USDA Archives - Page 3 of 6 - Environment + Energy Leader

General Mills, Unilever Join Food Waste Challenge

June 5, 2013June 6, 2013 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

General Mills, Unilever and the Food Waste Reduction Alliance have joined the USDA’s Food Waste Challenge as founding partners. The challenge, announced yesterday by the EPA and USDA, asks farmers, processors, manufacturers, retailers, communities and government agencies to reduce the volume of food waste sent to landfill, recover wholesome food ... Read more »

Bayer, Syngenta, Rapeseed Producers Possible Bee Vote Losers

May 13, 2013 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

Dow Chemical may see an uptick in sales of its pesticide sprays as a result of the European Union ban on neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides linked to bee decline that are produced mainly by Bayer and Syngenta, Reuters reports. Another possible loser in the vote last month to protect ... Read more »

Scotts Miracle-Gro Removes Phosphorus From Lawn Maintenance Products

May 13, 2013July 3, 2017 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

Scotts Miracle-Gro today said it has achieved its goal of removing phosphorus from its Turf Builder brand lawn food maintenance products. The company first made this pledge two years ago on World Water Day as a partial solution to nutrient runoff that can lead to excessive algae growth in waterways. ... Read more »

USDA Launches Agricultural Water Quality Tool

May 8, 2013 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

A new online tool developed by scientists at the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service can help farmers and ranchers understand the quality of water flowing off their fields. The Water Quality Index for Agricultural Runoff (WQIag) — inspired by the Dow Jones Index — gives producers a complete picture of ... Read more »

NASA Clears Biofuel-Powered Jets for Takeoff

May 1, 2013 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

NASA researchers say commercial airlines can safely fly using plant-based biofuel, following successful test flights in California. The flights studied the effects of alternate biofuel on engine performance, emissions and aircraft-generated contrails at altitudes typically flown by commercial airliners. The Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails and Cruise Emissions (ACCESS) experiment ... Read more »

Online Tool Calculates Dairies’ Environmental Footprint

April 23, 2013April 23, 2013 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

An online tool to help dairies calculate their environmental footprint is being tested by producers, the Innovation Center for US Dairy says. Farm Smart currently focuses on voluntary self-assessment in four areas: energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water quality and water use. But future versions of the tool will help ... Read more »

USDA Develops Phosphorus Management Tool

April 22, 2013July 3, 2017 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

A tool developed by USDA scientists can help agribusiness model phosphorus loss in runoff and determine ways to reduce these losses. The Phosphorus Index was originally a simple management tool developed to gauge the risk of phosphorus losses from agricultural fields. The original index has since been modified by individual ... Read more »

United Launches Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative

April 22, 2013May 3, 2013 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

United Airlines says it will measure and evaluate the sustainability of its suppliers’ products and operations and then set targets for improvements in 2014. The survey is part of United’s sustainable supply chain initiative. United says it will also integrate environmentally focused questions into its request for proposal process. The ... Read more »

Boeing, USDA, FAA Extend Aviation Biofuels Program

April 17, 2013April 17, 2013 by Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

The USDA has extended for five years its agreement to work with the FAA and commercial aviation partners, including Boeing and industry trade group Airlines for America, to help develop a viable biofuel for the aviation industry. The new agreement follows the 2010-2012 Farm to Fly initiative, a collaboration between ... Read more »

Cargill Closes Plant Due to Drought

January 22, 2013January 22, 2013 by Kirsten Korosec

Cargill will idle its Plainview, Texas beef processing plant due to a tight cattle supply brought on by years of drought in the region. The US cattle herd is at its lowest level since 1952, Cargill said. Increased feed costs resulting from the prolonged drought, combined with herd liquidations by ... Read more »

Climate Change Threatens 10 Degree Rise, Submerged Cities

January 15, 2013January 15, 2013 by Kirsten Korosec

A major federal report warns US average temperatures could rise as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050 if emissions continue to rise, while a separate assessment by a public utilities company projects climate change will put parts of Seattle underwater. The third National Climate Assessment – which comes out ... Read more »

Companies Lose Ethanol Mandate Fight

November 19, 2012November 19, 2012 by Kirsten Korosec

The EPA rejected requests to waive the federal Renewable Fuel Standard requiring ethanol be blended into gasoline, effectively disagreeing with states and industry groups that argued the mandate was pushing up corn prices following a catastrophic drought that ruined crops in the Midwest. The agency, which based its decision on ... Read more »

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