As cover crops continue to gain popularity among farmers, Soil Health Partnership (an initiative of the National Corn Growers Association) is doubling down on talking about the practice’s many potential benefits.
Handling grain can be a risky business. According to Nationwide, workers compensation claims from grain elevators has doubled in the past seven years. Meantime, far too many workers are trained on outdated VHS tapes. But now – there’s an app for that.
For the past four years, the California Air Resources Board, the Environmental Defense Fund and others have been working behind the scenes to develop protocols that allow farmers to offset carbon emissions.
Cover crops can be a wonderful addition to a farming operation, according to Randy McElroy, technology development representative with Monsanto. They do require some extra planning – starting with a different timetable than some farmers may be used to dealing with.
A new initiative, Prepared for Environmental Change, is the latest project funded through Indiana University’s Grand Challenges Program. IU plans to invest $55 million to develop actionable solutions for Indiana farmers, communities, businesses and individuals.
School’s out (or soon to be out), and young people in your community may be soon asking for a summer job. It’s a great opportunity for a young person to learn more about agriculture, according to Chris Zoller, Extension educator with The Ohio State University. But that’s not all.
Ever since the late 1940s, agricultural output has grown slowly but steadily at an average annual rate of about 1.5%, while input usage has only increased by about 0.05% per year during the same time period. Mapped out over seven decades, those changes have really added up.
At great cost, phosphorus is laboriously mined and processed so it can be used by the agriculture industry. Some 27.6 million metric tons were removed from the earth in 2015. But an agtech UW-Madison spinoff has discovered another innovative way to collect this valuable mineral.
On March 30, acting deputy agriculture secretary Michael Young announced that a contract renewal signup for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is actively underway. Applications to renew expiring contracts are due May 5.
Field to Market recently announced it is now able to integrate sustainability metrics and algorithms of its Fieldprint Platform with several leading precision ag and farm management software programs. This represents one of several moves the group hopes will help meet its ambitious goal of 50 million participating acres by 2020.
This mantra has been pounded into the agriculture industry for the past decade: “Food production must double by 2050 to feed the world’s growing population.” Just Google that statement and watch scores of results appear. There’s just one problem – this assertion isn’t supported by the latest data, according to research just published in the journal Bioscience.
Farmers wanting to apply for funding through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Conservation Stewardship Program still have a couple of weeks left to do so – the next application deadline is Feb. 3, 2017.
Erosion is a major problem on many farms – and one with a cascading effect. Not only does it deplete the farm of a valuable resource, it also creates downstream problems due to nutrient runoff. A new study from the University of Missouri shows that switchgrass could be a good option for curbing the negative effects of erosion, and may even prove to bring positive economic returns as a biofuel crop.
The tech geeks of the world are all talking this week about a John Deere announcement and video that the company plans to unveil a fully electric, high-power tractor at next February’s Paris International Agribusiness Show. Company officials say the tractor has “the features and functionality of a classic tractor, while providing the benefits of electricity.”
When asked to imagine a lake, most people would think of something calm and relaxing. But trouble is brewing in 4 out of every 10 U.S. lakes, according to a recent assessment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Do you agree with the following statement: “I have access to all the information I want about where my food comes from, how it’s produced and its safety”? A new study from the Center for Food Integrity (CFI) says only a minority of consumers do.
Cover crops can greatly benefit your farming operation, but they require “many considerations” before making that optimal selection, according to Kansas State University Extension researchers Anita Dille and DeAnn Presley. The two recently tackled this subject in K-State’s “eUpdate” newsletter.
According to bestselling author Miriam Horn, the story of conservation tends to be told like a Western. But that’s not the story Horn wants to tell. Read an exclusive excerpt of her new book, Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman.
More than a decade ago, retail titan Walmart announced three long-term goals – it wanted to run on 100% renewable energy, create zero waste and sell products that sustain resources and the environment. Here's how U.S. rice producers could benefit.
It’s mere days before the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro begin, and Julio Natalense is excited for the athletes about to compete on this world stage – but he’s just as excited about a herd of cattle several hundred miles to the north in the Brazilian state of Matto Grosso. Why?
Many hands make light the load. This sentiment has inspired hundreds of volunteers to participate in the twice-annual “Wabash Sampling Blitz,” which collects water samples from 206 sites across the Wabash River Watershed.
According to the most recent farm labor report form the National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. farms and ranches hired a total of 703,000 workers as of April 2016, up 2% from a year ago. The average pay from these jobs is $12.75 per hour – up 4% from a year ago.
This million investment is in addition to existing funding for programs like the Environmental Quality Initiatives Program (EQIP), Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
Many farmers are still interested in learning more about how to fold this production practice into their operation – and more importantly, how to do so mistake-free. A new mobile-friendly publication series from Purdue Extension hopes to put some of these worries to rest.
April means hard work for farmers. You’re getting up at 3 a.m. You feel like you’re working around the clock. You’re tired. Your nerves are raw. Your temper is ready to flare at the slightest aggravation.
As more and more farmers turn to cover crops, they want to know if there are benefits beyond improved soil health and conservation. Are improved yields also in store?
Farmers who put pencil to paper in the 1970s or 1980s and decided investing in solar power on their farm wasn’t worth the effort may want to rethink that position.
Climate change is usually talked of as a negative, and it often acts accordingly through more weather volatility and more extreme weather events. Even so, climate change can give farmers a helping hand.
The 75,000-square-foot greenhouse runs on 100% renewable energy, employs more than 50 workers and will produce 10 million pounds of leafy greens and herbs annually.
Chances are, if you are a farmer, your parents also farmed. And your grandparents. And your great-grandparents. And your great-great-grandparents...
Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad signed a proclamation that allows farmers to transport overweight loads of corn, soybeans, hay, straw, silage and stover. The proclamation is in effect from Sept. 25 to November 25.
