Agribusiness Update for Thursday 8/8/13

This is the Agribusiness Update...I’m Greg Martin...

Panera Bread has charged poultry producers - and essentially farmers in general - with taking the easy way out instead of making tough decisions. Panera has labeled producers who use antibiotics to treat their animals when they’re sick as lazy and producers who don’t use antibiotics as hard workers. Producers and ag bloggers have taken a stand and challenged Panera’s statement that farmers believe hard work pays off eventually, but lazy pays off now.

Idaho farmers are not pleased with a plan by the states irrigation districts to shut off the water early. Some districts will see the water turned off as of the first of September. The long, dry spell in the state has left water supplies at a minimum prompting the early shutoff. Farmers are working hard to make adjustments for crops and animals that depend on that water supply.

The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized the Renewable Fuel Standard targets for 2013, holding steady its overall goal of 16.55 billion gallons while extending the deadline for compliance to June 30, 2014.

That’s today’s Agribusiness Update from the Ag Information Network.