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2012 Ag Census – Tobacco Sales

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This map shows the counties where tobacco is grown in America, including some you might not think of tobacco counties, including parts of Western Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Farmers and the Estate Tax Myth

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Farmers and the Estate Tax Myth

"The Farm Bureau, the nation’s largest agricultural lobbying group, has featured estate tax repeal among its key legislative priorities for many years. The current president, Zippy Duvall of Georgia, recently responded to President Trump’s tax reform plan, stating that, “Eliminating the estate tax will free farmers to invest in the future of their family businesses rather than selling off their land and legacy when a family member dies.”

The Farm Bureau is joined by national and state commodity groups, such as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and National Pork Producers Council, in their continuous estate tax repeal campaign. This message has penetrated Republican orthodoxy deeply, and remains on President Trump’s stump speech checklist of policies to help “forgotten rural America.”

But, like so many issues in today’s political landscape, instead of offering any clear data or empirical evidence to back up their rhetoric, agriculture industry groups and their political allies are simply pushing policies that favor a massive wealth transfer. They are actively working to dismantle government spending that supports the poor, the working class, and rural communities in favor of gigantic paydays for the super-rich."

Ash trees disappearing across Pennsylvania

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Ash trees disappearing across Pennsylvania

"The outlook is grim, but not hopeless."

"The emerald ash borer has devastated a research plot of 2,100 ash trees at the edge of Penn State's University Park. Kim Steiner, currently director of The Arboretum at Penn State, in 1978 planted seeds from green ash trees to understand how species adapt to their environments. The ash plantation is the largest collection of green ash germplasm at one location in the world and could play a significant role in saving the species."

"We have about 15 trees remaining that show little or no die-back from emerald ash borer," Steiner said. "They look pretty healthy, and we know that most of them have been attacked because they have exit holes where the adults have emerged after feeding on the inner bark."

"Any level of genetic-based resistance could be something to build on to save the species, she said."

"Penn State molecular geneticist John Carlson is looking at the genetic mechanisms by which surviving trees might be battling the insects. He has seen some biochemical or genetic responses. He and Steiner have been talking with DCNR officials about planting Penn State's lingering ash trees on state forest lands and in private forests."

"Some trees inoculated with eggs from the ash borer actually seem to kill beetle larvae, according to research by Jennifer Koch at the U.S. Forest Service Laboratory in Delaware, Ohio."

"DCNR plans to treat about 200 trees across Pennsylvania's 20 state forest districts, try biological controls at 10 sites and protect three seed orchards."