A year of agriculture stories includes news about 'right to repair,' shortages with milk cartons and battles with avian flu

January is a good time to think about the year that was, and one way to review the past 52 weeks from a farming perspective is to check out news headlines, which Philip Gruber of Lancaster Farming does in grand fashion. Here is one of Gruber's headlines from each month in 2023.

January hallmarked some right-to-repair news, which was met with a mixed response. "John Deere signs a memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation to ensure that farmers and independent repair shops have access to many of the tools and software farmers need for repair. . . . The National Farmers Union says the agreement lacks teeth and only applies to one manufacturer."

Norfolk's 38-car derailment in East Pastine,
Ohio (NTSB drone photo via Wikipedia)

February brought to the forefront hazardous chemicals traveling on rail into unsuspecting communities. "A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derails and catches fire near East Palestine, Ohio. Initial state and federal testing find little cause for concern about toxic contamination of farms or homes, but the event becomes a major national story."

March ushered in a push for Farm Bill climate change support for farmers. "Organized by Farm Aid, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and other groups, farmers rally in Washington to call for the 2023 Farm Bill to include incentives for farmers to combat climate change."

April marked a terrible loss in Texas. "An estimated 18,000 cattle are killed in an explosion at a Texas dairy farm. It is the deadliest barn fire involving cattle in at least a decade, according to the Animal Welfare Institute. An accidental truck fire was determined to be the cause, Lubbock media reported."

California's law prevailed in May.
(Successful Farming photo)

May saw Proposition 12 become the expected norm. "The Supreme Court rejects a pork industry challenge to a California law on sow housing."

June opened the door for no-slaughter meat. "The U.S. approves a lab-grown meat for the first time."

July marked seven months in the ongoing battle with avian bird flu for 2023, with poultry farmers shouldering many of the costs. "Delaware and Pennsylvania lawmakers are among the sponsors introducing a bill to enhance federal aid for farmers affected by avian influenza."

August added some court changes on federal water jurisdiction. "The Biden administration revises its rule on federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction in response to a court decision. . . . Ag groups say the changes don't address all of the issues from the case."

Domesticated minks are not suited for
the wild. (Lancaster Farming photo)

September brought untimely deaths to domesticated minks, who don't fare well in the wild. "Some 7,400 mink are set free inside a fenced area at a fur farm in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. About 400 that escaped the farm die within two weeks."

October reminded the public that chicken isn't the only food that can contain dangerous bacterial diseases. "A salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupe begins. From mid-October to mid-December, health officials in the U.S. and Canada confirm at least 10 deaths, dozens of hospitalizations and hundreds of illnesses. . . ."

Even the Simpsons got milk.
(AMP image via Fast Company)

November's got milk but no milk cartons. "Schools across the region adapt to a shortage of milk cartons caused by a supply chain issue. In New York, one of the first states to be affected, some schools serve milk in pitchers or dispensers rather than single-serving cartons."

December is more on milk month. "The U.S. House passes the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. Repealing part of a 2010 law, the bill would allow whole milk to be served in schools." The bill was squashed in the Senate.

There you have it -- a year of headlines. For more on what happened in 2023, click here. For more ag news from Lancaster Farming, click here.