Today marks the 161st anniversary of the United States Department of Agriculture, which President Abraham Lincoln called “The People’s Department.” Lincoln signed the bill to establish the independent agency on May 15, 1862, with a stated mission to “acquire and to diffuse among the people of the United States useful information on subjects connected to …
Researchers at Stanford have designed an irrigation optimization tool that could help farmers reduce water use. The tool rapidly estimates water loss from soils due to “evapotranspiration,” a process that involves the evaporation of water into the atmosphere and the uptake of water by plants. The tool is designed to work with drip irrigation systems …
Stanford Researchers Develop New Tool to Help Optimize Irrigation Read More »
Sorghum growers may soon have new cultivars that protect against “anthracnose,” a fungal disease that can inflict devastating yield losses of up to 50%. Researchers from the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Purdue University have discovered a gene that can help fortify the cereal crop against anthracnose, opening the door to disease-resistant cultivars. Sorghum …
Gene Discovery Could Protect Sorghum Crops From Yield-Killing Anthracnose Infections Read More »
It was on this day in 1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met in Promontory, Utah, to drive a ceremonial “last spike” into a rail line that connected their two railroads. This made transcontinental railroad travel possible for the first time in U.S. history. No longer would western-bound travelers need …
Historical Look At The Railroad… How It Changed America Read More »
Tomatoes are warm-season plants that do not tolerate frost or chilly temperatures. My Grams always recommend planting early to mid-May when the danger of frost has passed and the soil has had a chance to warm. She always said to be sure to save the sunniest spots for your tomatoes, as this will often provide …
It’s Tomato Planting Season… What You Might Not Know About the Plant’s Strange History Read More »
Dumbbell Ranch spans 15,500 acres in the Sandhills of Nebraska, smack dab on top of the deepest part of the Ogallala Aquifer. After more than a century of being owned by the same family, the historic ranch is poised to be taken over by new owners. With an asking price of $16.7 million, Dumbbell wasn’t …
Rabobank’s April North American Agribusiness Review provides a mixed outlook for key commodities. Corn and soybean supplies remain tight which are expected to keep feed prices elevated. The bank notes that corn prices have held strong despite weaker futures prices. Looking at a regional, local bids remain strong. Rabobank says this does not bode well …
Demand Outlook for Corn and Soybeans Uncertain but High Feed Prices Look Set to Continue Read More »
US farmers continue to adopt precision agriculture in an effort to not only increase production and lower input costs, but also combat myriad other challenges such as labor shortages and climate change. While digital agriculture (DA) technologies have been available for several years, adoption rates vary widely by crop and farm size. The biggest uptake …
Midwest Row Crop Farmers Have the Highest Precision Ag Adoption Rates Read More »
Talk of a global rice shortage has recently hit mainstream media with the press latching onto a report from Fitch Solutions. According to Fitch analysts, the global rice market in 2023 is set to log its “largest shortfall in two decades.” The report points to the war in Ukraine as well as adverse weather, particularly …
China is both the world’s biggest pork producer and consumer. The country is home to roughly half the world’s pigs and consumes nearly half the world’s total pork output. China’s own pork production has more than doubled since 1990, climbing from 22.8 million metric tons (MMT) to more than 55 MMT in 2022. Pork has …
Interesting Facts About China’s Enormous Pork Industry Read More »
