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 …
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 …
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 …
Sir John Bennet Lawes, an English agronomist and founder of the artificial fertilizer industry died this day in 1900, but not before he would forever change how we grow our crops. Lawes found himself fatherless at the age of 8 and the responsibility of the 250-acre family farm left in the hands of just himself …
How a College Dropout Turned Farm Debt into a Fertilizer Dynasty Read More »
I recently received an article written by Susan Reidy titled, “Global population paradigm shift“. I encourage you to read it in full detail. In a nutshell it goes into recent data regarding global population shifts and changes and the fact there are already more than 60 countries experiencing population drops, according to the United Nations, …
Interesting to Think About… What Happens to Agriculture When Global Population Peaks? Read More »
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is raising alarms among the agriculture industry, including the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as it proposes new guidance for agricultural chemicals. A new pilot program regulating pesticides is designed to bring the agency into better alignment with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and would restrict ag chemical usage …
What You Need to Know About EPA’s Sweeping New Ag Chemical Rule Proposals Read More »
Rural America is dotted with countless barns of all shapes and sizes, most of which take their form from the specific function they serve. In some parts of the country, you may have noticed a number of barns adorned with giant quilt-like decorations. The so-called “barn quilts” are a new take on an old tradition …
