This could be the mother of all corn crops — or not. That’s how the 2012 planting looks to experts around the nation because farmers are planting more acres of corn in 2012 than they have in any year since the late 1930s, according to a report on National Public Radio (NPR), May 3. NPR Read more »
Some Buffetts are billionaires, some are Parrot Heads, and at least one is a farmer/philanthropist. The first is Warren Buffett, the second is country singer Jimmy Buffett, and the third is the unassuming son of Warren, Howard Buffett, Illinois corn and soybean farmer. Buffett has shunned the spotlight of his famous Nebraska father for years Read more »
Spring has sprung and farmers are chomping at the bit to get into their fields and put down crop 2012. As they do so, traffic will increase on rural roads and safe crossing of rural railroads will become problematic — when you are piloting machinery and are in a hurry. Last June at a rural Read more »
Ah, ‘tis spring — time for your local neighborhood bridge to cave in. One of the most silent, yet most calamitous events taking place all across rural America is the swift deterioration and lack of repair or replacement for the nation’s rural bridges and highway infrastructure. I’m sure many, if not all of us, can Read more »
Nothing is as permanent as change, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is finding that to be the case where its tried and true Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is concerned. The new sign-up for CRP ended April 6 and it faces a differing focus from the program initiated by the Reagan Administration some 25 Read more »
Nothing is as permanent as change, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is finding that to be the case where its tried and true Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is concerned. The new sign-up for CRP ended April 6 and it faces a differing focus from the program initiated by the Reagan Administration some 25 Read more »
The Osama bin Laden of weeds is on its way to a field near you. Called Palmer amaranth, the vicious weed has been the scourge of the southland for many years, and with climes up north warming up these days, it will soon be at least a mini-scourge in the Upper Midwest. Agri-View Crop News Read more »
Is Bt corn in trouble? Some indications are that it is; that insects are infiltrating genetically engineered corn’s defenses. That has enormous implications for farmers using Bt corn seed, and for the U.S. food supply. Andrea Parrish, writing on www.newsytype.com, said recently that less than two decades after planting of gentically modified organisms (GMO) commenced, Read more »
With all of its ups and downs, how has agriculture forged such an important place in the American economy over time? Actually, according to the U.S. Department of State, agriculture, from the nation’s earliest days, had held a crucial place in the economy. Farming, of course, has played an important role in any society, but Read more »
Price of hamburger got you down? Well, it could get worse. Costs for transportation, feed and other inputs have pushed up retail prices for beef and other meats at the supermarket during the past year, but in the coming year, beef could get pricier as producers begin to deal with reduced cattle numbers caused by Read more »
Although the farm economy has been booming or at least experiencing boomlets, as a corollary, as the market booms, the population of small rural communities, source of farm labor and well-being, continues to wither. At least that’s the view of the Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA) in Lyons, Neb., in a new report. In an Read more »
The year 2012 is looming, and along with it, continued pressure on farmland values. According to the Chicago Tribune, CNN Money said agland in the Chicago Federal Reserve District is surging 25 percent over last year. That’s the highest uptick in three decades. Record land prices are being reported all over the northern plains this Read more »
There are two kinds of proponents for alternative energy sources: Those who say government has a place in providing subsidies and support to burgeoning industries, and those who say let the market place decide without subsidies and losers be damned. Right now, with the specter of budget deficits driving our politics, it looks as if Read more »
We’re just coming off of October, which was National Pork Month. We’ve seen McDonald’s annual pork promotion, the McRib, in full swing, apparently as popular as ever. But in some quarters, the eating of pork is verboten, and not just for religious reasons. It’s simply some kind of generational trend. Recently, National Public Radio (NPR) Read more »
One of the great paradoxes of the 2011 growing season was the fact that several states were in the grips of terrible drought while several others were devastated by torrential rains and massive flooding. I happen to live in one of those flood states, but the swollen rivers are becoming a distant memory as we Read more »
