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News archives

Monday, March 31, 2008

Feds to announce farmers' bets on crops
St. Paul, Minn. — Even before it's released, the report has caused economic gyrations in the agricultural world. The planting report gives the first hint of future grain supplies in the U.S. Supplies are a major factor in determining grain prices. The planting report is so important that traders... Continued...

Just Keep On Going
When Andrew Boyum's grandfather Knute left Fjaerland, Norway, in 1881, he chose to settle near Utica in southeastern Minnesota. He had relatives farming nearby, but the biggest draw was the land itself. Boyum felt at home in the forests and hills, and he knew how to tend them—where he could clear tr... Continued...

Food prices shoot up
Tim Granzeau didn’t need to see a recent farm bureau survey to know that food prices are on the rise. The 65-year-old Springfield resident visits area grocery stores almost every day. “I started to notice the increase about a year ago. The prices have come up rather significantly in the last three m... Continued...

Costs are rising all along the food chain
If you think bread is expensive, check out the price of weed killer. Monsanto, maker of Roundup, recently announced it has increased production of the world’s best-known herbicide by 20 percent. Even then, the company says, it will have a tough time keeping up with demand, and it has warned farme... Continued...

Should Congress prevent the U.S. from importing tar sands oil?
WASHINGTON — Anything that lets America to continue its narcoticlike dependence on carbon fossil fuels — whether the sprawling tar sands of Canada or the petroleum pools under Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — completely misses the point about shifting to alternative energy sources. Alte... Continued...

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Long time in germination; The farm bill
The five-yearly row over agriculture is deadlocked, and time is running out OF THE recent battles between the Democrats in Congress and George Bush, none is as counter-intuitive as that over the farm bill, America's twice-a-decade review of agricultural policy. Mr Bush is insisting on reforming... Continued...

Friday, March 28, 2008

Findings from San Francisco State University broaden understanding of biotechnology
According to a study from the United States, "Disputes about genetically engineered crops are linked to wider debates about the globalization of agro-food systems and its consequences for food security, social equity, and rural life. Biotechnology expert discourse rarely addresses these wider issues... Continued...

Rural area tries to fence out resorts
Rural Crook County residents have banded together to halt new destination resorts from locating in the Central Oregon county, fearing they are losing their grip on their once rural way of life. The residents recently submitted signatures to county election officials to place a measure on the May ... Continued...

Everyone wins by buying local food
I am continuously reminded about how farming is a venture for the foolhardy, and those whose supreme goal is to break even. I am one of those crazy people who believe that food still drives our country. Many of my small farm companions find consolation from the financial pain by reminding themsel... Continued...

U.S., Mexico, Canada reach agreement on cattle trading protocols
New protocols governing the trading of breeding cattle born after Jan. 1, 1999 are effective today, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced. The protocols outline the conditions for export of U.S. and Canadian cattle to Mexico, and are consistent with the World Or... Continued...

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Farm lobby beats back assault on subsidies
With grain prices soaring, farm income at record highs and the federal budget deficit widening, the subsidies and handouts given to American farmers would seem vulnerable to a serious pruning. But it appears that farmers, at least so far, have succeeded in stopping the strongest effort in years t... Continued...

Food bank pantries shrink amid need U.S. economic woes
Nathaniel Bolden and Cheryl Schultz were thankful for the free baked beans and hot dogs they ate Wednesday at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Both homeless and without jobs, the two cleaned and mopped the floor to show their gratitude. Schultz said she lost her job at a real estate agency in... Continued...

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Argentine Farmers Vow to Continue Strike
Argentine farmers have vowed to continue their strike "indefinitely" as they protest the increase in export taxes announced by the country's government earlier this month. Farmers are revolting over a new sliding-scale increase in export taxes that were announced March 11, where soybean taxes... Continued...

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Growing switchgrass to cost $60 a ton
The on-farm cost of producing switchgrass for cellulosic ethanol averages about $60 per ton, according to a new study by a University of Nebraska-Lincoln agricultural economist and others. The study, which contracted 10 farmers in Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to commercially grow switc... Continued...

Production costs rising for farmers
ABERDEEN - Agriculture officials say budgeting and wise use of capital will be important this year as farmers face higher production costs to plant and harvest a crop. Fuel and fertilizer are big expenses - and they're costing more. "The key is just to be realistic about it all," said David Va... Continued...

Rural Setting May Discourage Life of Crime For African Refugees
Police say the solution is to move young men and their families - including recently arrived and new refugees - to country areas of Victoria such as Mildura (file photo) (ABC) Much has been written about the problems faced by African refugees when it comes to settling into Australian life. While... Continued...

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Outrage hits 'naturally raised' USDA meat labeling plan
Washington, D.C. — Meat that's labeled "naturally raised" could be coming to supermarkets alongside "natural" meat. The U.S. Agriculture Department already allows meat to be called "natural" so long as it's minimally processed and doesn't contain artificial ingredients. Now, the Agriculture De... Continued...

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Grain farmer claims moral victory in seed battle
Percy Schmeiser's decade-long legal odyssey has finally come to an end - and he's got a cheque for $660 to prove it. The 77-year-old Saskatchewan farmer and his wife, Louise, became international folk heroes for their legal struggle with agribusiness giant Monsanto Canada Inc., after the company ... Continued...

Reducing Carbon Emissions Could Help -- Not Harm -- US Economy
ScienceDaily (Mar. 20, 2008) — A national policy to cut carbon emissions by as much as 40 percent over the next 20 years could still result in increased economic growth, according to an interactive website that reviews 25 of the leading economic models used to predict the economic impacts of reducin... Continued...

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Silo juice Silo-mounted wind turbines are generating rural interest
wondering," he said. "If it works like (Mr. McKenzie) says it should, he'll be able to sell a lot of these, and that's what we're hoping for." Silos not recommended Silo-mounted turbines aren't recommended by the wind-power industry, said Mick Sagrillo, a Door County small-wind systems expert.... Continued...