A Roadmap to Better Decision Making

One of the most expensive food items in the world is the elusive truffle, a species of mushroom prized by top chefs and eaters alike with a price tag to match. It can be a highly lucrative crop but the trick to successfully growing the "diamond of gastronomy" is as elusive as the truffles themselves. One company that seems to ...
Read More

Marysville, Kansas is home to a very different kind of livestock operation called The Lighthouse, which doesn't raise its critters for profit but rather familiarity. Cows, goats, and other farm animals provide the backdrop for The Lighthouse's memory support facility where they care for individuals suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia. The Lighthouse attracted attention this winter when pictures of a ...
Read More

America's farm labor shortage is a persistent, long-running problem that most agree has no easy solution. Many operations have turned to the use of migrant farm labor, usually through the H-2A visa program that allows U.S. employers to bring foreign laborers in for temporary work. Since 1986 when the government began allowing for an uncapped number of temporary agricultural workers, ...
Read More

There is a lot happening in the agtech world these days with a steady stream of gadgets and gizmos always being introduced. The appeal from a startup standpoint is obvious, as agriculture has a lot of areas where technology can deliver real and certifiable results that farmers can be convinced to pay for. I can't think of any possible result ...
Read More

Cellular meat has been on the ag industry's radar for several years now as the burgeoning technology makes steady advances. Those achievements can sometimes be a little exaggerated by the media, which seems to adore the story of cellular agriculture. The headlines always make it sound like lab-grown steak is en route to your local grocery store, only to find ...
Read More

There are some in the ag world that worry a significant drought could be lurking. Over half the Lower 48 is looking at varying levels of drought stretching from the Pacific Northwest down to Texas and across the High Plains and Upper Midwest. As of late, there has been some much-needed moisture in many locations but many areas are also ...
Read More

Meeting the growing demand for high-quality, low-cost food has many farmers along with their seed company suppliers turning to genetic engineering to substantially increase food production as well as storage efficiency. A company called "Agribody Technologies" has a new solution that is gaining some attention.Agribody Technologies is using genome editing to lead the crop development revolution by licensing and co-developing ...
Read More

Bad news for folks that were looking forward to some peaceful summer evenings hanging out on the porch. Billions of cicadas will soon be emerging from a 17-year stint underground, filling the skies and trees and quiet nights across a sizeable chunk of the U.S. Michael Schauff of the Agricultural Research Service says the cicada explosion this year will start ...
Read More

USDA recently published a study analyzing the impact of absent farm landlords on the long-term economic and agricultural health for the 25 most important farm States by cash receipts. Interestingly, the study finds a greater prevalence of absent landlords is associated with lower rental rates and land values at the State level, but there appears to be no correlation with ...
Read More

Sorghum growers have a lot to smile about these days with some of the strongest export demand in years lifting both profits and expectations. Demand for sorghum is growing here at home too, as the grains natural traits make it a perfect fit with some of the leading consumer trends. Or as Nate Blum of the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board ...
Read More