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Agriculture tends to be the fall guy for all our planet’s ills. While it’s true that agriculture is one of the main drivers of global land use change, productivity gains from the adoption of improved crop varieties has limited some of farming’s more negative impacts. In fact, a new study from Purdue University shows how …

How Improved Crop Varieties Have Limited Biodiversity Loss and Improved Sustainability Read More »

Results of the National Cotton Council’s 44th Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey show that U.S. cotton producers plan to plant 9.6 million acres this spring, which would mark a -14.5% decline from 2024. Upland cotton intentions are 9.4 million acres, down -14.4% from 2024, while extra-long staple (ELS) intentions of 158,000 acres represent a …

Cotton Council Sees Steep Decline in U.S. Acres Read More »

Brooke Rollins has officially stepped into her new role as Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture, a key position that touches nearly every part of farming, agribusiness, and, by extension, our rural communities. Rollins brings experience from the first Trump administration, where she served as chief for domestic policy, as well as on-the-farm experience …

What to Know About Brooke Rollins, the New USDA Secretary Read More »

Over 50 years ago in the summer of 1970, a group of friends followed an old stagecoach road into the woods of California’s Gold Country where they were hunting for mining relics but what they came across that day was even more rare, fruit trees that were planted when gold was being mined 170 years …

How a Barber Pivoted and Became One of the Most Influential in Western Ag History Read More »

Consumers are beyond frustrated about the U.S. egg shortage that has sent prices through a continuous string of new record highs. Some are taking matters into their own hands by keeping their own backyard chickens. But for those that want to test the waters before fully committing to a flock, “Rent The Chicken” is a …

This Company Rents Out Full Backyard Chicken Setups Read More »

Caterpillar is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. The company was officially founded in 1925 but its roots date back to the late 1800s when one of the brothers behind a successful wagon wheel company began experimenting with tractor …

From Wagon Wheels to One of the World’s Leading Equipment Manufacturers…What You Might Not Know About Caterpillar Read More »

Ukraine’s grain exports in 2024/25 are forecast to be significantly lower than last season as production of corn and wheat continue the slow decline kicked off by Russia’s invasion. In its latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE), USDA also made cuts to Ukraine’s projected 2024/25 grain exports, on top of previous forecasts already …

Ukraine’s Status as a Global Grains Powerhouse Continues to Sink Read More »

California’s almond tree groves are one of the first major crops every year that U.S. honey bee keepers are called on to help with pollination. This year, however, bee keepers will struggle to meet those calls and others this season following a sudden die-off of more than half their colonies this winter. That’s according to …

Severe, Widespread, and Unexplained Honey Bee Losses This Winter Read More »

Edacious, a Massachusetts-based startup, has developed a rapid testing and data insights platform to measure and map nutrient density in whole foods, including grains and other commodity crops. This platform has the potential to help farmers in the commodity crop space differentiate their products and increase profitability by providing actionable data on nutritional quality. The …

“Edacious” Seeking to Break the Cycle of Crop Commoditization Read More »

In its first estimates for farm sector income in 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is forecasting an increase in net farm income of almost +30% over 2024 while net cash farm income is seen climbing nearly +22%. However, a more than +355% rise in government farm payments, mostly in the form of disaster …

Net Farm Income to Rise in 2025 Thanks Largely to $31 Billion Disaster Aid Infusion Read More »