Farming NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 Farming Fri, 17 Sep 2021 21:16:37 +0000 https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Jonathan Ahl Agriculture is responsible for more than 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and some in the industry are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. One of those efforts is replacing the kind of crushed rock farmers use to neutralize their soil’s acidity, from limestone to basalt. Scientists are running tests in fields around the world to see if the swap will work to keep the soil healthy, increase yield and reduce agriculture's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/changing-rock-dust-applied-farm-fields-could-help-reduce-carbon-emissions 1041 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 02 Sep 2021 19:17:32 +0000 Changing The Rock Dust Applied To Farm Fields Could Help Reduce Carbon Emissions Amy Mayer Farmers and landowners enrolling acres in the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program have a new practice available to them. Areas of native grasses and flowers, called prairie strips, have proven helpful in keeping soil in place, preventing nutrients from washing away and increasing the presence of birds and bees. Researchers from Iowa State University began their study of prairie strips more than 15 years ago and over time invited farmers and land owners to give them a try. Growing interest from farmers alongside peer-reviewed research showing several environmental benefits of prairie strips attracted attention from USDA. “While we had good results, research, already from our initial experiments, they particularly were interested in the research we were doing on commercial farms,” said Lisa Schulte Moore, an Iowa State University professor and member of the prairie strips research team. That led to five years of funding from the Farm Service Agency, the USDA https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/prairie-strips-now-part-federal-conservation-program 818 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 17 Jan 2020 18:17:32 +0000 Prairie Strips Now Part Of Federal Conservation Program Amy Mayer On a side street near the Des Moines Water Works, a tall fence surrounds three garden plots. Geese fly overhead while trucks drive past a sign between the road and the fence. It says: “Industrial Development Land For Sale, Contact City of Des Moines.” Until recently, the city rented the land for growing vegetables but now it’s been rezoned and put up for sale. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/near-cities-land-owners-and-urban-farmers-confront-pressure-development 808 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Wed, 18 Dec 2019 14:55:03 +0000 Near Cities, Land Owners And Urban Farmers Confront Pressure From Development Alex Smith This year’s catastrophic flooding has created hard times for many people in Midwest, but it’s created a nirvana for mosquitoes. Kansas City and the surrounding region could potentially become a hotbed for mosquito-borne viruses like West Nile virus in the coming years due to increasing temperatures and more frequent flooding, which are predicted by climate experts. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/climate-change-could-make-missouri-mosquito-paradise-health-experts-warn-we-aren-t-ready 771 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 23 Aug 2019 18:15:14 +0000 Climate Change Could Make Missouri A Mosquito Paradise, But Health Experts Warn We Aren’t Ready Amy Mayer Walking through rows of growing crops helps farmers monitor for harmful insects, leaves that are damaged by disease or other problems that could reduce their overall harvest at the end of the season. And this year in Iowa, there’s a menace that, left to its own devices, could munch farmers out of profit. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/without-adequate-crop-scouting-pests-hungry-caterpillars-can-eat-through-farmers-profits 761 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Mon, 29 Jul 2019 18:55:43 +0000 Without Adequate Crop Scouting, Pests Like Hungry Caterpillars Can Eat Through Farmers' Profits Corinne Boyer GARDEN CITY — Three years ago, rancher and farmer Jay Young got intrigued by a YouTube video. A North Dakota farmer championed the idea of cover crops — plants that would be considered weeds in many other contexts — as robust plants for his cattle to graze on. Young applied the cover crop strategy – rotating rye, radishes, turnips, oats and barley – to his land just east of the Colorado border. The plants held the soil in place, trapped nutrients in the ground and made the ground nicely spongy. Partly as a way to prop up farmers who lost crops to flooding this spring, and partly as a way to protect the soil, a federal farm program now offers farmers in 67 flooded Kansas counties from $30 to $45 an acre to put down cover crops. Meantime, a fledgling private effort is beginning to offer another cover crop bonus: payments intended to capture more carbon in the soil and reduce greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change. This spring, heavy rainfall destroyed crops and delayed the https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/these-programs-will-pay-kansas-farmers-crops-they-wont-harvest 755 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 18 Jul 2019 21:07:26 +0000 These Programs Will Pay Kansas Farmers For Crops They Won't Harvest Farmers have been using the weed killer glyphosate – a key ingredient of the product Roundup – at soaring levels even as glyphosate has become increasingly less effective and as health concerns and lawsuits mount. Nationwide, the use of glyphosate on crops increased from 13.9 million pounds in 1992 to 287 million pounds in 2016, according to estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/use-controversial-weed-killer-glyphosate-skyrockets-midwest-fields 729 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Mon, 27 May 2019 10:53:51 +0000 Use Of Controversial Weed Killer Glyphosate Skyrockets On Midwest Fields It’s been five years since the last ag census. Since 2012, the U.S. has lost about 70,000 farms, saw the average age of farmers go up and prices for certain commodities go down. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/numbers-what-usda-s-latest-census-tells-us-about-american-agriculture 698 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 11 Apr 2019 21:11:04 +0000 By The Numbers: What The USDA’s Latest Census Tells Us About American Agriculture Luke X. Martin When Uhunoma Amayo found out his science experiment was one of just 34 selected to be carried out this spring on the International Space Station, he was shocked. "They pulled me out of class," says Amayo, a seventh-grader at Coronado Middle School in Kansas City, Kansas. "I was dumbfounded." Amayo is one of four students at Coronado who designed the experiment, which will explore whether mint grows as well in orbit as it does here on earth. "During our research we found that mint is really good for calming and just soothing the body," says Amayo. "So we proposed mint for the benefit of the astronauts." Their proposal was good enough to be included in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program , sponsored by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education . The program has facilitated 13 missions to deliver student experiments to be carried out in low-Earth orbit. This is the first time a school in Kansas City, Kansas, https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/does-mint-grow-space-these-kansas-city-kansas-middle-schoolers-are-eager-find-out 672 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 21 Feb 2019 15:04:54 +0000 Does Mint Grow In Space? These Kansas City, Kansas, Middle-Schoolers Are Eager To Find Out Madelyn Beck For crop farmers, winter is the offseason. But that doesn’t mean they take the winter off. It’s meeting season — going to endless seminars or having discussions about better ways to farm — and planning season. Planning may seem like it would be a challenge given the trade uncertainties, including the tariff war with China. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/undeterred-trade-uncertainty-farmers-plan-spring-planting 653 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Tue, 08 Jan 2019 18:10:40 +0000 Undeterred By Trade Uncertainty, Farmers Plan For Spring Planting Amy Mayer More farmers are using cover crops to keep water, soil and nutrients from running off fields. But while many studies have shown the agronomic and environmental benefits of the plants that come up after cash crops such as corn or soybeans get harvested, it’s been harder to determine whether a farm business will recover the initial planting cost. A new report says there’s evidence the conservation strategy brings economic benefits, too. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/study-cover-crops-reap-financial-benefits-not-just-environmental 585 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 06 Sep 2018 16:31:39 +0000 Study: Cover Crops Reap Financial Benefits, Not Just Environmental Amy Mayer John Peterson farms corn and soybeans in Jackson, Minnesota, and came to the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, in late August to see what’s new and to learn about the most current technologies. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/farmers-take-latest-toys-and-technology-farm-progress-show 582 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 31 Aug 2018 19:03:38 +0000 Farmers Take In The Latest Toys And Technology At Farm Progress Show Frank Morris Farmers at Betty’s Truck Stop near Sweet Springs, Missouri, took their coffee with a side of bad news early Wednesday morning. In response to the Trump administration's threats to place tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods — including farm implements — China threatened to sanction $50 billion in U.S. exports, this time targeting airplanes, cars, chemicals and soybeans. “Beans are down 50 cents overnight, and corn’s down 14 because of this trade thing with China,” Jim Bridges said as he took a seat at a large table in the center of the restaurant. Bridges, who grows corn and soybeans, made a few calculations and reckoned his potential losses at about $50,000. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/we-have-always-survived-china-tariffs-target-top-exports-and-farmers-who-grow-them 482 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 05 Apr 2018 14:59:34 +0000 'We Have Always Survived': China Tariffs Target Top Exports — And The Farmers Who Grow Them Big cities in the Midwest are gaining ground on the rural communities that, for many decades, have thrived on the edges of urban development. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/what-happens-edges-cities-when-farmland-gives-way-development 476 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Mon, 26 Mar 2018 21:24:50 +0000 What Happens On The Edges Of Cities When Farmland Gives Way To Development Updated March 13 with details of settlement — U.S. corn growers, grain-handling operations and ethanol plants will see a slice of a $1.5 billion settlement Monday in a class-action lawsuit over a genetically engineered variety made by Swiss-based Syngenta AG. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/syngenta-settles-class-action-suit-over-corn-shipments-china-15-billion 376 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Tue, 13 Mar 2018 10:40:30 +0000 Syngenta Settles Class-Action Suit Over Corn Shipments To China For $1.5 Billion Amy Mayer As agriculture intensified in the 20th century, summers in the Midwest became wetter and cooler. An MIT study published this month looked at whether vegetation from crop production, rather than greenhouse gas emissions that are an established source of climate changes, could have driven these regional impacts. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/study-intensive-agriculture-drives-midwest-climate-changes 449 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 16 Feb 2018 17:46:46 +0000 Study: Intensive Agriculture Drives Midwest Climate Changes Grant Gerlock In winter, farmers across the U.S. visit their banks to learn whether they have credit for the next growing season, relying on that borrowed money to buy seed, fertilizer and chemicals. But prices for corn, soybeans and wheat are low enough that some producers have had a hard time turning a profit, and financial analysts expect some farmers will hear bad news: Their credit has run out. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/credit-crunch-puts-some-farmers-tight-spot-ahead-spring-planting-season 434 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 19 Jan 2018 21:04:46 +0000 Credit Crunch Puts Some Farmers In Tight Spot Ahead of Spring Planting Season Grant Gerlock The farm economy is showing some stability, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says, but the upswing doesn’t extend to all agricultural sectors. Over the last three years, farm earnings have plummeted , eliciting concerns that the farm economy could tumble toward another farm crisis like the 1980s . For 2018, the USDA expects net farm income to rebound by a modest 3 percent nationwide, to $63 billion. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/usda-farm-economy-upswing-not-everyone 409 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 30 Nov 2017 02:16:14 +0000 USDA: Farm Economy On The Upswing, But Not For Everyone Amy Mayer Plant breeder Jessica Barb is on a mission to improve how sunflowers self-pollinate, a trait that'll be increasingly important to farmers are wild bee populations diminish. Her research tool of choice: a paper towel. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/genetic-advances-hold-new-promise-sunflowers-profitable-future 384 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 19 Oct 2017 14:30:28 +0000 Genetic Advances Hold New Promise For Sunflowers’ Profitable Future Luke Runyon In the summer of 2002, water pumps in Colorado’s San Luis Valley stopped working. The center pivot sprinklers that coax shoots from the dry soil and turn the valley into one of the state’s most productive agricultural regions strained so hard to pull water from an underground aquifer that they created sunken pits around them. “This one right over here,” says potato farmer Doug Messick as he walks toward a sprinkler, near the town of Center. He's the farm manager for the valley's Spud Grower Farms. “I came up to it one day and I could’ve driven my pickup in that hole.” https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/how-these-colorado-farmers-banded-together-save-their-water-supply 374 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Mon, 25 Sep 2017 17:02:38 +0000 How These Colorado Farmers Banded Together To Save Their Water Supply