infected one.
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An Original Impossible Burger, left, and a Cali Burger, from Umami Burger, are shown in this photo. A new era of meat alternatives is here, with Beyond Meat becoming the first vegan meat company to go public and Impossible Burger popping up on menus around the country. (AP)
Meatsplainer: How new plantbased burgers compare to beef (AP) — If you want to skip meat, a new era of options is here. Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are among the companies racing to tap into the massive U.S. market of meat eaters by more closely mimicking the taste of beef than vegetarian patties of the past. Others are working to grow meat in labs. So are the plant-based patties better for you or for the planet? Here’s what you might want to know before taking a bite:
Are they healthier? As with many questions about diet, it depends. For better or worse, patties from Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods can be nutritionally similar to beef. Beyond Meat’s 4-ounce patty is listed at 270 calories , while Impossible Foods’ is listed at 240 calories . Ground beef’s nutritional profile can range, but a similarly sized patty with 80% lean meat has around 290 calories . Protein content is about the same, while other nutrients vary. Some may like that the plant-based patties have fiber, but dislike that they’re higher in sodium. For overall diet, what matters more might be how the patties are served, whether it’s at Burger King , White Castle or elsewhere. At Umami Burger in New York, for example, a burger with two Impossible patties, cheese and fixings tops 1,000 calories. Few would call it healthy, especially if served with fries and a soda. “People are going to be fooling themselves into thinking these are not just better, but healthy,” said Yoni Freedhoff, an obesity expert at the University of Ottawa. People also may not realize the saturated fat content can be similar to beef burgers, he said.