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thepastisalreadywritten · 6 months

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"Dogs Go To War"

A 1943 film about dogs being trained for World War II duties by the Remount Section of the Quartermaster Corps.

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A part of the Quartermaster Corps, the U.S. Army Remount Service provided horses (and later mules and dogs) as remounts to U.S. Army units.

#U.S. Army Remount Service #Quartermaster Corps #U.S. Army #United States Cavalry #Department of Agriculture #dogs #war dogs #soldiers #military #military training #dog training #animals #World War II #WWII #remounts #military duties

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 9 months

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In rural Arizona’s La Paz County, on the state’s rugged border with California, the decision by a Saudi-owned dairy company to grow alfalfa in the American Southwest for livestock in the Gulf kingdom first raised eyebrows nearly a decade ago. Now, worsening drought has focused new attention on the company and whether Arizona should be doing more to protect its groundwater resources.

Amid a broader investigation by the state attorney general, Arizona last week rescinded a pair of permits that would have allowed Fondomonte Arizona, a subsidiary of Almarai Co., to drill more than 1,000 feet (305 meters) into the water table to pump up to 3,000 gallons (11 kiloliters) of water per minute to irrigate its forage crops.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Attorney General Kris Mayes said she thought most Arizonans see it as “outrageous” that the state is allowing foreign-owned companies “to stick a straw in our ground and use our water for free to grow alfalfa and send it home to Saudi Arabia. We just can’t — in the midst of an epic drought — afford to do dumb things with water in the state of Arizona anymore.”

Mayes, a Democrat, sought the revocations after she said her office had found inconsistencies in the permit applications. Mayes vowed to look into Fondomonte’s operations and water use last year after the Arizona Republic reported that the Arizona State Land Department leased the company thousands of acres of farmland for below market value.

Fondomonte did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the AP. Its lawyers have said previously that the company legally leased and purchased land in the U.S. and spent millions on infrastructure improvements.

Years of drought have ratcheted up pressure on water users across the West, particularly in states like Arizona, which relies heavily on the dwindling Colorado River. The drought has also made groundwater — long used by farmers and rural residents with little restriction — even more important for users across the state.

Saudi Arabia, struggling with its own water shortages in the past decade, restricted the growth of some forage crops in the country. That Fondomonte chose Arizona as a place to grow such crops has angered some in the state, which has faced two consecutive years of federal water cuts from the Colorado River, a primary water source for the state.

Officials from both parties have criticized the use of state water by foreign-owned entities, with Gov. Katie Hobbs, also a Democrat, saying in her January state of the state address that she, too, would look into the practice. The state’s groundwater, Hobbs said, “should be used to support Arizonans, not foreign business interests.”

That same month, Republican state legislators introduced a bill to prohibit sales of state lands to foreign governments, state enterprises and any company based in China, Russia or Saudi Arabia.

“There’s a perception that water goes to local uses,” said Andrew Curley, a professor of geography and the environment at the University of Arizona. “When you recognize it’s going far away, that the products and benefits of this water are exported overseas, that really provokes people’s attention.”

Foreign entities and individuals control roughly 3% of U.S. farmland, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Canada is the largest holder — mainly of forestland. Fourteen U.S. states have restrictions on foreign individuals or entities owning farmland, but limitations vary widely and no state completely prohibits it.

Fondomonte also farms in California’s Palo Verde Valley, an area that gets its water from the Colorado River. Those operations have attracted less scrutiny. And it’s not the only foreign company that farms in the Southwest. The United Arab Emirates-owned Al Dahra ACX Global Inc. grows forage crops in Arizona and California, and is a major North American exporter of hay.

U.S. farmers themselves export hay and other forage crops to the Middle East — mainly to Saudi Arabia. China is the primary export market for U.S. hay.

In Arizona, renewed attention to Fondomonte’s water use is raising questions about the state’s lack of regulation around pumping groundwater in rural parts of the state.

Phoenix, Tucson and other Arizona cities have restrictions on how much groundwater they can pump under a 1980 state law aimed at protecting the state’s aquifers. But in rural areas, little is required of water users besides registering wells with the state and using the water for activities, including farming that are deemed a “beneficial use.”

“Frankly, I believe they are not doing their jobs,” Mayes said about Arizona’s Department of Water Resources’ oversight of rural areas. The Department declined to comment on the revoked drilling permits or the need for more groundwater regulation.

Mayes, along with hydrologists and environmental advocates, says more studies are needed of groundwater basins in rural areas — such as La Paz County, an agricultural county of about 16,000 people. Currently, Arizona doesn’t measure how much groundwater users pump in such areas, which means there is little understanding of how much water an operation like Fondomonte — or other farms — uses.

Almarai’s holdings in the Southwest are just one example of the farmland the company and its subsidiaries operate outside Saudi Arabia. It farms tens of thousands of acres in Argentina, which has also faced severe drought conditions in recent years.

Holly Irwin, a member of the La Paz County Board of Supervisors, has long opposed Fondomonte using water in the county. She said she’s fielded complaints from residents for years that it’s getting harder to pump water in nearby wells and has repeatedly asked the state to do something about it.

“We need to have some sort of regulation so it’s not all just being pumped out of the ground,” Irwin said.

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indizombie · 1 year

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As in much of the world, the price of food, fuel and fertiliser have all increased here since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. But the Philippines is particularly vulnerable. It has to import food - including rice and all cereals such as wheat - to feed its growing population, making it one of the most food-insecure countries in Asia. even the food the Philippines does grow is far from guaranteed in a country which is the most disaster-prone in the world. Typhoons batter the islands with growing frequency and severity. There have been a total of 16 severe storms this year which have destroyed or partially damaged more than $225m (£186m) worth of agricultural land, according to the latest figures from the Department of Agriculture.

‘The Philippines' food worries amid Ukraine war and typhoons’, BBC

#BBC #Philippines #Department of Agriculture #price rise #2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine #food insecurity #agricultural land destruction

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rayeshistoryhouse · 9 months

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A farmer, Roy Dillman, in Branchville, Indiana, USA

April 1940

rayeshistory.com

#1940s #black and white photos #department of agriculture #national archives #hoosier national forest

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rurousha · 9 months

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Guys! If you see something, say something!

#invasive species #department of agriculture #plants #seriously though do say something

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if-you-fan-a-fire · 3 years

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"Harvesting Nears End," Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. September 19, 1941. Page 5. --- Average Sask. Yield Is Running About 11 Bushels --- Canadian Press REGINA, Sept. 19. - Harvesting operations in Saskatchewan are now on the home stretch with an estimated 75 to 80 per cent of the wheat threshed and nearly the same percentage of coarse grains, according to Department of Agriculture figures.

BETTER THAN EXPECTED It is indicated from reports that the average yield for wheat is running about 11 bushels to the acre for the Province as a whole; 22 bushels for oats and 18 bushels for barley.

It is expected that about 17 per cent of the wheat will grade Number One Northern or better and 68 per cent will grade numbers two and three.

Hon. J. G. Taggart, minister of agriculture commented this yield and grade was a little better than had been expected.

#regina #saskatcewan history #harvest time #harvesting #grain farming #farming in canada #battle of food #feeding mars #department of agriculture #canadian prairies #canada during world war 2

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injuredcyclist · 11 months

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The Biden administration and every single Democrat running for the House and Senate in 2024 needs to never shut up about this. I’m not wild about dumping money into carbon capture, and I haven’t seen any reporting that suggests anyone has figured out how to scale it yet. However, if programs like this help shift the conversation and the Overton window about climate change and clean energy in rural (largely Republican) areas, I’m all for it.

#department of agriculture #clean energy #Inflation Reduction Act #electrification #EnergyWire

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gettothestabbing · 2 years

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In a letter to the president, 26 Republican attorneys general demanded the Biden administration withdraw its Department of Agriculture’s Title IX interpretation, which will take billions of dollars in National School Lunch Program funding away from schools that don’t let biological males use the girls' bathroom or compete in girls’ sports. The department's interpretation violated the Administrative Procedures Act, since it was issued as a memorandum rather than a proposed rule for the public to comment on, the attorneys general wrote.

The Biden administration has a history of going around the public when issuing policies, Matt Bowman, a senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, told the Washington Free Beacon. Before the Supreme Court blocked it in January, a mandate without public comment from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration required that workers at businesses with 100 or more employees get vaccinated or submit a negative COVID test weekly.

With the exception of New Hampshire attorney general John Formella, every Republican attorney general joined the coalition, which is led by Tennessee attorney general Herbert Slatery.

#Washington Free Beacon #Elizabeth Troutman #school lunches #state attorneys #Biden administration #funding #homosexuality #Title IX #Department of Agriculture #National School Lunch Program #Administrative Procedures Act #Republicans #OSHA #covid vaccines #emphasis added #overreach

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rjzimmerman · 2 years

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Excerpt from this story from Reuters:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest nearly $3 billion in projects to reduce climate-harming emissions from farming and forestry, tripling the funding it had initially envisioned for the program, the agency announced on Wednesday.

The investment is part of a broader effort by the administration of President Joe Biden to decarbonize the U.S. economy within decades and make the United States a leader in the fight against global climate change.

Farming generates nearly 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to Environmental Protection Agency data.

The program will fund 70 projects across 50 states and Puerto Rico that would encourage farmers to cut emissions in various ways. This would include planting cover crops to enhance soil health and absorb carbon, improving manure management to cut methane emissions, and collecting data on environmentally friendly beef and bison grazing practices.

The projects announced on Wednesday will receive $2.8 billion and range in size from $5 million to $100 million. The private sector has pledged an additional $1.4 billion for the projects, Vilsack said.

The agency said it will announce a second round of funding later this year for additional climate-related projects.

#USDA #Department of Agriculture #greenhouse gas emissions #farming #forestry

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pressnewsagencyllc · 1 month

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The longest-living people eat this 1 fruit, a ‘longevity superfood’

Papaya has a reputation for such a trove of health benefits it’s been called the “fruit of long life.” It’s listed as one of the “longevity superfoods” eaten in the Blue Zones — places around the world where people live extraordinarily long and healthy lives. Headlines have dubbed it “The #1 Fruit Eaten by the World’s Oldest Living People.” Pearl Taylor, a 103-year-old woman who lives…

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#American Heart Association #department of agriculture #Feller #Maya Feller #Papaya nutrition #superfoods

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wausaupilot · 4 months

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WIC helps moms and kids eat. But finding what you need isn't always easy

Unlike food stamps, WIC-approved items can’t be bought online, though a few states are working on pilot programs to make it a reality.

By KENYA HUNTER AP Health Writer Bianca Williams was tired of trying to find a store that either accepted federal food benefits for low-income mothers and their children or a store that had quality produce. So the Milwaukee resident — who has seven kids, including two currently being breastfed — decided in November that she’d rather turn to frozen Thanksgiving leftovers and food from family and…

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#afternoon update #Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition #Department of Agriculture

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 1 year

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Donald Trump's White House blocked dozens of federal agencies from creating new government websites aimed at aiding homeless people, fighting human trafficking, and helping people vote, according to records obtained by Insider through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The requests for new websites came from agencies small and large at a time when Trump had grown openly hostile toward his own administration, often deriding the federal government's executive branch as an out-of-control "deep state" conspiring to undermine him.

The Department of Defense, Department of Labor, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Central Intelligence Agency, and Environmental Protection Agency are among the more than two-dozen agencies that Trump's Office of Management and Budget rebuffed.

Proposed websites that Trump's Office of Management and Budget rejected include HumanTrafficking.gov (Department of State); ReportFraud.gov (Federal Trade Commission); Telehealth.gov (Department of Health and Human Services), FindShelters.gov (Department of Housing and Urban Development), and FiscalData.gov (Department of the Treasury), according to federal records.

Such custom ".gov" website domains enhance government agencies' ability to effectively provide and market services to an American public that's all but universally connected to the internet.

Without them, agencies can still create new sections on their primary websites, but with long and unmemorable subdomain names replete with slashes and hyphens — not exactly prime fodder for a billboard or public service announcement.

The documents obtained by Insider listed no reasons for why the Office of Management and Budget rejected or accepted an agency's ".gov" website domain request.

Neither did the Office of Management and Budget, whose spokesperson, Isabel Aldunate, declined to answer Insider's questions.

Representatives for Trump, who this week officially launched his 2024 presidential campaign, did not reply to several messages.

MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUMP AND BIDEN

The Trump White House's practice of regularly blocking and slow-walking federal agencies' website requests stands in stark contrast to that of President Joe Biden's White House, which has approved almost every request it's received, federal records indicate.

Of the 105 ".gov" websites requests Trump's Office of Management and Budget considered between July 2018 and the day Trump left office on January 20, 2021, it accepted 60, denied 44, and left one pending — a 41.9% rejection rate, according to the records obtained by Insider.

Of the 95 ".gov" website requests Biden's Office of Management and Budget considered between January 21, 2021, and September 9, 2022, it accepted 85, denied four, and recorded six requests voluntarily withdrawn — a 4.2% rejection rate.

Insider asked more than a dozen federal agencies that had their custom .gov website domain requests rejected by the Trump White House to explain what happened.

Some declined to comment, including officials at the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Labor. Others did not respond to inquiries, including the Department of Agriculture and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For those who did comment, they offered limited insight into why they sought new .gov websites or why the Trump White House denied their requests.

Housing and Urban Development, for one, told Insider in a statement that it asked to establish FindShelters.gov in late 2019 "for the creation of a new tool that would provide information about housing, shelter, healthcare and clothing resources in communities across the country."

After two months in limbo, the Trump White House denied the agency's request. It now provides such information on its main agency website, with resources concentrated at a URL of https://www.hud.gov/homelessness_resources.

HUD's understanding of why its request was denied: "There has been a federal-wide ongoing effort to limit and reduce the number of federal public-facing websites. The effort was started to reduce cost and redundancy."

On December 23, 2019, the CIA asked Trump's White House to approve the website domain DataTransport.gov. A week later, the Office of Management and Budget rejected the request.

"The domain was registered to support the IC's data services program," a source familiar with the matter said of the CIA's request, with "IC" standing for "intelligence community." The source offered no additional details.

In March 2019, the generally apolitical Peace Corps asked Trump's Office of Management and Budget to green-light PeaceCorpsCN.gov — a website referencing its operation in China. Office of Management and Budget officials rejected the request on an unspecified date.

"Per compliance with Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 18-01, the domain was requested at the time to enhance email and web security," Peace Corps spokesman Troy Blackwell wrote in an email.

By early 2020, the Peace Corps had begun the process of leaving China — one of Trump's favorite targets and topics. The Peace Corps has not re-upped its PeaceCorpsCN.gov website request since.

"After Peace Corps closed the China post, we no longer needed the domain," Blackwell said.

BLOCK AND DELAY

In at least one case, Trump's White House denied a website request — the United States Agency for International Development-sponsored ProsperAfrica.gov — that Biden's White House later approved.

The ProsperAfrica.gov website now details efforts by the United States Agency for International Development to mobilize "services and resources from across the US government to empower businesses and investors with market insights, deal support, and financing opportunities" on the African continent.

And of the custom website domains Trump's Office of Management and Budget did OK, approval often took weeks or months instead of the days or hours typical for Biden's Office of Management and Budget.

One particularly testy delay came during the summer of 2020, when the Election Assistance Commission sought approval to create HelpAmericaVote.gov and use it to recruit and coordinate an army of new poll workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which by then had sidelined tens of thousands of older election volunteers unable or unwilling to staff in-person voting sites.

An unexpectedly long delay ensued. Finally, the Office of Management and Budget sunk the Election Assistance Commission's HelpAmericaVote.gov website, arguing in an email obtained by Insider that the election agency's request "did not justify the creation of a stand-alone site." The decision arrived as Trump's assertions that US elections were "rigged" and fraudulent had grown louder and evermore detached from reality.

Then-Election Assistance Commission Executive Director Mona Harrington frantically appealed for reconsideration.

"This is really negatively impacting our progress at this point," she wrote Justin Grimes, then an official in the Office of Management and Budget's Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer. "Please advise, we desperately need the domain."

Several days later, the Office of Management and Budget reversed its decision, and HelpAmericaVote.gov would go live in mid-August 2020, just in time for National Poll Worker Recruitment Day on September 1. About 100,000 people visited the site that day, the Election Assistance Commission said.

In a statement to Insider at the time, Trump's Office of Management and Budget said it rejected the Election Assistance Commission's request for HelpAmericaVote.gov "because the information provided did not justify the creation of a stand-alone site based on existing requirements. OMB worked with EAC given the importance of the topic to improve the justification which led to approval."

Trump's Office of Management and Budget did approve a few custom web domains quickly.

Among those granted the swiftest approval: TrumpLibrary.gov, TrumpWhiteHouse.gov, and FlyHealthy.gov.

Curiously, the General Services Administration on October 8, 2020, proposed creating BuildBackBetter.gov, which Trump's Office of Management and Budget approved the same day, according to federal records.

At that juncture, Biden has already made "build back better" a cornerstone plank of his 2020 presidential campaign platform. Trump's administration did not appear to use the BuildBackBetter.gov domain for any material purpose. But in mid-November 2020, then President-elect Biden began using it as part of his official presidential transition web presence, according to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.

AN OPAQUE APPROVAL PROCESS

Trump in 2018 tapped the White House's Office of Management and Budget to serve as the national gatekeeper for new federal government websites — a role previously filled by the General Services Administration.

In a statement to Insider last year, the General Services Administration said the Office of Management and Budget decided in February 2018 to "perform the adjudication of all new federal executive branch .gov domain requests to limit the proliferation of executive branch stand-alone .gov websites/domains and infrastructure."

The office immediately took a hard line on agencies' website requests, denying as many as it accepted during the second half of 2018, according to federal records.

But the decisions were made out of public view.

In January 2021, Insider filed a Freedom of Information Act request asking the Office of Management and Budget for records related to .gov website domains that federal government agencies had petitioned to create. Insider also asked for records indicating whether the Office of Management and Budget approved or denied the agencies' requests to create .gov websites.

In March 2021, Office Management and Budget officials denied Insider's FOIA request, stating that "no responsive records were located."

Insider formally appealed that decision. In late October, about 19 months later, Office of Management and Budget officials acknowledged that records Insider requested did indeed exist.

Officials then agreed to release a summary of .gov website requests the Office of Management and Budget had approved and rejected, although it did not immediately provide other requested records, such as documents explaining why officials approved or denied a particular website.

The data include eight recently requested websites that are listed as "pending." Seven come from the Department of Education and appear to pertain to student debt relief, a top Biden administration priority, and feature URLs such as StudentDebtRelief.gov and GetStudentLoanRelief.gov.

The websites were not yet functional as of mid-November.