Category Archives: Top Agriculture News

Trump proposed getting rid of FEMA, but his review council seems focused on reforming the agency

Trump proposed getting rid of FEMA, but his review council seems focused on reforming the agency

President Donald Trump has floated the idea of “getting rid of” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which manages federal disaster response. But at a Thursday meeting, the 12-person review council he appointed to propose changes to FEMA seemed more focused on reforms than total dismantlement. The meeting in Oklahoma City offered hints of what types of reforms the council might present to Trump in its final report. Members mainly focused on conventional and oft-cited opportunities for change, such as getting money faster to states and survivors and enhancing the capacity of local emergency managers.… Continue Reading

Some FEMA staff are put on leave after signing dissent letter

Some FEMA staff are put on leave after signing dissent letter

Some employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency who signed a public letter of dissent earlier this week were put on administrative leave Tuesday evening. That’s according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press. More than 180 current and former FEMA employees signed the letter sent to the FEMA Review Council and Congress on Monday critiquing recent cuts to agency staff and programs, and warning that FEMA’s capacity to respond to a major disaster was dangerously diminished. The AP has confirmed that at least two of the signatories received notices Tuesday evening informing them they would be placed on leave indefinitely. FEMA did not immediately respond to questions on how many staff were put on leave.… Continue Reading

Some FEMA staff call out Trump cuts in public letter of dissent

Some FEMA staff call out Trump cuts in public letter of dissent

More than 180 current and former FEMA employees have published a letter warning of potential disaster due to cuts in the agency. The letter coincides with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, highlighting concerns about management and capacity at FEMA. It warns that current practices echo conditions the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act aimed to prevent. The letter criticizes policies like expenditure approval and reassignment of staff to ICE. It calls for FEMA to be an independent cabinet-level agency. Thirty-five signatories included their names, while 141 remained anonymous due to fear of suppression.… Continue Reading

Find zen in your garden with zinnias

Find zen in your garden with zinnias

My mother-in-law, Jean Reeves, was smart, hard-working, industrious, caring and pretty. She loved gardening, and taught her equally pretty daughters about vegetables and flowers and how they co-exist in nature. When I fell in love with Melissa, I also fell in love with her parents’ extraordinary and expansive dairy farm. The vegetable garden was always spacious, pristine and yummy. Jean’s talent for growing flowers was equally as impressive. Her sizable zinnia garden was memorable for the vivid colors. I think a low flying plane would have flown around to get another look.… Continue Reading

Federal officials to take over inspections when troubled Boar’s Head plant reopens

Federal officials to take over inspections when troubled Boar’s Head plant reopens

Federal inspectors will assume direct oversight of a Boar’s Head deli meat plant when it reopens after an deadly listeria outbreak. The plant in Jarratt, Virginia, is set to reopen in the coming months. It will face at least 90 days of heightened monitoring and testing. That work will be overseen by federal Food Safety and Inspection Service officials, rather than state inspectors who operated previously on behalf of the agency. The change underscores the severity of problems at the troubled plant. Boar’s Head officials say they are cooperating with state and federal agencies.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin still stirring up dangerous waves while it moves away from the East Coast

Hurricane Erin still stirring up dangerous waves while it moves away from the East Coast

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Erin has battered North Carolina’s Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway and surged under beachfront homes. The unusually large hurricane slowly began to move away from the East Coast on Thursday. Erin is not forecast to make landfall. Forecasters say it will slowly weaken over the next few days while turning farther out to sea. The menacing waves have closed beaches from the Carolinas to New York City on Thursday. Along the North Carolina shoreline, the storm breached sand dunes on Hatteras Island and damaged one waterfront motel. Parts of the main route linking the Outer Banks remain closed.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin picking up steam as it edges along the East Coast

Hurricane Erin picking up steam as it edges along the East Coast

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Erin is strengthening again and forecasters say it could re-intensify into a major hurricane. The storm is creeping toward the mid-Atlantic coast and churning up menacing waves that have closed beaches from the Carolinas to New York City. It’s expected to peak over the next 48 hours. Erin is unlikely to make landfall along the East Coast before turning farther out to sea. But authorities are warning that its large swells will cut off roads on North Carolina’s Outer Banks and whip up life-threatening rip currents from Florida to New England. The National Hurricane Center is watching two more clusters of storms to the east of Erin.… Continue Reading

Summer celebrations meet closed beaches and warnings on US East Coast due to Hurricane Erin

Summer celebrations meet closed beaches and warnings on US East Coast due to Hurricane Erin

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — From Florida to New England, people trying to enjoy some of the last hurrahs of summer along the East Coast have been met with rip-current warnings, closed beaches and in some cases already treacherous waves as Hurricane Erin inches closer. Forecasters expect the center of the monster storm to remain far offshore. But the outer edges are likely to bring high winds, large swells and life-threatening rip currents. The biggest swells along the East Coast could come as early as Wednesday. Authorities are prohibiting people from swimming in beaches in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Delaware.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin forecast to churn up dangerous swells and winds from Florida to New England

Hurricane Erin forecast to churn up dangerous swells and winds from Florida to New England

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Erin is churning slowly toward the eastern U.S. coast and stirring up waves that already have forced dozens of beach rescues several days before the biggest storm surges are expected. Forecasters remain confident the center of the monster storm will remain far offshore. But the outer edges are likely to bring damaging tropical-force winds, large swells and life-threatening rip currents. Warnings about rip currents have been posted from Florida to the New England coast. In New Jersey, towns are closing some beaches to swimming. The biggest swells along the East Coast are expected to develop Wednesday and last into Thursday.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin’s massive waves threaten to isolate North Carolina’s Outer Banks

Hurricane Erin’s massive waves threaten to isolate North Carolina’s Outer Banks

Hurricane Erin is expected to impact the Outer Banks in North Carolina, sending massive waves crashing into the islands. Officials have ordered evacuations for Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, anticipating damage to the highway that connects the islands to the mainland. Residents are used to isolation, but vacationers are not. The Outer Banks are vulnerable due to rising sea levels and erosion. Despite these challenges, many residents cherish the unique lifestyle and community on the islands. The area generates significant tourism revenue, so the cycle of repair and maintenance continues.… Continue Reading

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