Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dennis Hutson has found ways to use less water in one of the most drought-stricken places in the US.</li><li>At his TAC Farm in San Joaquin Valley, CA, Hutson is training people of color to farm sustainably.</li></ul>Dennis Hutson has played many roles in his life: pastor, US Air Force chaplain, and devoted husband and father of three — to name a few.But it wasn't until he co-bought 60 acres of land in Allensworth, California, that he felt he'd fulfilled his ultimate destiny.<h2>A Black-led agricultural revolution over 100 years in the making</h2>Allensworth is the first Black-founded and -governed town in California.Allen Allensworth, an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/family-escapes-modern-day-slavery-in-pakistan-2023-11">escaped slave</a>, founded it in 1908. He traveled throughout the eastern and midwestern US advocating for self-help programs that would give Black people a chance at social and economic self-sufficiency."Allensworth believed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-practices-for-offering-allyship-and-support-to-black-coworkers-2020-6">Black people are meant to help one another</a> — to pull one another into a higher station of life," Hutson told Business Insider.<div type="image" title="Dennis Hutson in a green shirt looks at the camera while standing in a thicket of bushes." height="720" width="1440" msid="105863623" hostid="261" sizebytes="77250"></div>The way he sees it, Hutson's destiny is to carry on Allensworth's legacy through farming. He's launching a teaching program on TAC Farm, which he co-founded with his sister and her husband on the land they bought together.Through the program, Hutson hopes to offer <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-farmers-jubilee-justice-louisiana-regenerative-farming-2023-10">Black farmers</a>, indigenous farmers, and other farmers of color hands-on experience in organic and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/farmer-shares-sustainable-farming-plans-new-town-freedom-georgia-initiative-2022-2">sustainable practices</a>."I thought, this is a way to realize the purpose on which this town was discovered," Hutson said.<h2>Closing the racial gap</h2>Research has found that farming offers <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/build-black-wealth-millionaire-mentor-2022-9">Black Americans a substantial economic opportunity</a> to build net worth and generational wealth.But research has also found that <a target="_blank" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10460-018-9883-3">significant racial disparities</a> in farmland ownership, in part due to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-minority-farmers-covid-relief-racial-discrimination-2021-3">discriminatory practices</a> by the USDA and lending organizations, have deprived farmers of color equal access to the loans, grants, and crop insurance necessary to sustain or grow their operations.As recently as 2021, only <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/black-farmers-in-the-us-the-opportunity-for-addressing-racial-disparities-in-farming">1.4% of farmers</a> in the US were Black or of mixed race — a significant decline from 14% about 100 years ago, according to McKinsey &amp; Company.<h2>A better way of doing things</h2>Hutson moved to Allensworth in July of 2017 — right after the 2012-2016 drought, one of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-town-sinking-drought-central-valley-2019-2">most severe in California's history</a>.<a target="_blank" href="https://plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov/wordpress/?p=22505">San Joaquin Valley</a>, a stretch of eight counties in central and southern California and where Allensworth is located, was hit especially hard, which is why Hutson said he knew he would have to lean into sustainable practices for TAC Farm."Otherwise, you're just adding to the problem instead of helping to solve it," he said.<div type="image" title="Picture of Dennis Hutson on TAC farm." height="717" width="1433" msid="105863625" hostid="261" sizebytes="109656"></div>To that end, TAC farm has adopted more efficient drip irrigation methods, which help reduce manpower while also conserving water, Hutson said.The farm also plants <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/patagonia-global-warming-solutions-2019-4">cover crops,</a> which aren't necessarily intended for harvest, but instead protect and enrich the soil for future harvest crops. Moreover, healthy soil can retain moisture longer, so it doesn't require as much water.A few years ago, Hutson began replacing the alfalfa, which required irrigating six to seven times per season, with the cover crop oats."I planted oats and relied on rains for irrigation. With this year's atmospheric rivers, I had an abundant harvest," he said. It's sustainable practices like these that could help TAC Farm survive in the face of the US's uncertain farming future.Over the next several decades, California's Department of Water Resources estimates that the state could <a target="_blank" href="https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/Initiatives/Water-Resilience/CA-Water-Supply-Strategy.pdf">lose up to 10% of its water supplies</a> by 2040, and economists predict the central San Joaquin Valley will need to pull nearly half a million acres of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ppic.org/publication/policy-brief-the-future-of-agriculture-in-the-san-joaquin-valley/">farmland out of production</a>.It's also these sustainable practices that Hutson ultimately wants to pass on to other farmers of color.<h2>Cultivating the next generation of Black regenerative farmers in Southern California</h2>Hutson's TAC Innovation and Teaching Farm program has recruited approximately six farmers of color from across the Central Valley and Southern California, he told BI.In order to spread the word, TAC Farm partnered with a number of other organizations in the state — including African American Farmers of California, Crop Swap LA, and the Compton Community Garden.Participants will get access to a small plot of land on TAC Farm for two and a half years, and can then sell the crops they grow to local co-ops, Hutson said. The program will also help participants apply for loans.Hutson said most people don't realize how expensive agriculture is. For example, the Massey-Ferguson 4700 4-wheel drive tractor he purchased with a grant in 2020 cost $46,000.This program will equip students with a more realistic mindset about what it takes to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lawsuit-put-pause-usda-effort-pay-off-black-farmers-loans-2021-6">start a successful farm</a> from the ground up."After land cost, the second big hurdle is finding a water source — especially in the Central Valley," he said. "More and more, that means drilling a well."Before Hutson asked for a loan from the bank, he noted: "The bank said to me, 'We can't give you one until you have a water source.' So, I had to have a well drilled in 2009 — it's just 720 feet deep, and it was over $120,000. It probably costs twice that now. He added that's "not even taking into account equipment — tractors, implements, all those kinds of things."Hutson hopes the sustainable practices he's learned and designed over the last decade can usher in a new revolution of minority-owned and led sustainable agriculture in California."They can say, 'We did this with our hands.'"

How a California farmer is helping build a Black-led sustainable agriculture revolution

<ul class="summary-list"><li>At least 41 <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wind-farm-company-admits-150-eagle-deaths-fined-8-million-2022-4">bald eagles</a> in 14 states have died after contracting H5N1, a strain of avian flu.</li><li>Nearly <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022">27 million chickens and turkeys</a> were killed en masse to prevent spread of the virus.</li></ul>A highly contagious <keyword id="13260370" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bird-flu" source="Orion">bird flu</keyword> strain that's ripped through the US in recent months is now spreading among the nation's national birds — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eagles-lead-poisoning-bullets-hunting-2022-2">bald eagles</a>.According to the latest data from the <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-wild-birds">Department of Agriculture</a>, at least 41 bald eagles in 14 states have died after contracting this particular strain, known as H5N1. "We are seeing significant mortality," Victoria Hall, executive director of the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center, told <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-least-36-bald-eagles-have-died-in-bird-flu-outbreak-11650302381">The Wall Street Journal</a>. "The better data we can collect about what is happening in these populations, the better we can figure out how we can best support them."Though bald eagles were once a dwindling bird population due to pesticides and hunters, they're no longer endangered. In fact, numbers have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eagles-lead-poisoning-bullets-hunting-2022-2">steadily risen</a> since 2009, thanks to decades of conservation efforts.Beyond bald eagles, the virus has been detected in flocks of wild birds, with more than 700 positive birds reported in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/data-map-wild-birds.html">31 states</a>, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Bald eagles are raptors — birds that hunt for living prey and scavenge for carcasses, which experts think is a possible route of transmission. "If the waterfowl are dying, then eagles can pick it up from eating those dead waterfowl," Krysten Schuler, co-director of the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/science/eagles-bird-flu.html">The New York Times</a>. <div type="image" title="A double-crested cormorant struggles and is likely dying of bird flu" height="1093" width="1457" msid="91014164" hostid="261"></div>Since January, the USDA has also detected the strain at several <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-19-horror-stories-at-meat-industry-factories-arent-surprising-2020-12">poultry farms</a>, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/04/19/avian-flu-2022-killing-birds-egg-prices/7275697001/?gnt-cfr=1">driving up the price of eggs and poultry</a> in the process. Nearly <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022">27 million chickens and turkeys</a> were killed en masse as part of state containment efforts to prevent the avian flu's spread. This new flavor of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-flu-china-coronavirus-pathogenic-strain-of-h5n1-highly-2020-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bird flu infection</a> is dangerous for birds. Though symptoms from other strains can range from mild to severe, in chickens, the most deadly forms of bird flu have mortality rates <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-in-birds.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">upward of 90%</a>, according to the <keyword id="11917544" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cdc" source="Orion">CDC</keyword>. More research is needed to understand how this novel strain differs from others, but experts say it's both severe and highly transmissible. The H5N1 strain, which can cause neurological and respiratory issues in birds, usually kills them within just two days. Though flu can sometimes jump species and infect people, humans don't seem to be at increased risk of infection from this particular strain, according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/spotlights/2021-2022/h5n1-low-risk-public.htm">CDC</a>. So far, there's been only one documented human case — a person in England who raised birds and was asymptomatic. No one in the US has been infected.Experts at the Raptor Center <a href="https://raptor.umn.edu/about-us/our-research/HPAI">recommend</a> that people in states where the strain has been detected pause <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/pets/best-bird-feeder">using bird feeders</a>, to keep birds from congregating and spreading the virus."This is a virus to take seriously," Julianna Lenoch, a veterinary epidemiologist and national wildlife disease program coordinator for USDA, told <a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/north-american-birds-face-their-own-pandemic-latest-bout-avian-flu">Audubon</a>. She added that government agencies like the <keyword id="13682049" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="department-of-agriculture" source="Orion">Department of Agriculture</keyword> will keep track of the flu in hopes of limiting its spread. "We just don't want to have any further introductions if we can help it."

A bird flu outbreak is killing bald eagles and driving up egg prices

<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> is set to deploy drones to gather atmospheric data that is currently collated by sending sensors through weather balloons released from at least 55 locations across the country twice every day. The sensors embedded in a radiosonde, which is a telemetry instrument carried by a weather balloon, record atmospheric pressure, temperature, wind direction and speed as the hydrogen-filled weather balloon soars up to 12 km height and transmit data to the ground receiver through radio signals. However, weather balloons and radiosondes are unretrievable as they drift afar from weather stations that release them in the atmosphere. We are now exploring the possibility of using drones to gather this atmospheric data which is crucial for weather forecasting, M Ravichandran, Secretary, <keyword id="158211" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ministry-of-earth-sciences" source="Orion">Ministry of Earth Sciences</keyword>, told PTI. Various studies have suggested that specialised drones equipped with sensors to gather weather data could be an efficient successor to the traditional weather balloons. The <keyword id="6355166" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india-meteorological-department" source="Orion">India Meteorological Department</keyword> (<keyword id="6366970" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="imd" source="Orion">IMD</keyword>) gathers weather data from 550 locations across the country through weather stations and uses radiosonde observations which are then fed into forecasting models to issue weather forecasts. The drones have a key advantage over weather balloons as they can be controlled and guided to fly at low as well as high altitudes. The IMD plans to use drones to gather data from up to five km altitude and compare it with data gathered using the traditional weather balloons. It has invited industry and academia to join the demonstration of the capability of drone technology for weather observations. It is expected that drones should be capable, economically feasible, easily deployable and recoverable and should be technically comparable or superior to currently deployed radiosondes for upper air observations up to the boundary layer of upper air atmosphere, the weather office said. While the flight of a weather balloon usually lasts for up to two hours, the IMD expects to gather data using drones during a 40-minute flight. If successful, a key benefit would be reducing the wastage of radiosondes as the IMD loses more than 100 such instruments every day as weather balloons cannot be retrieved after their flight. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/2-out-3-indians-are-facing-digital-payment-issues-due-to-poor-network-connectivity/articleshow/92076595.cms">A survey suggests that 2 out 3 Indians are facing digital payment issues due to poor network connectivity</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/galaxy-z-fold-4-is-expected-to-come-with-1tb-internal-storage-and-snapdragon-8-gen1-chipset/articleshow/92074564.cms">Galaxy Z Fold 4 might be Samsung's most expensive foldable phone — here’s everything you need to know</a>

India is all set to replace weather balloons with drones

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A report by a bipartisan House committee details meat-processing giants' response to the pandemic.</li><li>One hospital doctor told <keyword id="12062971" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jbs" source="Orion">JBS</keyword> that all its COVID-19 patients were linked to a JBS plant in Texas.</li></ul>Major US <keyword id="11894326" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="meat" source="Orion">meat</keyword> companies <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tyson-fires-7-workers-accused-betting-how-many-contract-covid-2020-12?r=US&amp;IR=T">were aware that their sites were hotbeds for coronavirus transmission</a> but exaggerated impending product shortages so they could keep workers on site at the height of the pandemic, according to an investigation by a House committee.They also lobbied the White House and the US <keyword id="13682049" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="department-of-agriculture" source="Orion">Department of Agriculture</keyword> to minimize coronavirus safety measures on the industry, <a href="https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2022.5.12%20-%20SSCC%20report%20Meatpacking%20FINAL.pdf">according to the report</a>, which was released on Thursday by the bipartisan House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.Meat processing sites were a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meat-processing-plants-are-the-new-hotspot-for-the-coronavirus-2020-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">major source of coronavirus outbreaks</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-19-meat-industry-lawsuits-investigations-class-action-2020-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">triggering a wave of lawsuits</a>. This was largely down to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meat-industry-workers-catch-covid-19-saying-employers-failed-them-2020-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">their lack of </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meat-industry-workers-catch-covid-19-saying-employers-failed-them-2020-4?r=US&amp;IR=T"> safety procedures</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meat-industry-workers-catch-covid-19-saying-employers-failed-them-2020-4?r=US&amp;IR=T"> like social distancing</a> and staff's inability to work from home.The report focused on five of the US' largest <keyword id="13925512" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="meatpacking" source="Orion">meatpacking</keyword> companies — <keyword id="12062970" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tyson-foods" source="Orion">Tyson Foods</keyword>, JBS, <keyword id="12062972" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="smithfield" source="Orion">Smithfield</keyword> Foods, Cargill, and the National Beef Packing Company. During the first year of the pandemic, more than 59,000 workers at these companies were infected with the coronavirus and at least 269 died, the committee said.The report details how meatpacking executives were allegedly aware of the high risks of coronavirus transmission inside their plants.For example, a doctor at a hospital close to JBS' processing plant in Cactus, Texas, sent an email to a JBS executive on April 18, 2020, saying that "100% of all COVID-19 patients we have in the hospital are either direct employees or family member[s] of your employees.""I am not sure this situation is being treated with the urgency it deserves," the doctor continued. "Your employees will get sick and may die if this factory continues to be open."<h2>Claims of meat shortages were 'intentionally scaring people'</h2>Despite awareness of outbreaks at some sites, meatpacking companies continued to push for their workers to stay on site. In the report, the committee dismissed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tyson-millions-of-pounds-of-meat-will-disappear-coronavirus-2020-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">claims that there would be meat shortages if sites closed</a> as "flimsy if not outright false. It also said they were "an attempt to justify operating meatpacking plants under dangerous conditions."<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sick-workers-closures-hit-meat-suppliers-sparking-shortage-fears-2020-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Smithfield CEO Ken Sullivan</a> said in April 2020 that the closure of meatpacking facilities "is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply. It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running."But an executive at trade body North American Meat Institute said in an email published in the committee's report that Sullivan was "intentionally scaring people." The email also said that three days after his statement, Smithfield had asked the Meat Institute to "issue a statement that there was plenty of meat," including enough for export."Smithfield has whipped everyone into a frenzy," the executive added.Meatpacking companies' reports of impending shortages appeared to come as the companies bulked up their exports. The US exported around 640 million pounds of pork in April 2020 – a 22% increase on April 2019, per <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/livestock-and-meat-international-trade-data/livestock-and-meat-international-trade-data/#Monthly%20U.S.%20Livestock%20and%20Meat%20Trade%20by%20Country">data</a> from the Department of Agriculture. Pork exports to China more than quadrupled over that time period, the data shows."The meat production system is a modern wonder, but it is not one that can be re-directed at the flip of a switch," a Smithfield spokesperson told Insider. "That is the challenge we faced as restaurants closed, consumption patterns changed, and hogs backed-up on farms with nowhere to go. The concerns we expressed were very real and we are thankful that a food crisis was averted and that we are starting to return to normal."The report also outlined how the meatpacking industry "worked actively to cultivate its very close relationship with <keyword id="12527471" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="usda" source="Orion">USDA</keyword>" at the start of the pandemic in an attempt to minimize coronavirus safety measures on the industry. This included the USDA under secretary for food safety being in regular communication with industry representatives and lobbyists, using both her personal and government phone and email, per the report.The USDA and meatpacking companies also jointly lobbied the White House to dissuade workers from staying home or quitting during the pandemic."Meatpacking companies engaged in a concerted effort with Trump Administration political officials to insulate themselves from coronavirus-related oversight, to force workers to continue working in dangerous conditions, and to shield themselves from legal liability for any resulting worker illness or death," the committee wrote.The Smithfield spokesperson told Insider that the company had "exceeded CDC and OSHA guidelines" and had paid workers to stay at home during the pandemic."The content of the report was deeply disturbing and many of the decisions made by the previous administration are not in line with our values," a USDA spokesperson told Insider. "This administration is committed to food safety, the viability of the meat and poultry sector, and working with our partners across the government to protect workers and ensure their health and safety is given the priority it deserves."

Major meat companies lied about impending shortages to keep workers on site at the height of the pandemic, a House committee says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I live in Maine, where browntail moth caterpillars can be found. </li><li>The caterpillars have a toxin on their hairs that can cause painful and itchy rashes on humans. </li></ul>When I woke up, all I could feel was my entire body itching. I'm <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/signs-a-bug-bite-is-serious-2018-7">allergic to bug bites</a>, and my first thought was that a mosquito had snuck under the covers and attacked me.When I looked at my body, I was shocked. Yes, it was extremely itchy, but it <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-to-tell-if-a-rash-is-really-serious-2018-11">looked more like a rash</a> than a bite. All I wanted to do <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-identify-bug-bites-2018-7">was scratch my entire body</a>. Desperate, I went to my dermatologist to make sure it wasn't something dangerous. She took one look at me and said, "Yup, you got the classic presentation of browntail moth rash."The moth is <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown-tail_moth">native to Europe and Asia</a> and was introduced to New England in the 1800s. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-differences-between-living-in-new-york-city-maine-2021-9">Maine, where I live</a>, has a large population that comes out from hibernation in April and can cause rashes in humans until July.<h2 id="86a2be04-1d19-4be3-b2cd-32a7af1b11be">The browntail moth caterpillar lives in trees</h2>I first heard about browntail moths from my <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-living-in-denmark-shares-differences-in-preschool-2023-11">kids' preschool</a>. They have backwoods where kids explore nature throughout the year, and it's not uncommon to get an email from the administration warning that some kids are coming home with rashes.Still, the rashes I had seen on my kids were minor — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/skin-bumps-that-look-like-pimples-2019-5">little bumps</a> on their fingers or the back of their hands. Nothing like mine, which spread on my arms, chest, back, legs, and toes.The caterpillars' hairs contain a toxin that, when brushed against skin, produces a poison ivy-like rash that is incredibly itchy and uncomfortable.Derek V. Chan, a board-certified medical and cosmetic dermatologist at All Dermis Dermatology in New York City, said it's key not to scratch the initial bumps. "You can spread the toxin and hairs to other areas of the body and cause new lesions to develop elsewhere," Chan told me.<h2 id="83895456-21a9-4575-a81a-d18f8bc662aa">I tried over-the-counter products, but nothing worked</h2>Before my dermatologist prescribed a topical steroid medication, I tried over-the-counter products to help with the itching.I took Benadryl before bed and Claritin during the day. The ointment and gel helped ease the itchiness, but only for a little bit. I was especially uncomfortable at night and would wake up scratching my skin raw.Now, I'm trying steroid cream, but my dermatologist warned me that I wouldn't see results immediately. The duration of the reaction depends on your sensitivity to the toxin. In some people, it can last several weeks, Chan told me.Chan said that on top of over-the-counter medication, "a cool bath with baking soda and/or finely ground colloidal oat powder" can ease the discomfort.If you've already picked at the bumps — like I did, because I couldn't stop scratching — Chan recommends wearing sun-protective clothing to avoid the areas getting darker from hyperpigmentation and always wearing SPF when outside.Chan added that if your tongue swells or you have difficulty breathing after coming in contact with the toxins, it becomes a 911 emergency.<h2 id="48fe8bcb-52bc-4a0a-b933-0ad4e8e5c4b0">I didn't touch an actual caterpillar</h2>What's tricky about browntail moth is that you don't necessarily need to come in contact with it to get the rash. Touching an item that the moth walked over is enough to generate a reaction.I still don't know where I came in contact with one since my husband and three kids were thankfully spared from this torture. The only thing I can think of is that I took a nap with our dogs while my husband was doing bedtime with the kids. I assume they rolled on a caterpillar or a nest and then laid on me, transferring the toxins.My dermatologist said she's been seeing an increasing number of patients with browntail moth rashes. If you're <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/regards-portland-maine-everyone-should-be-going-to-2023-6">traveling to Maine this summer</a> or your kids attend summer camp here, watch out for these caterpillars. The Maine Department of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry recommends using <a target="_blank" href="https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/forest_health/invasive_threats/browntail_moth_faqs.htm#:~:text=Adults%20emerge%20in%20July%20and,10%20pm%20and%2012%20am.">pesticides to control the population</a> outdoors and a wet vac to remove any caterpillars from indoors.Chan added that after spending time outdoors, people living in browntail moth-prone areas should keep their skin covered, take a cool shower once they are inside, wash clothes immediately after, and if they come in contact with any other surface where hairs or toxins may linger, wash bedding and towels.

I woke up covered in a painful rash. A caterpillar with toxic hairs was to blame.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Biden is set to announce the largest-ever boost to <keyword id="730276" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Food-stamps">food stamps</keyword> on Monday, the NYT reports.</li><li>The average monthly benefit will rise to $157 per person from $121. That's about 40 cents per meal.</li><li>A 15% boost to food stamps was set to lapse on September 30, but Biden's move offsets that.</li></ul><keyword id="1533678" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="President-Joe-Biden">President Joe Biden</keyword> is expected to announce the largest-ever boost to food stamps on Monday, permanently increasing aid for the roughly 42 million Americans on the program.The average monthly benefit will climb to $157 per person from $121, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/15/us/politics/biden-food-stamps.html">The New York Times</a> reported, citing an administration official. That translates to an increase of roughly 40 cents per meal. For a family of four, the maximum benefit will rise to $835 per month, up about 21% from the pre-pandemic limit.The increase will take effect on October 1.The move is one of the ways Biden can increase aid for Americans without Congressional approval. The <keyword id="6423212" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="agriculture-department">Agriculture Department</keyword> will increase payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (<keyword id="24754" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="snap">SNAP</keyword>) by updating its list of foods needed for a healthy diet.Biden's increase ends a process that began in his first days in office. In a late January executive order, the president called on the <keyword id="134457" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="USDA">USDA</keyword> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-will-implement-executive-actions-to-provide-relief-to-americans-2021-1">to review the Thrifty Food Plan</a>, which includes the list of foods that determines SNAP payments. The administration argued the plan didn't accurately reflect households' nutritional and financial needs.The food plan was originally set to be updated by 2022, but the Biden order sped up that process and is now set to bring higher benefits before the end of the year.<h2>The fiscal cliff looms large</h2>The announcement comes just weeks before enhanced <keyword id="11871661" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="snap-benefits">SNAP benefits</keyword> were set to lapse at the end of September. Congress approved a 15% supplement to the program at the end of last year, and Biden's move will offset that boost's expiration and leave SNAP beneficiaries with permanently higher payments.The September deadline was part of a larger set of expirations known as the "fiscal cliff." A slew of pandemic-era support programs was set to end in September, with Republicans arguing the economic recovery made such aid obsolete.Some, like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-extends-student-loan-debt-payment-freeze-pause-extension-borrowers-2021-7">the freeze to student loan payments</a>, were recently extended to avoid a sudden pullback in government support. Others, like the federal eviction moratorium, weren't re-upped and have raised concerns around reversing aid while virus cases rebound. The Biden administration renewed some parts of the eviction ban in a last-ditch effort earlier in August, but legal battles risk canceling the extension.The boost to food stamps hasn't come without its share of backlash. Ranking members on the House and Senate Agriculture Committees asked the Government Accountability Office last week to review the White House's process for updating the Thrifty Food Plan.The administration will publish the results of its review soon and is prepared to brief lawmakers on the matter, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/15/biden-food-stamp-benefits-snap-504915">Politico</a> in a statement.

Biden's about to raise food stamps to $157 a month from $121 - the biggest boost ever

<ul><li>The <keyword id="65338" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="income-tax-department" source="Orion">Income Tax Department</keyword> issues <keyword id="104359" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="income-tax-return" source="Orion">Income Tax Return</keyword> (ITR) forms for filing of returns every fiscal year. </li><li>The Income Tax Department has released the offline utility for the ITR Forms 1 and 4 on 25 April 2023. </li><li>However, the online forms are still to be released by the IT department. </li></ul>The IT department has made available the ITR-1 and ITR-4 forms in an offline format, which can be used for filing income tax returns (ITR) pertaining to the financial year (FY) 2022-23, also known as the assessment year (AY) 2023-24. “The Income Tax Department Issues Income Tax Return (ITR) forms for filing of returns every fiscal year. This year too, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) vide Notification No. 04/2023, dated 10 February 2023, and Notification No. 05/2023, dated 14 February 2023, has notified the Forms for furnishing the income-tax returns for the Financial Year 2022-23, corresponding to the Assessment Year 2023-24,” says Sudhakar Sethuraman, Partner, Deloitte India. In this regard, the Income Tax Department has released the offline utility for the ITR Forms 1 and 4 on 25 April 2023. Who is ITR 1 and ITR 4 applicable to? <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ITR-1 is applicable to </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">● Residents (other than not ordinarily residents) individual taxpayers </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">● having income from salaries or pension, one house property, income under the head other sources (excluding lotteries, betting, gambling but including income from retirement benefit accounts maintained outside India), and agricultural income up to ₹5,000 which in aggregate should not exceed ₹50,00,000. </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ITR-4 is applicable to </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">● Wider category of Resident taxpayers i.e., individuals, HUFs, and Firms (other than LLP) </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.75pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.75pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffffff;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">● Having income from presumptive business, profession or income from goods or carriage which is computed under sections 44AD, 44ADA or 44AE respectively besides category of income specified under ITR-1 which in aggregate should not exceed ₹50,00,000. </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Deloitte It is possible to file IT returns now “The Income Tax Department has released the excel utilities for ITR 1 and ITR 4 much in advance and way before last quarter's TDS payment deadline. The IT Department is yet to release Java utilities that can work in most computers but are expected to release soon,” says Suneel Dasari, CEO and Founder, EZTax.in. A few changes have been made to the ITR-1 and 4 forms to switch between old vs new tax-regime, additional conditions for filing income tax returns such as turnover from business exceeding ₹60 lakh in the previous fiscal year, turnover from profession exceeding ₹10 lakh in the previous fiscal year, and the TDS deducted in the previous fiscal year, which are introduced in ITR 1 and ITR 4 “Overall, we predict that much of the tax base is expected to prepare and file taxes in the months of May and June compared to earlier years,” says Dasari. How to file IT return? To file an Income Tax Return (ITR), an individual must first download the utility from the official income tax e-filing portal at https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal. After filling in the necessary income and deduction-related information on the utility form, the form must then be uploaded to the income tax e-filing portal. This is possible right now. If using the online e-filing mode, the individual must input the information directly into the online form available on the e-filing income tax portal. Once the ITR form has been submitted, whether through offline or online modes, the individual must verify it. Failure to verify the ITR form will result in the income tax department not processing the form. However, salaried employees would find it easier to file their ITR after they have received the Form 16 from their employer.

IT department releases ITR 1 and ITR 4 offline forms ahead of time

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="8931586" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19-relief">COVID-19 relief</keyword> bill has a $5 billion provision that will forgive debts for farmers of color.</li><li>Democratic Sen. <keyword id="307904" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Raphael-Warnock">Raphael Warnock</keyword> of Georgia led the push for the inclusion of the funding.</li><li>Farmers of color, and especially <keyword id="10886284" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="black-farmers">Black farmers</keyword>, faced years of discrimination by federal officials.</li></ul>For over a century, Black farmers <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/opinion/black-farmers-covid-relief.html">faced discrimination</a> from the US Department of Agriculture and were largely excluded from federal loans and farm improvement initiatives.In an effort led by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, the $1.9 trillion <a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr1319/BILLS-117hr1319eh.pdf">COVID-19 relief bill</a> that passed on Saturday includes a $5 billion provision that will forgive debts for Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and other farmers of color, to enable reforms that will assist farmers with building generational wealth.Last week, Warnock, Georgia's first Black senator, praised the incorporation of the <a href="https://www.warnock.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Emergency-Relief-for-Farmers-of-Color-Act-of-2021.pdf">Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act</a> into the COVID-19 bill.He said that Democrats sought to "ensure equity in our recovery efforts and address longstanding injustices that have left some communities behind for far too long" and pledged that the aid "will not only help farmers of color, but will also lift up the economies of our rural communities working to recover from the economic turndown," <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/reparations-black-farmers-warnock-covid-relief-package-1136193/">according to Rolling Stone</a>.Due to systemic racism from both private lenders and government officials, many Black farmers did not have set deed structures that allowed for properties to be passed down in whole, which created fractional ownership setups.Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee, strongly backed the effort, lauding Warnock for "coming in and and working to embrace this and get it over the line right away," according to Rolling Stone.In 1910, 14% of farmers in the US were Black, compared to 2% today, something that Stabenow highlighted."When you look at one of the very first ways that there was racial discrimination after slavery was legally abolished, it was lack of support for black farmers," she said, adding that they "were discriminated against in terms of land ownership."Last year, Democratic Sen. <keyword id="941882" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cory-Booker">Cory Booker</keyword> of New Jersey introduced "The Justice for Black Farmers Act," <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/bill-black-farmers-reclaim-millions-acres-step-direction/story?id=74394647">which would allow</a> Black farmers to individually reclaim 160 acres through a system of land grants to address racial discrimination in federal agricultural policy."Overtly discriminatory and unjust federal policy has robbed Black families in the United States of the ability to build and pass on intergenerational wealth," he said in a statement. "When it comes to <keyword id="6386447" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="farming">farming</keyword> and agriculture, we know that there is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA [US Department of Agriculture] and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century."Booker reintroduced his bill last month with cosponsors Warnock, Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and Patrick Leahy of Vermont.

The COVID-19 relief bill includes $5 billion in aid for farmers of color who have long faced discrimination by federal officials

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Several people across the US have reported receiving packages marked as jewelry that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/us/seeds-from-china-mail.html">actually contain mysterious seeds from China</a>.</li><li>Some Utah residents told Fox 13 they received small packages with Chinese writing indicating that the items were jewelry, but they contained unidentified seeds.</li><li>Officials in Virginia and Kentucky told residents who receive these packages not to plant the seeds, as they "may be invasive plant species."</li></ul>Several people across the US have reported receiving unsolicited packages marked as jewelry that actually contain mysterious seeds from <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword>.Some Utah residents <a href="https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/utah-department-of-agriculture-investigates-mysterious-seeds-sent-from-china-to-tooele">told Fox 13 in Salt Lake City</a> that they'd received small packages with Chinese writing that indicated the items were jewelry but contained unidentified seeds."I opened them up and they were seeds," Lori Culley of Tooele told the outlet of packages she found on Tuesday. "Obviously they're not jewelry!"Fox 13 reported that the Utah Department of <keyword id="6355165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="agriculture">Agriculture</keyword> and Food would likely investigate in coordination with Customs and Border Protection.Virginia's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services <a href="https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/press-releases-200724-seeds.shtml?fbclid=IwAR0w9ZQ3kJpRkpX8Ye_8QdE2VOfMDzM-oHcaJHeFQs84vdztyFCIGaOlOg4">also said on Friday</a> that it was aware of reports of several residents receiving "unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China."The department said that while it had not identified the seeds, they "may be invasive plant species." It asked recipients not to plant the seeds but to contact the Office of Plant Industry Services.Kentucky's commissioner of agriculture, Ryan Quarles, said on Sunday that Kentucky was "the 4th known state to report suspicious packages appearing to originate from China containing seeds."Quarles <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanQuarlesKY/status/1287460825108746240">also asked recipients</a> not to plant the seeds, as they "could contain <keyword id="1616462" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="invasive-species">invasive species</keyword>." He said they should put the package in a bag, wash their hands, and contact the Department of Agriculture.While it's unclear what the seeds are, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/invasive-species-cost-world-agriculture-billions-of-dollars-in-damage-2016-6">invasive species pose a large threat</a>. A 2016 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that invasive species represented a multibillion-dollar threat for agriculture around the world.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/cdc-reports-over-200-infections-in-salmonella-outbreak-2020-7">CDC warns of a 'rapidly growing' Salmonella outbreak amid more than 200 reported infections</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/invasive-species-cost-world-agriculture-billions-of-dollars-in-damage-2016-6">Ignoring this threat could cost the world billions of dollars</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccine-problems-hamper-rollout-before-2021-2020-7">Don't hold your breath for a coronavirus vaccine. Here are the 7 biggest challenges we still need to overcome.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mint-asks-americans-spend-coins-amid-shortage-coronavirus-2020-7">The US Mint is pleading with Americans to 'start spending their coins' after the coronavirus pandemic sparked a national shortage</a></li></ul>

People in the US have reported receiving packages marked as jewelry that actually contain mysterious seeds from China

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=31413">The Washington State Department of Agriculture</a> announced Friday that it trapped its first Asian giant <keyword id="309290" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Hornet">hornet</keyword>.</li><li>The Asian giant hornet, commonly dubbed the "murder hornet," is a huge hornet that is as large as over two inches long, according to the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/06/22/protecting-pollinators-new-threat-first-ever-us-sightings-asian-giant-hornet">US Department of Agriculture. </a></li><li>The <keyword id="134457" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="USDA">USDA</keyword> says in the event of encountering a murder hornet, witnesses should "calmly leave the area." WSDA advises witnesses of murder hornets to report it to the agency.</li></ul><a href="https://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=31413">The Washington State Department of Agriculture</a> announced Friday that it trapped its first Asian giant hornet.The Asian giant hornet, commonly dubbed the "murder hornet," is a huge hornet that can be as large as over two inches long, according to the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/06/22/protecting-pollinators-new-threat-first-ever-us-sightings-asian-giant-hornet">US Department of Agriculture. </a> These deadly creatures can <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-asian-giant-murder-hornets-spotted-in-us-2020-5#if-the-hornets-attack-in-groups-they-can-expose-victims-to-a-level-of-toxic-venom-thats-equivalent-to-snakes-but-their-ability-to-mass-murder-honeybees-is-perhaps-their-biggest-threat-9">mass murder honeybees</a> and have led to human fatalities. Up to 50 people a year in Japan die from the murder hornets, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/us/asian-giant-hornet-washington.html">the New York Times</a>. These hornets were <a href="https://www.insider.com/murder-hornet-insect-capable-of-killing-humans-colonizing-us-2020-5">first sighted in the US this past December</a> in <keyword id="6354998" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="washington">Washington</keyword>.In Friday's announcement, Washington's agriculture department (WSDA) said that the hornet was found in a trap on July 14 and identified during lab processing on July 29. This hornet marks the first discovered in a trap as opposed to the previous five reported sightings where the bees were in their natural environment, according to the WSDA. "This is encouraging because it means we know that the traps work," Sven Spichiger, managing entomologist of the WSDA said in a press release. "But it also means we have work to do."The WSDA reported that it plans to use infrared cameras and additional traps to catch living hornets in order to track and destruct these insects' colonies. The USDA says in the event of encountering a murder hornet, witnesses should "calmly leave the area." WSDA advises witnesses of murder hornets to report it to the agency.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-asian-giant-murder-hornets-spotted-in-us-2020-5">Photos show how menacing 'murder hornets' can be. The venomous beasts can decapitate honeybees and kill humans.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/murder-hornet-insect-capable-of-killing-humans-colonizing-us-2020-5">The US is being colonized by 'murder hornets,' a 'shockingly large' insect that can kill humans and behead entire colonies of bees</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-shows-bear-alaska-trying-eat-photographer-bike-2020-7">A video shows a grizzly bear trying to gobble up a photographer's bike</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/cdc-reports-over-200-infections-in-salmonella-outbreak-2020-7">CDC warns of a 'rapidly growing' Salmonella outbreak amid more than 200 reported infections</a></li></ul>

You Searched For "the up agriculture department" and got 10 results

How a California farmer is helping build a Black-led sustainable agriculture revolution

Rebecca Strong

A bird flu outbreak is killing bald eagles and driving up egg prices

Paola Rosa-Aquino

India is all set to replace weather balloons with drones

PTI

Major meat companies lied about impending shortages to keep workers on site at the height of the pandemic, a House committee says

Grace Dean

I woke up covered in a painful rash. A caterpillar with toxic hairs was to blame.

Conz Preti

Biden's about to raise food stamps to $157 a month from $121 - the biggest boost ever

Ben Winck

IT department releases ITR 1 and ITR 4 offline forms ahead of time

Anagh Pal

The COVID-19 relief bill includes $5 billion in aid for farmers of color who have long faced discrimination by federal officials

John L. Dorman

People in the US have reported receiving packages marked as jewelry that actually contain mysterious seeds from China

Inyoung Choi

A 'murder hornet' has been trapped for the first time in Washington after several confirmed sightings

Inyoung Choi

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides