Month: September 2023

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and Farm Credit have announced the 10 semi-finalist teams in the 2024 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. The challenge is a partnership between the two organizations that showcases U.S. startups developing innovative solutions that address challenges facing America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. Launched in 2015, The Challenge was …

Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge Shines Spotlight on Rural Entrepreneurship Read More »

Controversy continues to build around three carbon capture pipelines planned for the Midwest. Three companies – Summit Carbon Solutions, Navigator CO2, and Wolf Carbon Solutions – have proposed projects aimed at capturing CO2 emissions from ethanol plants and piping it underground to sequestration sites hundreds or even thousands of miles away. The pipelines would carry …

What You Need to Know About Controversial Carbon Capture Pipeline Projects in the Midwest Read More »

Fritos corn chips have been a staple in American school lunches and taco salads seemingly forever. The simple yet perfectly satisfying bite of salty crunchiness was discovered by Charles Elmer Doolin back in 1932 who stumbled upon the idea in the classified section of his local newspaper.   Born in 1903 in Kansas City, Kansas, …

From the Family Kitchen to Becoming One of America’s Biggest Snack Brands… The Frito Story! Read More »

Today we associate treadmills with the fitness and gym culture, but back in the nineteenth century, many historians argue the treadmill was actually designed and used as a form of punishment. Invented this week back in 1818 by William Cubitt, the treadmill was actually first created as a human-powered device for grinding corn. It didn’t …

Corn and the Interesting History of the Treadmill Read More »

A new report from the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) details several challenges currently impacting animal feed and pet food industries, including a lengthy regulatory process for new ingredients and persistent supply chain disruptions. Despite the headwinds, AFIA’s “2022-23 State of the US Animal Food Industry Report” forecasts nearly 5,650 US animal food manufacturing facilities …

Animal Food Industry and the Challenges Ahead Read More »

The ostrich, a bizarre-looking, flightless bird that originates from Africa, is the world’s largest living bird. Apparently, it also tastes a lot like beef but is packed with even more protein and just a fraction of the fat. Ostrich also has a smaller environmental footprint than beef, requiring one-third of the water and one-fiftieth of …

How About a Nice, Juicy Ostrich Steak? Read More »

The world’s extensive network of waterways are a vital part of global commerce. In fact, approximately 90% of all goods shipped end up traveling on a waterway at some point. Unfortunately, low water levels on the rivers and canals that help move the world’s merchandise threaten the lifeblood of the shipping industry and the disruptions …

Drought Again Disrupting Freight Flows on Critical Shipping Arteries Read More »

It likely comes as no surprise that farm incomes are set to decline in 2023 after hitting record levels in 2022. Still, the -22.8% year-over-year decline (approximately -$42 billion) currently projected by the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) is a little hard to stomach. Accounting for inflation, the decline in net farm income from 2022 …

US Farm Income Takes a Painful Plunge in 2023 Read More »

It’s been a century now since the original Farmall tractor was first introduced by International Harvester (IH). What came to be known as the “Regular” was not only the first commercially successful row crop tractor, it forever changed the way farmers farm. The first practical internal combustion tractor was built by Charles W. Hart and …

Celebrating 100 Years of Farmall Tractors Read More »

Despite China’s decades-long efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency, the country has been a net importer of agricultural products since 2004. In fact, China imports more soybeans, corn, wheat, rice, and dairy products – among others – than any other country in the world. Over the last two decades, the country’s self-sufficiency has actually been going …

Interesting Insights Into China’s Food Self-Sufficiency Struggles Read More »