A Roadmap to Better Decision Making

Results from USDA’s highly anticipated “2022 Census of Agriculture” show the trends of fewer farms and farmland, aging farmers, and climbing expenses remain intact.  In 2022, a little over 3.37 million producers operated 1.90 million farms covering 880.1 million acres. That compares to just under 3.40 million producers on 2.04 million farms and more than 900 million acres in 2017.Not ...
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After two decades of cautiously tiptoeing around the commercial adoption of genetically modified crops, China recently seems to have done a complete 180. The country has been revving up its approvals of new GM crop varieties and pushing farmers to adopt the seed technology, marking one of the Chinese government’s most significant steps in recent history toward achieving food self-sufficiency.China ...
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The start of the new year officially marked the start of big changes for the pork industry with California’s controversial “Proposition 12” going into effect. That means pork producers that want to sell their products in the state must comply with its larger animal housing requirements. So far, industry stakeholders have mixed opinions on the law’s initial impacts and how ...
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Milton Hershey can thank his mother Fanny for stepping up to the plate to raise him after she left his father following years of his repeated failures as he searched for the "next big thing." With Hershey's upbringing left in the hands of his mother, the strict Fanny instilled in her son an appreciation for hard work, which he would ...
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Fungal infections pose a significant and increasing risk to global food security, according to a recent warning by scientists in the journal Nature. Worldwide, producers lose between 10% and 23% of their crops to fungal infection each year, despite the widespread use of antifungals. An additional 10%-20% is lost post-harvest. Scientists predict those figures will worsen as a warming planet ...
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Home gardeners have a new tomato variety available this year that is sure to stand out, named simply the “Purple Tomato.” The name gives away what makes the new fruit from Norfolk Plant Sciences so special. Purple Tomatoes are indeed purple, through and through, and this year, it became the first genetically modified food crop marketed directly to consumers. Developed ...
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Fat may be a four-letter-word in dieting circles but it's all the rage in the diary industry. Average milkfat above 4% has become the new normal in recent years and increasing demand could push levels even higher than today's record levels.The fat found in milk, known as "butterfat," is what gives dairy products their creamy texture and rich taste. Butter, ...
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US soybeans and products added +$39.8 billion to the US economy in marketing year (MY) 22/23, according to the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC). That includes the “shining star” of the soybean complex, soybean meal, which set new records for both volume and value.Despite persistent global challenges in 22/23, USSEC says the volume of U.S. whole soybean exports at 54.2 ...
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Americans are expected to eat 1.45 billion chicken wings and drumsticks during Super Bowl LVIII this Sunday, according to the National Chicken Council (NCC). To provide some reference, 1.45 billion wings is enough for every man, woman, and child in the United States to eat four wings each, or enough to put 693 wings on every seat of every NFL ...
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Agriculture's war against weeds is not going great. For decades, herbicides like glyphosate were a farmer's best friend, keeping fields weed-free and crop yields high. However, over time, some weeds developed genetic mutations that allowed them to survive even heavy herbicide applications. These survivors thrived, reproducing and spreading their resistant genes, creating a new generation of "superweeds." Across America's farmlands, ...
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