Big dairies reign in Midwest (Hoard’s Dairyman): Just 3 percent of the dairy farms in the Central Federal Milk Marketing Order — which covers Kansas, Oklahoma, and sections of many other midwestern states — produced half of the region’s milk this past October.
Protein out of ‘thin air’ (BBC): Scientists in Finland are researching new technology that would create a flavorless protein but produce near-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the process.
Carbon farming for additional income (Center for American Progress): The average family farm could gain $22,000 a year in income if the government expanded working lands programs and encouraged carbon sequestration in the soil, and if farmers significantly increased their use of cover crops and renewable energy.
China drops ethanol goal (Reuters): Chinese officials have suspended their goal of a 10 percent blend of ethanol in the national gasoline supply this year, a blow to domestic producers and to overseas producers who hoped for a large, new market for the biofuel.
A hefty price for almonds (Guardian): Almond growers rely on honeybees to pollinate their trees, yet the bees used in the almond groves are dying in record numbers. Said one scientist, “It’s like sending bees to war.”