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 »
Where I live, deep in corn country, harvest has been in full swing for a couple of weeks, and the dust has been flyin’, both from very dry, corn and from really dry soybeans. It has been windy and conditions have remained dry allowing for a swift and somewhat early harvest. Along with that wind Read more »
Where I live deep in corn country, harvest has been in full swing for a couple of weeks, and the dust has been flyin’, both from very dry, corn and from really dry soybeans. It has been windy and conditions have remained dry allowing for a swift and somewhat early harvest. Along with that wind Read more »
As the Great Recession takes its toll in many sectors of the economy and job prospects for current and future college graduates look dismal, one sector is attracting young people like never before — farming. And, though many of these jobs are on traditional row crop and livestock operations, there is a trend toward urban Read more »
Farmland prices continue to rise in the Upper Midwest as farming in general continues to percolate along at a good clip in what is otherwise an unstable economy. According to Professor Ernie Goss, an economist at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. his own farmland index rose in September from 61.9 to 66.9. Goss said this Read more »
“I wonder whether to trust the weather?” – Uncle Fud The good news is that the U.S. corn crop will be huge, in fact, the third largest on record. The bad news is it could have been much bigger if it weren’t for flood, drought, and in some cases, frost. According to the trusty old Read more »
The past few weeks have been dominated by what government should or should not do, and how much it should be cut. Deficits and budgeting have been the grist of the media mill. It almost seems anticlimactic that this is also the beginning of talks on the 2012 Farm Bill, which will be hacked out Read more »
The utterly mind-boggling debt crisis at home and in Europe has farmers running up and down the down staircase in recent weeks. All we need is Abbot and Costello and their “who’s on first” routine to make things complete. As I write, the politically-imposed Aug. 2 deadline for raising the nation’s debt ceiling is looming Read more »
