Cost control will be central issue for 2016 crops
The fall harvest will not begin for weeks but the USDA already forecasts a modest increase in costs of production for the major field crops in 2016, up 1 to 2 percent an acre compared to this year.
Idaho ‘ag-gag’ law violates U.S. constitution, judge rules
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled that an Idaho law that bans secret filming of animal abuse on farms is unconstitutional, said the Associated Press.
Drought’s impact on trees lasts two to four years
A worldwide study found that trees need two to four years to recover from drought and resume normal growth rates, which means forests would not store as much carbon as climate models have assumed, says the University of Utah.
The sensitive center pivot and thrifty irrigation
In the face of drought in California and the Plains, growers are looking for ways to make the thriftiest use possible from the scarce water supply, says Ensia, describing research on how to nurture crops without wastage.
A sticky proposal to give Colorado sheepherders a pay raise
The sheep industry in Colorado girded for "a storm" after the Labor Department proposed tripling the minimum pay for the sheepherders who spent weeks at a time on the range, say KUNC-FM and Rocky Mountain PBS.
Senate ag panel leaders say sugar program is safe
The two leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee, chairman Pat Roberts and top-ranking Democrat Debbie Stabenow, said the U.S. sugar program is safe from challenge within the committee.
Glutted with cotton, China likely to limit imports again
China is likely to restrict cotton imports to the minimum required under world trade rules for the second year in a row as it tries to work down a massive surplus of the fiber, says the International Cotton Advisory Committee.
Two of three rural counties gained jobs in past year
"Two out of every three rural counties gained jobs between June 2014 and June of this year," reports the Daily Yonder, drawing on data released by the Labor Department.
The ‘Internet of Things’ comes to the farm
Precision agriculture and big data are familiar concepts in the world of farming. Now, the "Internet of Things" - devices with sensors that transmit data and respond to instructions via a digital network - is being sized up for agriculture.
Looking for a mechanical hired hand for chile harvest
With plantings on the decline and fewer farmworkers available, two mechanical harvesters are being tested on the chile pepper crop in New Mexico, says the Associated Press.
As advantages shift, an upturn for U.S. cotton spinning
Rising costs for textile companies in Asia are prompting an upturn in cotton spinning - converting raw cotton into yarn - in the U.S. South, says the New York Times.
‘Bubble greenhouse’ to desalinate water and grow crops
Engineers from Murdoch University in Australia hope to build a prototype "bubble greenhouse" that could be used in arid areas as a low-tech way to turn saltwater into fresh water and grow food, says SciDevNet, a website devoted to international development.
As crop income falls, farmers borrow more operating money
Farmers in the Midwest and Plains - the major regions for corn, wheat and soybean production - are borrowing money to pay short-term operating expenses because shrinking crop income makes it harder to pay cash, according to a survey of ag bankers.
Lobbying by the ‘good food’ sector is ‘limited to non-existent’
The "good food" sector, which includes Chipotle, Whole Foods and Applegate, are making inroads in the marketplace, but when it comes to policymaking, "their involvement on Capitol Hill, on issues from the farm bill to nutrition labeling, has ranged from limited to non-existent," says Politico.
Dairy tariffs help snarl 12-nation trade talks
Trade ministers from the 12 nations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership covering 40 percent of the global economy say they will "continue work on resolving a limited number of remaining issues" that prevented a final agreement in Hawaii.
Buis moves from CEO to co-chair of pro-ethanol group
The pro-ethanol trade group Growth Energy said Tom Buis, its chief executive officer since its early days, has been named co-chairman of its board of directors.
World grain harvest forecast is third-largest ever
The world grain harvest "is still expected to be the third-largest ever," despite a heat wave that hurt the wheat and corn crops in Europe, said the International Grains Council in its monthly Grain Market Report.
Antibiotic-resistant genes in bacteria on Australian wildlife
Researchers have found antibiotic-resistant genes are spreading to bacteria on Australian wildlife, says Macquarie University.
Two-month delay in debut of revived Fats and Oils report
The first edition of the revived Fats and Oils: Oilseed Crushings, Production, Consumption and Stocks report was delayed for two months, until Oct. 1, because of inadequate response by processors, said the USDA.
Canada says U.S. senators are wrong about voluntary meat labeling
Canada's agriculture minister, Gerry Ritz, said two U.S. senators are wrong to say their proposal for a voluntary country-of-origin label (COOL) for beef, pork and chicken is similar to the "Product of Canada" label available in his country.