NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 Wed, 21 Apr 2021 00:14:05 +0000 https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/it-s-been-six-years-illinois-set-out-improve-water-quality-so-far-farm-runoff-worse 994 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 15 Apr 2021 15:59:05 +0000 It’s Been Six Years Since Illinois Set Out To Improve Water Quality. So Far, Farm Runoff Is Worse Seth Bodine When countries like China buy soybeans and grain, that journey might start in a port in the land-locked state of Oklahoma. Farmers in states like Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Colorado rely on a 445-mile water highway called the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System to ship their crops like soybeans and grain across the world. The system is now 50 years old and has a growing backlog of critical infrastructure maintenance and repairs. If something breaks and interrupts the flow of barge traffic, many farmers could be left to find pricier ways to ship their crops and buy essential supplies like fertilizer. The ‘Oklahoma seacoast’ Mike Bellar, a farmer from Howard, Kansas, takes a 125-mile trip to unload a trailer full of about 57,000 pounds of soybeans at the Port of Catoosa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This winter, he says he took 77 semitrucks to the port. Bellar’s soybeans are loaded onto barges, big floating containers that are pushed by boats. The MKARNS connects the Arkansas and https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/fifty-years-oklahoma-based-river-corridor-faces-millions-backlogged-repairs 989 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Wed, 14 Apr 2021 16:20:40 +0000 Fifty Years In, Oklahoma-Based River Corridor Faces Millions In Backlogged Repairs Jonathan Ahl The Biden administration is fighting climate change in part by pushing for cars and trucks to be more fuel efficient and reduce emissions, but so far, that talk hasn’t landed in another mode of transportation: barges. In light of more pressure to advance the cause of green energy, the future of the barge industry is unclear, and it could have a major impact on Midwestern rivers. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/barge-industry-may-be-mixed-bag-green-energy-movement 991 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Tue, 13 Apr 2021 16:59:00 +0000 Barge Industry May Be A Mixed Bag For The Green Energy Movement Katie Peikes Levees protect people, towns, and agriculture from flooding. But two years ago, parts of the Missouri River and its tributaries reached record crests, and many levees failed. Now there’s a rare effort to build a levee higher to better defend one southwest Iowa town. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/how-iowa-town-won-its-fight-better-flood-protection 992 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Mon, 12 Apr 2021 18:26:50 +0000 How An Iowa Town Won Its Fight For Better Flood Protection Christina Stella Farmers along the Missouri River won a mass action federal lawsuit last December against the Army Corps of Engineers for land damages they say are traceable to the agency’s management of the river. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/farmers-missouri-river-sue-army-corps-engineers-flood-damages 990 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 09 Apr 2021 19:54:07 +0000 Farmers On The Missouri River Sue The Army Corps Of Engineers For Flood Damages Read this article in English here . Un sábado reciente, unas camionetas blancas trasladaron a grupos pequeños de campesinos migrantes del huerto donde trabajaban al sur de Illinois hasta la Iglesia Católica de St. Joseph. Los trabajadores habían llegado días antes de México para el comienzo de la temporada de cultivo. Muchos asisten al servicio en español de St. Joseph durante sus largos meses de estancia en el pueblo rural de Cobden. Pero hoy día, vinieron a la iglesia, no para la Misa, sino para recibir su primera dosis de la vacuna del coronavirus. La parroquia de la iglesia, la cual ha estado vacía y sin usar durante toda la pandemia, se había convertido en una clínica móvil para la vacunación. Los trabajadores se paraban entre otros residentes del área, que también eran elegibles para la vacuna en una cola larga, con distanciamiento social, desde la entrada hasta el estacionamiento de la iglesia. Adentro, más de una docena de personal y voluntarios -- del departamento de salud del https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/estamos-muy-agradecidos-por-unos-campesinos-visas-americanas-ofrecen-la-opci-n-de-vacunarse 988 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 08 Apr 2021 22:02:27 +0000 "Estamos Muy Agradecidos": Por Unos Campesinos, Visas Americanas Ofrecen La Opción De Vacunarse David Condos LIBERAL, Kansas — One woman thinks the COVID-19 pandemic was planned, man-made. A man won’t get inoculated because he suspects other countries are using Americans as test subjects for their vaccines. Three-fourths of this focus group gathered at a Liberal community center had heard the shots might contain microchips so the government can track people, even if most said they don’t buy that myth anymore. The worries are bogus, but they’re worries all the same. And overcoming dangerously misinformed rumors about the vaccine could go a long way to getting more people vaccinated in this community of about 20,000. The overwhelming concern in the room revolves around a lack of clear information that would build trust in COVID-19 vaccinations. “I still keep asking questions,” said Edgar Galindo. Rodrigo Calderon said he worries the shots were developed too quickly. He thinks seeing more people get vaccinated might change his mind, but for now, he said: “I don’t plan on taking it.” Indeed, of https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/latino-leaders-meatpacking-towns-fight-overcome-myths-and-hesitancy-about-covid-19-vaccine 987 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 01 Apr 2021 17:30:43 +0000 Latino Leaders In Meatpacking Towns Fight To Overcome Myths And Hesitancy About COVID-19 Vaccine Jonathan Ahl ROLLA, Mo. - Research underway at Missouri University of Science and Technology is looking for a way to pump the gas from decomposing plants and animal waste directly into a vehicle’s fuel tank, and the technology could find its first home on the farm. Decomposing biomass lets off two main gasses: methane and carbon dioxide. These can be captured from landfills or compost piles. The methane can be burned as fuel, but the carbon dioxide has to be separated first. Fateme Rezaei , professor of biochemical engineering at Missouri S&T, is working on a fuel tank that could be put on a car, truck or farm implement that would separate the carbon dioxide and make the methane available to be burned to power the vehicle. “We are able to store biogas in our tank and we are able to separate CO2 and methane on board,” Rezaei said. The research funded in part by a $550,000 grant from the National Science Foundation is in the early stages, but has attracted the attention of a North Carolina-based https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/researcher-working-way-pump-biogas-directly-your-farm-implements 985 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Mon, 29 Mar 2021 21:22:56 +0000 Researcher Working On Way To Pump Biogas Directly Into Your Farm Implements Seth Bodine The plant-based meat industry has grown rapidly over the past few years, but public perception is one of the biggest obstacles to more expansion. Billion dollars companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are giving consumers other choices besides meat. Even Burger King is offering a vegan Whopper. Experts say the growth isn’t coming from vegetarians or vegans but from meat eaters occasionally choosing meat alternatives when shopping or eating out. “Somebody who still is open to consuming meat products, so beef, pork, chicken and the like, but maybe not with every meal,” says Glynn Tonsor, an agricultural economics professor at Kansas State University. Grocery store sales of refrigerated meat alternatives have increased more than 100% and frozen products 40% in May 2020 compared to the same time in 2019, says Jayson Lusk, an agricultural economist at Purdue University. “That is because it's starting from a very small base,” Lusk says. “So you get big percentage increases when you https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/more-shoppers-are-buying-meat-alternatives-some-are-still-concerned-about-taste-and-texture 984 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Wed, 24 Mar 2021 22:38:31 +0000 More Shoppers Are Buying Meat Alternatives, But Some Are Still Concerned About Taste And Texture Seth Bodine Farmers might make less money this year due to less assistance from the government and increased production costs. Farm income is estimated to be $112 billion in 2021 — $9 billion less than last year. In 2020, farmers and ranchers made a total of $121 billion, the highest amount since 2013. Government subsidies account for $46 billion, according to a report from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri. China also played a big part in increased incomes. Patrick Westhoff, director of the institute, says there has been an increase in demand in crops like soybeans after African swine fever devastated the Chinese pork industry. “They've been trying to rebuild. To do so, of course, you need feed for those livestock,” Westhoff says. “They’re trying to change the way they feed livestock without using kitchen scraps and things like that as much as they used to, but instead rely on corn and soybean meal.” While farmers will receive aid from the past two https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/farmers-may-see-dip-income-experts-say-there-are-reasons-be-optimistic 983 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Mon, 22 Mar 2021 22:48:41 +0000 Farmers May See Dip In Income, But Experts Say There Are Reasons To Be Optimistic Katie Peikes Hydrologists predict an average flood risk in much of the Missouri River Basin this spring. Dry conditions that started last summer are playing a big part in lowering the flood risk. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/widespread-drought-lowers-flood-threat-missouri-river-basin 982 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 18 Mar 2021 22:53:11 +0000 Widespread Drought Lowers Flood Threat In Missouri River Basin Seth Bodine John Boyd Jr. believes Black farmers are going extinct. As the president of the National Black Farmers Association and a farmer in Virginia, he’s been advocating for nearly 30 years for government action to relieve Black farmers of debt. “When animals are facing extinction, Congress puts laws in place until their numbers come back, such as the brown bear and the black bear and rockfish and the bald eagle, all of these things Congress can act swiftly on,” Boyd says. “But here we are saying the same thing for the past 30 some odd years, and Congress has been slow to act.” Black farmers faced decades of discrimination at the hands of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has denied them loans and other aid. A discrimination lawsuit promised vital debt relief, but many didn’t get it. Now, despite some partisan resistance, Black farmers and other disadvantaged groups are getting billions in debt relief and help. The newest stimulus bill includes $4 billion in debt relief and an https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/black-farmers-will-receive-stimulus-aid-after-decades-usda-discrimination 981 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 18 Mar 2021 21:56:06 +0000 Black Farmers Will Receive Stimulus Aid After Decades of USDA Discrimination Jonathan Ahl Using electronic tags to track livestock is widespread in Europe. Proponents say it helps prevent and contain food-borne illnesses, but the idea is finding a mixed and often chilly reception in the United States. Radio frequency identification, or RFID tags, can be put on an animal’s ear similar to the metal id clips currently used to identify animals and track them for inventory and health purposes. But the RFID chips send out a signal, which is captured by a reader that uploads information into a database. They are in common use in industries ranging from logistics to amusement parks. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/electronic-tracking-livestock-has-many-opponents-us-0 980 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:37:14 +0000 Electronic Tracking Of Livestock Has Many Opponents In The US On a recent Saturday, white vans shuttled small groups of migrant farmworkers from the southern Illinois orchard where they work to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. The workers had arrived days earlier from Mexico for the start of the tilling season. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/were-very-grateful-some-farmworkers-us-work-visas-provide-opportunity-vaccination 978 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:04:16 +0000 'We're Very Grateful': For Some Farmworkers, U.S. Work Visas Provide Opportunity For Vaccination Christina Stella Plenty of younger people are eager to build careers in farming, but more land up for grabs won’t necessarily make it easier to get started. Access to land and capital are two of the biggest hurdles facing first-generation farmers today, and some say they face an extra barrier to both — student loan debt. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/young-farmers-say-student-loans-are-keeping-them-owning-land 976 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 12 Mar 2021 20:07:33 +0000 Young Farmers Say Student Loans Are Keeping Them From Owning Land Dana Cronin Some states are saying they won’t use Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine to immunize vulnerable, harder-to-reach populations, including agriculture workers, over concerns about equity and perceptions of how well it protects against COVID-19. The recently-authorized vaccine proved safe and effective in its clinical trial and was 100% effective in preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19. It’s a welcome third option that provides a way around logistical hurdles presented by the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, including ultra-cold storage and the requirement for two doses spaced weeks apart. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine did, however, report a slightly lower efficacy than the other two FDA-authorized vaccines. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines reported efficacies close to 95%. Overall, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine proved to be 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe disease. That number differs by location, though, and is closer to 72% in the United States. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/one-dose-vaccine-easier-and-quicker-farmworkers-some-states-fear-backlash 975 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 11 Mar 2021 17:15:56 +0000 One-Dose Vaccine Is Easier And Quicker For Farmworkers, But Some States Fear Backlash Seth Bodine The sound of peeping, fuzzy, freshly-hatched chicks drifts through Cackle Hatchery in Lebanon, Missouri. It’s a busy time for third-generation owner Jeff Smith. For hatchery season, which occurs from February to October, 300,000 eggs are delivered every seven days to the hatchery. For hatcheries, getting newborn chicks to their owner is a race against time. He has about a hundred employees working to get 200 varieties of chicks delivered safely to customers. “We work 24/7 here, everybody is tapped out on the time and energy that they can put into it,” Smith says. But extreme weather has made the task more challenging. How hatcheries work Logistics is the name of the game at Cackle Hatchery. Staff take orders months in advance. They usually have about 1 million eggs in the incubators or hatchers at all times, Smith says. The incubators are like giant metal hens — they are set at just the right temperature and humidity, rotating the eggs so the membranes don’t stick to the shell. “If you https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/mail-order-chickens-usually-arrive-3-days-extreme-weather-derails-deliveries 974 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 05 Mar 2021 22:16:39 +0000 Mail-Order Chickens Usually Arrive In 3 Days, But Extreme Weather Derails Deliveries Katie Peikes A new business in Iowa wants to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol plants. It would pave the way for biorefineries in Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas to deliver carbon-neutral fuel to the market. Summit Carbon Solutions, a business platform formed by Alden-based Summit Agricultural Group , will need to get state and federal permits for an underground pipeline. The pipeline would pump liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) from 18 biorefineries into central North Dakota and store it in porous canyons at least a mile underground. The company plans to install equipment at the ethanol plants that will take CO2 off fermentation that would typically be emitted into the air and liquefy the gas. Each ethanol plant will have a small 6-inch pipeline to carry the CO2 to the main pipeline that will pump it to North Dakota. Summit Agricultural Group CEO Bruce Rastetter said the project would be the “world’s largest carbon sequestration project to date.” It would take 10 million tons https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/iowa-company-plans-capture-midwest-ethanol-plants-carbon-dioxide-store-it-underground 973 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Tue, 02 Mar 2021 23:12:13 +0000 Iowa Company Plans To Capture Midwest Ethanol Plants' Carbon Dioxide, Store It Underground Jonathan Ahl Midwest states including Missouri, Iowa and Illinois are updating the way they teach farmers to safely use pesticides, with the goals of making it easier for them to get the training and to keep the process under state control. In Missouri, such training usually happened through in-person classes that included watching videos so old they are on VHS tapes. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/state-agriculture-departments-look-update-pesticide-training 972 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Wed, 24 Feb 2021 21:47:27 +0000 State Agriculture Departments Look To Update Pesticide Training Katie Peikes There’s been a lot of hype around how farmers can make money from selling the carbon their plants naturally remove from the air, but there are still questions about how much of a difference these markets can make in reducing greenhouse gases. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/carbon-new-cash-crop-some-farmers 971 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Sat, 20 Feb 2021 00:10:10 +0000 Carbon Is A New Cash Crop For Some Farmers