A majority of the world’s almonds supplies come from California, a state that happens to be experiencing a historic drought. As shrinking water supplies threaten to push already razor-thin margins into negative territory, growers are increasingly questioning the economic sanity of sinking more money into the water-thirsty crop. Almond prices have plummeted to around $1.75 …

Interesting… A Double-Edge Sword as Almond Farmers Juggle Drought and Plunging Prices Read More »

Today, virtually all gasoline sold in the U.S. contains 10% ethanol (E10) thanks to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that came into effect in 2005. Between 2005 and 2010, ethanol sales more than tripled before leveling off as a result of increased vehicle fuel efficiency and the rise of hybrid and electric vehicles. With these …

USDA Report Examines Barriers to Higher Ethanol Blends in U.S. Read More »

The famous Velveeta Cheese we all grew up with wasn’t so much discovered as it was invented, and even stranger is the fact that it’s actually the second cheese invented by Swiss immigrant Emil Frey. Frey emigrated to the US with his father in the late 1800’s. His father was a farmer and cheese maker, …

Happy Birthday “Velveeta Cheese” Read More »

Sri Lanka’s government was recently toppled amid the worst economic crisis since the island nation gained independence in 1948. The country’s ruling Rajapaksa family is blamed for severely mismanaging the economy, resulting in a default on Sri Lanka’s sovereign debt, the collapse of its currency, and a humanitarian crisis due to a severe shortage of …

GREAT LESSON – How Sri Lanka’s Organic Farming Experiment Went Terribly Wrong Read More »

The world’s first ammonia-powered zero-emissions tractor successfully completed its first demonstration run at the Advanced Energy Center at Stony Brook University in New York last week.  The midsized John Deere tractor had its diesel engine replaced with an “ammonia to power” system developed by a startup called Amogy. The system converts the energy-dense chemical into …

World’s First Ammonia-Powered Zero-Emissions Tractor Starts Testing Read More »

Brewster Ranch is hard to get your head around being half the size of Rhode Island with over 424,000 contiguous acres. If you are looking for a Legacy Ranch with great hunting and fishing this is is impressive. East to West it runs about 57 miles from the Bullis Fold on the Lower Canyons of …

Rags-to-Riches Owner Puts “Brewster Ranch” on the Market Read More »

If Emily Burchfield, author of a recent study and assistant professor in Emory’s Department of Environmental Sciences is correct, the U.S. government might start to take a fresh look at what crops get subsidized and in what areas.  Don’t kill the messenger on this one. This study was sent my way last week and it …

INTERESTING READ… Study Shows Crop Growth Locations Could Dramatically Shift Read More »

Agriculture and Arctic are two words you don’t often see used in combination. But as the world’s climate continues to shift, scientists predict rising temperatures in the circumpolar north will enable a substantial expansion of food production. Farming is not easy in the Earth’s northern-most regions, but it’s not impossible. Farming in the Arctic traces back …

Will Future Generations be Farming in the Arctic? Are There Buying Opportunities? Read More »

Australian company “Goanna Ag” is making its GoField water management system commercially available in the U.S. The water-efficiency system is designed to measure crop water stress and predict future water needs in real time. Goanna is currently trialing the system in U.S. corn and cotton crops in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Goanna’s …

Agtech Company Promises “More Crop Per Drop” With New Sensor Tech Read More »

J.R. Simplot, who died on this day in 2008 had the inherent ability to see possibilities where others saw obstacles. He also had the resolve to act on them. Simplot struck out on his own as a 14-year-old after his father refused to let him attend a basketball game. The story is his mother gave …

J.R. Simplot… Great Rags-to-Riches Story! Read More »