Field News

Farmer of the Future, part 4: Agriculture is a big business fueled by big businesses. And although farmers themselves still come in many sizes, the distinction between corporate ownership and family farmer is blurring.

Slideshow: The farmer of the middle

The sustainable hand

Farmer of the Future, part 3: It seems every farming operation today professes to be "sustainable." We may not know if that’s true until decades from now, but farmers' choices today well may provide a game plan for tomorrow.

Video dispatch: Building a sustainable farm

Blending of cultures may be blueprint for growth

Farmer of the Future, part 1: While some of the rural Midwest is hollowing out, regions like Sioux County, Iowa, are actually growing, thanks largely to immigrant populations moving in to take jobs that employers otherwise cannot fill. Melding cultures is never easy, but in communities like Sioux County, Latinos are slowly making the Midwest their home.

Interactive map: Hispanic growth in the Midwest

Missouri strengthens soybean connection to China

Missouri soybeans are exported all over the world and markets are growing. That means local Missouri farmers are making connections to global partners.

Early planting, lots of acres could mean record corn crop

Across the Corn Belt, the planting season is off to a roaring start. And with farmers expected to put in more acres of corn than they have since the Great Depression, this fall’s harvest could be one for the record books.

A most unusual planting season

Last fall, officials predicted that farmland along the Missouri River in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas might be out of production for at least a year. The flood of 2011 piled up sand dunes, gouged out deep holes, and killed off many of the microbes that help crops grow. But now it’s spring, and farmers are back on the land, trying to fix what nature broke.

Researchers against the wind

For many Midwesterners, wind is an occasional nuisance. For farmers, though, the wind's impact can be huge — drying out crops and eroding topsoil. Gusts big and small also complicate the application of chemicals, and that can be particularly costly. That's why researchers are throwing their unique brand of caution to the wind inside a new research facility in North Plate, Neb.

MF Global crisis leaves rural brokers stuck in the middle

Clients aren't the only ones hurting in farm country in the wake of MF Global's bankruptcy. Rural brokers, many farmers' and ranchers' connection to the vital commodity markets, remain caught in the middle of uneasy markets and miles of red tape.

Bringing a horse in from the wild

At adoption events all over the country, horse lovers can take home a new pet: a (formerly) wild horse. In an effort to thin overpopulated herds, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management rounds up wild horses and burros and looks to place them in good homes.

Timeline: NBAF's history

Historic flood leaves mark on farmland

Last year’s flood on the Missouri River was the worst in 60 years. The surging river closed bridges, burst through levees, inundated homes, and threatened a nuclear power plant. The river also drenched hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. And farmers continue to sift through the aftermath.

Now there’s a rural idea

The latest Census says that just 16 percent of American live in rural areas, down from about 20 percent 10 years ago. Plus, small town populations are getting older. Calling it a "severe crisis," President Obama even created a White House Rural Council to find ways to spur economic growth in small communities. But the best ideas for renewing rural America may not come from the top.

For women landowners, a place at the (decision-making) table

You’ve probably heard that America’s farmers are getting older. Something else you may know: Women tend to outlive men. So, do the math, and what do you get? More women coming into agricultural land – and some of them aren’t really sure what to do with it. But help is available.

Missouri ponders protections for animal ag

Many animal rights advocates say that the efficient pork production system producers have developed over the last couple of decades is inhumane. That viewpoint is gaining traction with consumers, which scares some farmers who worry that animal rights groups will parlay moral qualms with certain hog farming techniques into legislation banning them. In Missouri, the General Assembly is poised to pass legislation that essentially would lock in the legality of current methods, but the marketplace may have the final word.

Funding NBAF: As Congress waits, will Kansas dollars continue?

With federal funding more at risk than ever for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility slated for construction in Manhattan, Kan., Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback said the state could expect “a fight” for the next five years.

Dairy industry pushes for reform

In the wake of a 2009 downturn which saw milk prices hit rock-bottom lows, many are calling the government price support system broken and are asking for a better safety net in the 2012 Farm Bill.

Grain train ready to roll again

A few decades ago, railroad tracks laced Iowa’s countryside, linking even the smallest communities to big cities across the nation. But many of those tracks are silent now, or gone, turned back to adjacent farms or turned into bicycle paths. But in a small section of north-central Iowa, farmers and businessmen have come together to preserve their rail connection to big-city markets. And after seven years, rail carloads of corn will start moving out this April.

Iowa apple growers fear a freeze

Apples growers in Iowa are trying not to panic. Their fruit trees are developing so early, they worry one freezing-cold spring night in the next few weeks could wipe out their crop.

High prices boost farmers' bottom lines

Thanks to high commodity prices and surging productivity, U.S. farmers notched record-high earnings last year. That has helped boost the demand for farmland and has many farm stores buzzing. But whether the boom can last is an open question.

For many ranchers, profits dry up

With ground beef selling for record prices, you might think cattle ranchers are raking in the profits. But most ranchers in traditionally big cattle states are still in crisis mode — dealing with the fallout from last year’s drought, high input costs, and competition from international markets.

Farmers push to hire illegal immigrants

For many farmers, it's tough to find good help. The Kansas Business Coalition – an unlikely league of farms, businesses and social advocates – is pushing for a law that would create a state-sanctioned work program benefitting illegal immigrants.

'Ag-Gag' law blows animal activists' cover

A new Iowa law makes it illegal for someone to misrepresent themselves to gain access to a farm in order to secretly record farm business. Farmers say they need the legal protection to block those trying to take down agriculture, but critics are asking what the industry may be hiding.

Climate change and regulations worry Calif. farmers

Along with the uncertainty of climate change, many California farmers are grappling with regulations designed to lessen its effects.

Mediation can help farmers settle disputes

When farmers are facing foreclosure or bankruptcy, their options can seem limited, not to mention intimidating. But that’s not always the case. Mediation services may offer a more cost–effective and less stressful route compared with an expensive legal trek through the courts.

'Ag Gag' bill heads to Iowa governor

A bill aiming to shield Iowa’s agriculture industry from animal rights activists passed both the Iowa Senate and House. Supporters say it protects vital animal agriculture. Opponents say it could stifle whistleblowers.