The New Zealand government and the country's Federated Farmers group are at serious odds over bringing cows in from the cold, or their mountain pastures, and housing them in "cubicles." Prime Minister John Key said putting cows into tie stalls for eight months of the year could tarnish the country's international free-range dairy brand. And Agriculture Minister David Carter is seeking advice on how keeping cows in barns fits in with New Zealand's animal welfare code.
     Federated Farmers is backing a plan that would see 16 new farms in the central South Island's MacKenzie basin, with a total of 18,000 cows in stalls. Farmers are saying their "factory-farming" methods cut costs, produce happier, healthier cows and are environmentally friendly.
     Not so fast, say the government and, it seems, an overwhelming majority of New Zealanders. A Facebook page for opponents of the cows-in-stalls idea has 9,142 members. TV New Zealand has a story about the dustup here: http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/govt-farmers-odds-over-factory-farming-3242481?page=9&pagesize=5
     If you'd like to see what the Facebook crowd is saying, go here:   http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=220398793091


     "It depends." That was the answer again and again to farmers' questions about conservation easements at a recent meeting in Richmond, Virginia. Lisa Anne Hawkins, a Harrisonburg attorney who specializes in conservation easements, led a workshop on farmland preservation at the annual meeting of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. Turns out there are so many variables in preservation that definite answers for an individual situation are hard to come by. Lancaster Farming correspondent Andrew Jenner covered the workshop, and his story is in our current edition. Or you can read it online here: http://lancasterfarming.com/node/2419 


     I just want to see what their spacesuits look like.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3lcgYNyCvU&feature=topvideos