“Agrivoltaics” is the use of land for agriculture and solar energy generation. Sometimes referred to as agrophotovoltaics or dual-use solar, the aim of the concept is to help keep farmland in production, in turn easing the land-use conflict that often surrounds solar installations in rural America. According to the US Department of Energy, solar accounted …
Humans have lofty goals of spreading out across the universe and establishing outposts on the moon, Mars, and beyond. While the technologies that will carry us to these distant locales continues to advance, another major obstacle that needs to be solved is food production. At University of Nebraska-Lincoln, engineers Yufeng Ge and Santosh Pitla want …
Working to Create the First Center for “Space Agriculture” Read More »
Livestock guardian dogs are one of agriculture’s unsung heroes. These highly specialized dogs have been used by humans for centuries to protect sheep, cattle, and other domestic livestock against predators. Despite their long history, guardian dogs have only been commonly used in the US since around the late 1970s. As a result, many livestock producers …
The farm labor shortage is a persistent pain point for producers across America. Researchers at Mississippi State University have developed a two-fingered robotic arm that works with camera-based perception system to identify and pluck one cotton boll at a time. The new “end-effector” is seen as potential game changer for cotton producers. In robotics, an …
With harvest mostly behind us, I thought it would be interesting to look back at how our grandparents and great-grandparents got the crops out of the fields. We truly are blessed with the advancements we have seen! There is no debating the fact that the arrival of the combine during the middle of the 20th century had a …
Believe it or not, we’ve once again arrived at that time of year when everyone starts offering up their outlooks for the coming New Year. That includes Amazon-owned specialty grocer Whole Foods, which just released its ninth annual trends predictions for 2024. The company calls the annual list a “way for us to pull back …
Whole Foods Market’s Top 10 Food Trends for 2024 Read More »
According to the 2023 ABA and Farmer Mac Agricultural Lender Survey, ag lenders estimate that more than three-quarters of their borrowers will remain profitable in 2023 and two-thirds will remain profitable through 2024. However, as concerns about inflation ease, ag bankers are growing nervous about farm liquidity and income heading into next year. Following a …
Citrus greening disease has ravaged Florida’s citrus industry since it was first discovered there 25 years ago, with citrus production having since dropped nearly -80%. The devastating disease has also spread to citrus groves in California, Louisiana, and Texas, as well as over 30 other countries around the world. After over two decades of desperately …
USDA Researchers Believe They’ve Found a Treatment for Citrus Greening Disease Read More »
US cotton producers are warily eying Brazil where the country’s production is expected to top the US for the first time, according to the USDA’s most recent projections. Meanwhile, strained US supplies due to a drought-stricken crop in Texas could allow Brazil to surpass US exports and become the world’s top cotton supplier, dealing yet …
Brazil Close to Unseating US as Top Global Cotton Exporter Read More »
A huge white 4-and-a-half-year-old Nelore breed cow named Viatina-19 FIV Mara Imóveis, has sold for the highest price ever, making it the most expensive cow in the world. One-third of the ownership of the cow, was sold for over +$1.4 million at an auction held in Arandú, Brazil, placing its total value at a staggering …
