agriculture
Potlucks or pub nights, women farmers build networks
In the business of agriculture, food becomes part of networking among professionals, says Civil Eats, describing how new women farmers in Wisconsin created a grassroots network through informal potluck meals.
U.S. ag-trade delegation begins meetings in Cuba
"The most important U.S. agricultural delegation to visit Cuba in more than a decade" hopes to find business partners and is urging an end to the decades-old trade embargo, says Reuters.
House ag-funding leader opposes crop insurance cuts
The chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture said he opposes the administration proposal for a 17 percent cut in crop insurance funding.
“More resilient” agriculture vital to future food supply-FAO
Around the globe, "food systems need to be more sustainable, inclusive and resilient," says the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. In a speech in Paris, Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said...
Bush, Rubio, Perry, Walker to speak at Iowa Ag Summit
Organizers of the Iowa Ag Summit, intended to highlight and promote agriculture, say seven potential presidential candidates are the first to confirm they will speak at the March 7 event at the Iowa State Fair grounds in Des Moines.
China takes cautious path on GE crops
A top Chinese agriculture official says the world's most populous nation will continue research into genetically engineered crops, and will assure the safety of the technology, Reuters reports.
Big in some regions, ag is small potatoes in much of U.S.
Agriculture is a major industry in the Plains, Midwest, South and California, USDA data show, and the obverse holds too - in many congressional districts, farming and ranching is a minor economic factor. USDA's 2012 Census of Agriculture says there are fewer than 5,000 farms in 57 percent of the 435 congressional districts. In 62 percent of congressional districts, the market value of agricultural products sold was less than $500 million; in 77 percent of them, sales were less than $1 billion.
Nanopesticides, the next, miniature step in agriculture
"The first nano-formulations of pesticides are quietly making their way onto agricultural fields," says Modern Farmer in a story by Susan West into the likely benefits of the technology and potential adverse effects.
Gates Foundation adds Africa agriculture to its goals
The Gates Foundation is to announce its goals for the next 15 years. "Among them: financing programs to help Africa feed itself," says the New York Times.
Obama calls for higher capital gains tax rate
President Obama will call for a higher tax rate on capital gains during the State of the Union speech, according to the White House. It rolled out tax-reform proposals over the weekend.
At a Colorado abbey, llamas guard the cattle
"At the Abbey of St. Walburga, cattle, water buffalo and llamas graze on grass under the watchful eye of Benedictine nuns," says a Harvest Public Media story about nuns and livestock near the Colorado-Wyoming border.
Organic vs conventional yield gap is smaller than thought
A meta-analysis of 115 studies by UC-Berkeley researchers finds the yield gap between organic and conventional agriculture is smaller than thought, around 19 percent.
A broadband bottleneck for Big Data in agriculture
While urban America has nearly universal access to wired broadband, the rate in rural America is 78 percent, according to industry data. USDA's 2012 Census of Agriculture says 70 percent of farms have Internet access but...
China issues new five-year certificate for its GE rice
The world's largest rice grower and consumer, China, renewed the biosafety certificates for five additional years for two varieties of genetically engineered rice developed within the country, says Reuters.
For food and agriculture, a lengthy to-do list for Congress
Congress is to open its new, two-year session on Tuesday with a hefty list of food and agriculture policy issues already on the agenda for lawmakers. The "to do" list includes reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and federal child nutrition programs such as school lunch and WIC, proposals for federal pre-emption of states in labeling foods made with genetically modified organisms, attempts to block EPA from completing its...
FAO – Corn, rice, wheat must become more sustainable
New and more sustainable varieties of the three major food crops of the world, corn, rice and wheat, are needed to supply world food needs while conserving natural resources and withstanding climate change, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
“Tax extenders” is issue for lame-duck Congress
A "top priority" for action in the post-election session of Congress is reauthorization of tax incentives that expired on Jan 1, said Iowa Sen Chuck Grassley.
Will timely weather forecasts alter farming practices?
An experiment in Rwanda is testing if farming communities will change their agricultural practice to cope with climate change if the government gives them timely weather forecasts, says the site SciDev.Net.
Agriculture adviser Rod Snyder leaves EPA on Wednesday
Rod Snyder, the first director of EPA's agriculture and rural affairs office, said on Monday that he was leaving the agency after nearly three years as its agriculture adviser. EPA administrator Michael Regan said farmers, ranchers, and rural communities "will always have a seat at EPA's table" thanks to Snyder's influence.