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Last week we looked at the many real benefits and advantages of no-till farming.

Trust In Food™ is a decade-long initiative to rebuild consumer trust in the food system. Farm Journal Media is committed to ongoing editorial coverage of issues related to sustainable agricultural production practices, consumer food trends and supply chain transformation.

Farmers’ shift away from fall application of nitrogen for crops such as corn and sorghum is being reflected in changing retail practices, says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie. “In my area of central Illinois, I know two fertilizer plants that have completely dropped anhydrous ammonia,” he says. “Their sales had shifted to spring application of nitrogen solution. While ammonia can be applied in the spring, farmers found it took up too much of their time when they needed to concentrate on planting, compared to nitrogen solution that can be applied as they plant or with herbicides.”

Two uncharacteristic colors in the world of wine are creating a buzz in an industry that’s been dominated by rosé, red and white.

Mother Nature always likes to have her own way but farmers can now have more say over how much water stays in or out of their fields, thanks to the use of controlled drainage technology. The basic concept with controlled drainage is that a water-control structure attached to traditional tile can be used like a dam in farmers’ fields, says Crop-Tech agronomist Isaac Ferrie. When gated with stacked baffles, the structures allow you to release water when you don’t want it in the field, like during planting or harvest, or to hold it back for a crop’s use when rainfall is sc

With support from U.S. importers and non-specialty crop ag groups, Mexican avocado exporters sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking for swift action on a May 2016 final rule that approved avocado imports from all of Mexico. The USDA currently allows only Mexican avocados grown in the state of Michoacán state to enter the U.S. The letter said the final rule was based upon a detailed pest-risk analysis that showed expanding the program would not jeopardize the phytosanitary security of U.S. growers.

China Has Its Own Apple Launch That’s Nothing to Do With IPhones

Farms on the Kansas High Plains have long produced a bevy of crops and livestock, from wheat and corn to cattle and hogs. Now, a new type of operation is taking root in the southwest and northwest parts of the state called water technology farms. Last year, Tom Willis established the first of what are now 15 water technology farms in Kansas on his grain and forage operation, T&O Farms, LLC, based near Garden City. Willis, a Finney County farmer and ethanol business owner, says through the three-year pilot research program he hopes to reduce the total amount of water he uses to produce crops by 50%.

Orange-juice futures in New York are heading for a 15th straight day of losses, the worst rout in records back to 1967.