Agriculture

Despite China’s decades-long efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency, the country has been a net importer of agricultural products since 2004. In fact, China imports more soybeans, corn, wheat, rice, and dairy products – among others – than any other country in the world. Over the last two decades, the country’s self-sufficiency has actually been going …

Interesting Insights Into China’s Food Self-Sufficiency Struggles Read More »

The dog days of summer are now behind us but some of the sounds still linger in many parts of the country. One of the loudest is generated by ‘dog-day’ cicadas, also called ‘annual’ cicadas, that typically emerge every year from July to September. And every year, the fading sound of their buzzing signals cooler …

What You Might Not Know About Cicadas and Katydids, the Last Sounds of Summer Read More »

Finance startup “Fractal” has launched what it says is a first-of-its-kind farmland equity financing platform that can help farmers secure needed capital to expand and improve their operations. The Minneapolis-based company invests alongside farmers by taking a passive stake in their current farmland. The farmers in turn receive the needed capital – which they can …

“Fractal” Wants to Help Farmers Hold On to More Farmland Read More »

Brazil’s corn and soybean crops are again setting new records this season with national crop agency CONAB pegging combined production at a record 322.8 million metric tons (MMT), an increase of just over +50 MMT, or +18% from last year. CONAB estimates the country’s record soybean crop at 154.6 MMT, up +23% year-over-year. The record …

Brazil’s Corn and Soybean Crops Keep Getting Bigger Read More »

Since the mid-1970s, most Americans have been buying their milk in cartons and plastic jugs. But long before mass manufacturing and modern packaging, milk was sold out of the back of horse-drawn wagons from open barrels and cans. Typically, a “milkman” would ladle the milk into whatever containers milk buyers brought with them, or people …

A Brief History of Milk Cartons Read More »

As (if) drought conditions start to slowly improve and pastures come back, a big question for the beef industry is when the rebuilding of the US cattle herd will begin? So far, there are few signs that producers are holding more heifers back for breeding and many cattle market insiders suspect that herd expansion will …

Producers May be Slow to Rebuild the US Cattle Herd Read More »

The Old Farmer’s Almanac (OFA) was founded in 1792 and has been releasing annual long-range weather forecasts for centuries. Remember, the OFA’s weather predictions are made up to 18 months in advance, and according to their own numbers close to 80% correct.  The 2024 Old Farmer’s Almanac comes with a winter warning: it’s a wise …

2024 Old Farmer’s Almanac Comes with a “Winter Warning” Read More »

It was on this day in 1916 that a store in Memphis, Tennessee, named “Piggly Wiggly” became the first true self-service grocery store in the US and the originator of various familiar supermarket concepts such as checkout stands, individual item price marking, and shopping carts.  Clarence Saunders, the founder of Piggly Wiggly, had the concept …

Piggly Wiggly Becomes the First Supermarket! Read More »

Moolec Science has been experimenting with soybean proteins since 2008 in an effort to make plant-based meats actually taste like meat. The company’s latest creation is a soybean variety dubbed “Piggy Sooy” that gets about a quarter of its soluble proteins from pig DNA. The company plans to extract the porcine protein from the soybeans …

New Plant-Based Meats Could Come From Soybeans Engineered to Taste Like Pork and Beef Read More »

It’s early-September and the weather is still screaming “summer”. However, the first significant freeze might not be all that far away, which is kind of ironic considering the hot temps many of us have been battling.   Labor Day will be behind us when we return next week and summer will be officially over. The …

When Should We Expect Our First Freeze??? Read More »