A major component of modern agriculture is synthetic fertilizers, which have largely contributed to the huge improvements in crop yields over the last several decades. However, these products come at a cost. Nitrogenous fertilizer production accounts for approximately 2% of global energy consumption and can have significant negative long-term impacts on soil health and plant …

NEW Company Has Learned to Snatch Nitrogen Out the Air for Plant Use Read More »

Ever wonder where your favorite Western film or television show was filmed? The answer is probably one of the dozens of ranches that Hollywood has regularly used since the dawn of the film era. These “movie ranches” first popped up within a 30 mile area around early Hollywood, with studios purchases large tracts of still …

The Famous Ranches of Hollywood’s “Old West” Heyday Read More »

I hear so many in agriculture say, “This is how my daddy did it and how his daddy did it and this is how we are going to keep doing it…” I heard that a lot growing up at several farms in my area. As I’ve gotten older however I’ve come to learn that it …

My Two Cents… Investing in Our Farming Future Read More »

The Gulf Stream — one of Earth’s major climate-regulating ocean currents — is now thought to be moving slower than it has in thousands of years, a new study suggests. Some are arguing the current could slow down to a point of no return, and in the process further alter and impact the climate on …

My Two Cents… Climate Changing, Gulf Stream Changing, Weather Changing Read More »

Disease, crop infestation and pollution are age-old threats to our world that are increasingly gaining more attention in the headlines. New solutions are now being created to better address these threats. Fortunately, many of the solutions can be found right beneath our feet, in the soil. A new company called Pluton Biosciences is using technology …

Mining Soil to Discover Next-Generation Ag Products Read More »

U.S. farmers are expected to produce over 4 billion bushels of soybeans this season and next, putting it second after only corn among the country’s biggest row crops. The “miracle crop,” as it is sometimes called because of its many dynamic uses, traces back to Asia where there is evidence of domestication as early as …

How Soybeans Finally Became a Major Crop in America Read More »

U.S. production capacity for renewable diesel is set to explode over the next few years if the projects currently in the pipeline come to fruition. Based on announcements projects already under construction, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates renewable diesel capacity will reach 330,000 barrels per day by the end of 2024, up from …

U.S. Renewable Diesel Production is Racing Ahead of Biodiesel Read More »

Chris Wathen, a famous tractor collector, will be holding an auction put on by Dimmet Auction Service in Evansville, Indiana on August 21st featuring a total of 24 tractors and different pieces of farm equipment. Wathen’s collection includes everything from a 1981 Steiger Tiger III ST-470 to 1930’s & 1940’s Farmall tractors and even a …

Jackson 4-44 Tractor Coming Up For Auction!!! Read More »

It was early-August, 1921 when John B. Macready flew a Curtiss JN-4 over catalpa trees near Troy, Ohio, killing 99% of the leaf caterpillars, saving the 5,000 trees with 175 pounds of lead arsenate pesticide. Crop dusting was actually developed under the joint efforts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Army Signal Corps’ research station at …

Crop Dusting Turns 100-Years Old! Read More »

Farmers in the Philippines might be the first in the world to grow “golden rice,” a short-grained variety genetically modified to contain beta-carotene. It is intended to combat vitamin A deficiency, which is the leading cause of blindness in children worldwide. Half of these children die within a year of losing their sight. First developed …

Two Decades After Breakthrough, the Philippines Could Be the First Country to Grow Golden Rice Read More »