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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Highly pathogenic bird flu has made its first appearances in U.S. commercial poultry flocks this season, affecting one turkey farm in South Dakota and one in Utah. The outbreaks are the first reported among commercial flocks in the U.S. since the disease struck two turkey farms in the Dakotas in April. While wild birds often show no symptoms of avian influenza, infections in them are a concern to the poultry industry because migrating birds can spread the disease to vulnerable commercial flocks. South Dakota producers lost nearly 4 million birds last year. Iowa, the hardest-hit state, with nearly 16 million birds lost, hasn't recorded a case since March.

Persons: “, Bailee Woolstenhulme, Woolstenhulme, hasn't Organizations: The U.S . Department of Agriculture, Dakotas, Agriculture, Utah Department of Agriculture, Food Locations: MINNEAPOLIS, South Dakota, Utah, The, Jerauld County, Sanpete, U.S, Cambodia, Europe, Dakota, Iowa

☆ Pennsylvania prisoner Danilo Cavalcante captured after escaping from prison for murder of girlfriend Deborah Brandao
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Ray Sanchez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“Our nightmare is finally over and the good guys won,” Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said Wednesday. The theft and shooting ultimately may have been a turning point in the intense search by hundreds of law enforcement officers. About 500 law enforcement officers – including the Pennsylvania State Police, FBI, ATF, and the US Marshals – searched the area of the shooting. At 8:18 a.m., a Chester County dispatcher said they had their man. “The radio room, Chester County government and the various other agencies working on the prisoner escape are proud to announce the subject is in custody.

Persons: Danilo Cavalcante, Cavalcante, –, clasped, Deb Ryan, “, George Bivens, Charles Lyman, Lyman, ”, “ It’s, ” Bivens, Bivens, “ Cavalcante, John Shapiro Organizations: CNN, Philadelphia Eagles, Pennsylvania, Police, ” Police, Pennsylvania State Police, FBI, ATF, US, US Drug Enforcement Administration, Tactical, Patrol, Eagles Locations: Chester, Chester County, Philadelphia’s, Brazil, Chester County’s, Coventry Township, East, South Coventry Township, Pennsylvania

☆ Pennsylvania manhunt updates: Escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante spotted again
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Aditi Sangal | Leinz Vales | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

When Jason Mesiarik heard the gunshots that were fired during an encounter his neighbor had with escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante Monday night, he called police to report the incident, Mesiarik told CNN. Several law enforcement agencies have been searching for Cavalcante in the area for nearly two weeks after he escaped from prison. “I had just finished feeding our horses when I heard the gunshots a minute or two after ten and called it in,” Mesiarik told CNN. “You never hear gunshots at night and usually I’m hearing a lot larger calibers, shotguns, targets but this one sounded like a 22," he said. Pennsylvania officials said Tuesday that Cavalcante has a .22 caliber rifle that he stole from a resident's garage overnight.

Persons: Jason Mesiarik, Danelo, Mesiarik, “, ” Mesiarik, Cavalcante Organizations: CNN, Pennsylvania State Police Locations: East Nantmeal , Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania

☆ DeSantis sharpens critique of Trump but faces huge odds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

While he faces classic signs of a campaign in free fall, including staffer layoffs and donor concern, DeSantis’ problems are not all self-inflicted. Keith Davis, who has served as Sheriff of Wayne County since 1997, is a Trump voter who is now backing DeSantis. Scott Olson/Getty ImagesIn his first post-reset swing through Iowa, DeSantis had mixed results. While he was in Iowa, DeSantis also repeatedly paid tribute to Reynolds after Trump alienated some caucus-goers by badmouthing the state’s popular Republican governor. But what DeSantis is trying to do, by running a classic Iowa campaign, is a ultimately a conventional move.

Persons: Donald Trump –, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, ”, Angus, Rudy Giuliani, Scott Walker, Jeb Bush, Trump, he’s, “ There’s, ” DeSantis, Fox’s Bret Baier, Bill Clinton, “, who’s, He’s, Charlie Neibergall, –, Keith Davis, Kim Reynolds, Davis, ” Davis, mouthing Trump, Dee Snodgrass, Scott Olson, Donald J, Ralph Alshouse, Reynolds, Terry Branstad, it’s, Dr, Anthony Fauci, Kamala Harris, won’t, Reba Saldanha, Reuters DeSantis, Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, Clinton, John McCain Organizations: Iowa CNN, Florida Gov, Wayne County, Hawkeye State, Trump, Republican Party, New York Times, Siena, Republican, GOP, Republican Party of, Iraq, Yale, Harvard, Reagan, “, Republican Party of Iowa, DeSantis, Jimmy Centers, PAC, Gov, Reuters, Fox News Locations: Chariton, Iowa, Wayne, The Florida, Florida, Granite State, New Hampshire, Wayne County, American, Arkansas, Des Moines, DeSantis, Knoxville , Iowa, Washington, Rye , New Hampshire

☆ Feds vote to reduce bottlenecks in connecting new power sources to the energy grid
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Also, power generators will have to meet certain requirements to keep their place in the queue, including a financial deposit. Deadlines and penalties for transmission providers: Transmission providers will have strict deadlines to to respond to power generators waiting in the queue, and will face penalties if they miss those deadlines. Also, power generators will be able to add a source of power to a single interconnection request. It can be so expensive to build new transmission, sometimes power generators can't afford the cost and have to cancel their power generation plans completely. Also, power generators wait for an average of five years in these queues because grid operators are flooded with interconnection queue applications.

Persons: Jeffrey Lamb, LADWP, Al Seib, George Rose, Rob Gramlich, Gramlich, Joseph Rand, Rand, Gregory Wetstone Organizations: Sylmar, Pacific DC, Los Angeles Department of Water, Los Angeles Times, Getty, Aera Energy, CNBC, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, FERC, Vw, American, Renewable Energy Locations: Columbia, Oregon, California, Southern California, Angeles, Los Angeles , CA, CA, San Joaquin Valley, McKittrick , California, North, Lost, Kern County, Bakersfield, United States, Milford , Utah, Milford, Smithfield, ACORE

☆ Pig cooling pads and weather forecasts for cows are high-tech ways to make meat in a warming world
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

More intense summer heat resulting from emissions-driven climate change means animal heat stress that can result in billions of dollars in lost revenue for farmers and ranchers if not properly managed. But technology often insulates livestock in richer countries — another way global warming exacerbates the gap between wealthy and poor nations. Their cows are already showing signs of improved welfare, like chewing more cud, and there's more heat ahead this summer. "We're going to do what's best by our cows no matter what is or isn't going on with climate change," said Megan McAllister, a sixth-generation dairy farmer. As part of his work with Kansas State, Redmond gives presentations to producers and the general public, and he said that climate change has come up in conversations.

Persons: Farmer Ken Ries, Atul Jain, Mario Herrero, McAllister, Megan McAllister, Michelle Schack, they've, let's, Schack, Gerald Nelson, Nelson, Chip Redmond, Redmond, Jackie Boerman, Boerman Organizations: Livestock, The University of Illinois, Cornell University, University of Illinois, USDA, Kansas State University, Kansas State, Purdue University Locations: Ryan , Iowa, U.S, The University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign, United States, New Vienna , Iowa, Arizona, University of Illinois Urbana

☆ Floods ruin crops and drown livestock in one of Italy’s gastronomic heartlands
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“The water then slides away, destroying everything.”What also slid away were orchards, vineyards and crops ready to harvest. A tractor goes off road after flooding outside Ravenna in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy on May 20. Emilia Romagna is one of the richest regions in Italy. Firefighters come to rescue people and recover their belongings after flooding hit the Fornace Zarattini district of Ravenna in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy on May 20. Extreme weather such as what has happened this month in Emilia Romagna is perplexing even to experts.

☆ A family went viral 3 years ago for building a tiny-house village. Their college-age kids live on the property in their own tiny houses.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Ashley Abramson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Brinks went viral three years ago for building a tiny-house village. Ryan Brinks' kids are in college now, but they still live in their own tiny houses on the property. Regardless of public perception, the Brinks family remained confident in their decision — and their kids never got into any trouble. The pair plans to live at Lennox's original tiny house as their new one is built. They've added to the tiny-house village in the past 3 yearsSince 2020, Ryan and Keli have transformed the tiny-house village.

☆ Exclusive: Staff at top U.S. farm research center file complaint alleging unsafe work conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Leah Douglas | Thomson Reuters | Washington-Based Award-Winning Journalist Covering Agriculture | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) near Washington D.C. is the largest research facility owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and has long been the flagship of U.S. farm research. “Our employees’ health and well-being is our top priority," a spokesperson at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which oversees BARC, told Reuters. STAFF CUTSFounded in 1910, the BARC facility spans nearly 7,000 acres in Prince George’s County, Maryland, near the nation’s capital. The unreliable conditions are affecting research outcomes, making it at times impossible to complete experiments or replicate their findings, said two research employees. On February 22, several BARC employees met with Thomas Shanower, the director of USDA’s Northeast Area, a division that oversees 15 research centers, including BARC.

☆ Horse racing-Kentucky Derby favourite Forte scratched from race
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mandatory Credit: Albert Cesare-USA TODAY SportsMay 6 (Reuters) - Early favourite Forte has been scratched from the Kentucky Derby hours before post time for the first leg of U.S. thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown due to concerns about a bruised front foot, Churchill Downs said on Saturday. The Todd Pletcher-trained dark bay colt had brought a five-race win streak to the 1-1/4-mile Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and was installed as the early 3-1 favourite. The decision to scratch Forte, who appeared to stumble during a gallop earlier in the week, was made by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission state veterinarian. Forte was the fifth horse to scratch from Saturday's race, joining Practical Move, Lord Miles, Continaur and Skinner. The last time five horses were scratched from the Kentucky Derby was 1936 when 19 horses entered the race and 14 ran.

☆ KKR Co-Founder’s 200-Acre Estate in New York Asks $11.5 Million
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Katherine Clarke | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Westchester County home of the late KKR co-founder Jerome Kohlberg is coming on the market for $11.5 million. Spanning about 200 acres in Mount Kisco, N.Y., the property is known as Cabbage Hill Farm. It has an elaborate, roughly 9,000-square-foot mansion overlooking sweeping lawns and a large lake as well as a working farm with pastures, barns and a greenhouse, according to Jaclene Ginnel of Ginnel Real Estate, whose firm is listing the property via agent Muffin Dowdle. Mr. Kohlberg and his wife, Nancy Kohlberg, lived there for over three decades, she said.

☆ My 750-square-foot 'barndominium' has drawn nearly 15 million viewers. Here's a look inside the barn where I live.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

We have a 750-square-foot main residence, and a 235-square-foot tiny guest house situated on about 8 acres of land. They're low-maintenance, and our electricity bill was never over $300 in a 4,500-square-foot main residence and a 1,800-square-foot workshop in the middle of a Texas summer. So, in 2022, we sold our massive barndominium and got to work building a smaller home situated on about eight acres of land. The 750-square-foot main residence boasts a spacious bathroom and a walk-in closet with built-in storage. I recommend that anyone who's interested in building a barndominium finds a contractor that has experience building these structures.

☆ The Next Frontier in Farming? The Ocean.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Somini Sengupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

For centuries, it’s been treasured in kitchens in Asia and neglected almost everywhere else: Those glistening ribbons of seaweed that bend and bloom in cold ocean waves. Far beyond South Korea, new farms have cropped up in Maine, the Faroe Islands, Australia, even the North Sea. But even as its champions see it as a miracle crop for a hotter planet, others worry that the zeal to farm the ocean could replicate some of the same damages of farming on land. “Seaweed is not going to replace all plastic, but seaweed combined with other things can tackle single use plastic,” he said. Seaweed farms are a far cry from the rows of corn and wheat that make up monoculture farming on land.

☆ Bird flu spreads to new countries, threatens non-stop 'war' on poultry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Argentina found the virus in wild birds, while dead swans in Uruguay tested positive. The United States, Britain, France and Japan are among countries that have suffered record losses of poultry over the past year, leaving some farmers feeling helpless. Poultry in the Northern Hemisphere were previously considered to be most at risk when wild birds are active during spring migration. Some experts suspect climate change may be contributing to the global spread by altering wild birds' habitats and migratory paths. Farmers are trying unusual tactics to protect poultry, with some using machines that make loud noises to scare off wild birds, experts said.

☆ Bird flu spreads to new countries, threatens non-stop "war" on poultry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The United States, Britain, France and Japan are among countries that have suffered record losses of poultry over the past year, leaving some farmers feeling helpless. Poultry in the Northern Hemisphere were previously considered to be most at risk when wild birds are active during spring migration. Some experts suspect climate change may be contributing to the global spread by altering wild birds' habitats and migratory paths. Farmers are trying unusual tactics to protect poultry, with some using machines that make loud noises to scare off wild birds, experts said. Berkowitz said he is bracing for March and April when migration season will pose an even greater risk to poultry.

☆ A Las Vegas couple purchased an abandoned farm in Pennsylvania for $220,000 and has been renovating it for 5 years. Here's what it looks like now.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Jordan Pandy | Libertina Brandt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

DeWitt and Jean Paul bought a 31-acre abandoned farm in Pennsylvania in 2018 and moved from Nevada. The property has a main house, a small house, and three barns — all of which they are renovating. Those structures include two small barns, a large barn, a small house, the main house, and a garage/workshop. Once the small house is completed, they plan on renting it out on Airbnb. The main house has already been changed dramatically, and still needs work.

☆ Americans are battling an egg price crisis after an almost 60% surge in 2022. Here's what's happening.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Soaring input costs and a bird flu outbreak have driven up US egg prices to multi-year highs. Farmers across the US have pinpointed two factors that are fuelling the egg price crisis. Spiraling inflation has squeezed their input costs higher – and they've had to respond by raising egg prices. That's because the US is also contending with a vicious outbreak of bird flu, which is killing hens and reducing overall egg supplies. And with inflation still remaining elevated by historical standards and bird flu fueling a steep drop-off in supply, it's unlikely that the egg price crisis will be over anytime soon.

☆ Egg shortage sends New Zealanders rushing to buy their own hens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In the United States, egg prices have far surpassed the increase in other grocery items, soaring nearly 60% in the 12 months to December compared to the year before. The trend has prompted animal welfare advocates to warn against making impulse buys. “Egg producers had the option to move to colony cages, barns and free-range systems,” added Hyde, the ministry’s acting national manager of animal welfare and national animal identification and tracing compliance. “It’s a significant change for the egg supply industry,” Emma Wooster, the company’s head of public relations, told CNN in a statement. New Zealand is currently undergoing a major egg shortage, squeezing businesses and sparking a rush in demand for pet chickens.

☆ At least 5 tornadoes confirmed in Texas as storms roll through southwestern US and blizzard conditions mount in the northern Plains
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Amir Vera Jason Hanna Monica Garrett | Amir Vera | Jason Hanna | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

More than 18 million people from Texas to Mississippi are under threat of severe storms Tuesday, including tornadoes. In Mississippi, the Meridian Public School District – which serves over 4,900 students – announced they will be closed Wednesday due to the threat of severe weather. The Lawrence County and McComb School Districts also announced they were closing Wednesday due to the threat of severe weather. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency also noted the severe weather expected in the state and asked residents to prepare. “With severe weather expected throughout Mississippi tonight and tomorrow, please review your severe weather preparedness checklist to make sure you are ready for the storms,” the agency said in a message on Twitter.

☆ Germans spending less as soaring power, food costs gnaw finances
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Mathis Richtmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

REUTERS/Thomas PeterSummary Germans consuming less as inflation bitesMore worried about personal finances than FrenchState support arriving, but will it work? But this year he took the dish off the menu because rising costs all along the supply chain would have doubled its price compared to last year. That would be beyond the budgets of Germans looking to cut back on non-essentials amid a cost of living crisis fuelled by rising energy prices. At some point in 2023, he and hundreds of thousands of others will receive a bill for his 2022 heating to recover additional costs from rising prices. Discount retailer Primark said in November it was looking to reduce its presence in Germany as it grappled with weak sales and rising costs.

☆ Avian flu outbreak wipes out record 50.54 million U.S. birds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

CHICAGO — Avian flu has wiped out 50.54 million birds in the United States this year, making it the country’s deadliest outbreak in history, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed on Thursday. The deaths of chickens, turkeys and other birds represent the worst U.S. animal-health disaster to date, topping the previous record of 50.5 million birds that died in an avian-flu outbreak in 2015. Wild birds like ducks transmit the virus, known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, through their feces, feathers or direct contact with poultry. Government officials are studying infections at turkey farms, in particular, in hopes of developing new recommendations for preventing infections. Turkey farms account for more than 70% of the commercial poultry farms infected in the outbreak, the USDA said.

☆ Avian flu outbreak wipes out 50.54 mln U.S. birds, a record
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The deaths of chickens, turkeys and other birds represent the worst U.S. animal-health disaster to date, topping the previous record of 50.5 million birds that died in an avian-flu outbreak in 2015. The U.S. outbreak, which began in February, infected flocks of poultry and non-poultry birds across 46 states, USDA data show. Farmers struggled to keep the disease and wild birds out of their barns after increasing security and cleaning measures following the 2015 outbreak. Government officials are studying infections at turkey farms, in particular, in hopes of developing new recommendations for preventing infections. Turkey farms account for more than 70% of the commercial poultry farms infected in the outbreak, the USDA said.

☆ Dead Costco chickens produce piles of bones outside a Nebraska town. Residents complain about 'smell of death'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some Nebraska residents are complaining about discarded chicken parts from Costco's operations. Residents said the smell from discarded poultry was "unbearable," the Nebraska Examiner reported. David City Mayor Alan Zavodny also expressed concern that composting operations were near the city's water wells, the Examiner reported. Bones and other discarded parts from dead chickens can be piled up at the chicken barns themselves, the Examiner reported, citing state laws. "It was just the smell of death," Greg Lanc, a farmer who lives within a mile of nearly 50 chicken barns, told the Examiner.

CHICAGO, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Cooks may have to put away their oversized platters for serving turkey this Thanksgiving. If a farm has an outbreak, producers must disinfect their barns after culling turkeys and wait about six months before restocking. The National Turkey Federation acknowledged that cooks in some geographic areas could see limited supplies of big turkeys. On the U.S. East Coast, Baldor sees a shortage of the bigger sizes as large Thanksgiving celebrations make a comeback, Lindgren said. Shoppers are resuming traditional purchases of turkeys around 18 pounds, after downsizing their birds for smaller gatherings over the last two years, he said.

☆ Inside the $23 million mega-mansion that Yankee Candle built
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

It was built by Kittredge's father, Michael Kittredge II, who made his fortune as the founder of the Yankee Candle Company. Juggler Meadow is listed at nearly 10 times that amount, but is also a rare combination of space, amenities and sports facilities. Kittredge began making more, and in the early 1970s founded Yankee Candle Company. By the late 1990s, Yankee Candle had become the biggest scented candle company in the county. With the flood of cash and a non-compete clause that prevented him from launching another candle company for years, Kittredge built his dream life.

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